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Security marshals expect to see wallets, phones and pens when they X-ray bags on the way into the courthouse; they don’t expect to see an iguana. It made national news when someone reportedly tried to bring their pet iguana to court in Boulder, Colorado. Rango never got his day in court and had to leave.

A seeing-eye-parrot once made its way into the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas. What’s the difference? Even though you might feel better with your pet iguana Rango at your side during court, Rango doesn’t qualify to enter, because he’s a pet, not a service animal. American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-recognized service animals are the only animals allowed into courthouse facilities. A service animal should wear a tag or clothing that identifies it as a service animal. As per the ADA, a person may be directed by a marshal to remove their service animal from the building if the animal is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it, or the animal is not housebroken.

There are many other things you should leave at home when coming to court including: guns, knives, scissors, box-cutters, metal forks, knitting-needles, metal combs, or anything that could be used as weapon/blunt instrument such as tools, studded belts and bracelets, motorcycle helmets, glass, plastic or metallic items that could pose a danger or threat. Generally, coming to court is much like going to the airport: don’t bring weapons or contraband and allow sufficient time to get through security if you want to be on-time.

Check out the story on the iguana in Boulder: http://news3lv.com/news/offbeat/x-ray-machine-foils-attempt-to-sneak-iguana-into-courthouse-06-18-2016

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