An Exotic Animal as a Pet
ORS 609.341 — big cats, primates, crocodiles and most bears only with a state permit
An exotic animal is any wild cat not native to the state other than a house cat, any primate other than a human, any member of the dog family not native here other than a dog or a wolf, any bear but the black bear, and any member of the order Crocodylia.
Who handles this in Oregon: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Oregon directory.
No one may keep an exotic animal without a State Department of Agriculture permit for that animal, either one issued before January 1, 2010, or one issued under the current law. A kept exotic animal may not be bred, and it may not be kept more than 30 days after its permit expires or is revoked or suspended.
The small cat exception. A wild cat that weighs 50 pounds or less fully grown may be bred with a house cat by a permit holder who documents, with a business license, that the kittens are bred for retail sale.
A city or county may ban keeping wildlife or exotic animals altogether by ordinance. Whether a particular animal needs a permit is a question for the State Department of Agriculture or a licensed Oregon attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- ORS 609.341 — Permit requirement for keeping of exotic animal
- ORS 609.305 — “Exotic animal” defined
- ORS 609.205 — Prohibitions against keeping of wild or exotic animals
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Oregon attorney.