The Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to hear snake breeder Scott Nellis’ appeal to overturn two citations issued by the city of Coon Rapids for breeding and selling snakes from his home. Without comment, the court denied a petition for review filed by Nellis’ attorney on October 30, following the state court of appeals’ decision that upheld the city’s board of adjustment and appeals actions.
The city’s board rejected Nellis’ appeal of citations from 2012, which accused him of violating city codes by running an illegal home business and keeping non-domestic animals, including certain species of boas and pythons. The citations required Nellis to remove all prohibited snakes, reduce the square footage of his home used for the business to no more than 25% of the habitable area, and lower ammonia levels inside his home to less than one part per million, with no detectable ammonia outside. In 2010, Coon Rapids passed an ordinance banning possession of pythons and boa constrictors and introduced another limiting the number of domestic animals to 12. Nellis stated these measures were directly targeted at him and his business. Nellis argued that the Coon Rapids home occupation ordinance was unconstitutional, claiming it was vague and that the non-domestic animal clause lacked a grandfather clause, violating his equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment. He has been keeping and breeding snakes in his home since 1996.
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