If you’re picturing a backyard enclosure for a pet chimpanzee in Colorado, state law has already closed that door. Colorado treats non-human primates as prohibited wildlife, and outside of a handful of narrow, decades-old exceptions, there is no legal path for an ordinary resident to bring home a chimpanzee. The rules involve a mix of state statutes, a stalled federal bill, and local ordinances that can add even more restrictions on top.
Understanding why requires looking at three separate layers of law: what Congress has and hasn’t passed, what Colorado’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act actually prohibits, and what your city or county might add to the mix. Below is a breakdown of each layer, along with the permits, exemptions, and penalties that apply.
Is It Legal to Own a Chimpanzee in Colorado
For nearly everyone, the answer is no. The common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) falls under Colorado’s broad ban on private possession of exotic wildlife. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the agency takes the position that Colorado does not allow private possession of exotic animals or wildlife, unless specifically authorized by CPW regulation. That policy applies whether the animal in question is native or imported.
Specifically for great apes, the Animal Legal & Historical Center notes that Colorado’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act prohibits the importation, possession, sale, and transfer of apes by exotic pet owners and animal dealers. That single sentence covers gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons in addition to chimpanzees. A companion resource from the Colorado Virtual Library confirms the ban extends beyond apes: monkeys and other primates, exotic pigs, certain kinds of frogs, exotic bovids such as wildebeest, and ruminants like oryx are illegal to possess in Colorado…