Is It Legal to Own an Argentine Tegu? Florida's Prohibited List Explained
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Argentine tegus don't have a federal problem. They aren't listed as injurious wildlife, and most states don't mention them in their wildlife codes at all. What they have is a very specific, very real Florida problem, and unlike a lot of exotic-pet rumors, this one is fully phased in with no workaround left.
Florida's Prohibited List: What Changed and When
On February 25, 2021, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission placed 16 high-risk nonnative reptiles on its Prohibited species list, including all Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae) and all Tupinambis tegus, alongside green iguanas, Burmese and other pythons, green anaconda, and Nile monitors. The acquisition ban took effect April 29, 2021: as of that date, new tegus can no longer be legally acquired as pets in Florida.
| Date | What Happened | |
|---|---|---|
| February 25, 2021 | FWC votes to add Argentine tegus to the Prohibited species list | |
| April 29, 2021 | New acquisition of a pet tegu becomes illegal in Florida | |
| July 28, 2021 | Deadline to register an already-owned tegu under the grandfather permit | |
| June 30, 2024 | Deadline for qualifying license holders to sell commercially bred tegu eggs | |
| August 20, 2025 | Updated caging rule requiring individual housing for tegus over 9in SVL | |
| Georgia | Banned as a pet | Named by current binomial, Salvator merianae, and the same subparagraph limits those licenses to scientific, educational or public exhibition purposes |
| Alabama | Banned by genus | "Any species of Tegus (Salvator sp.)", so every tegu in the trade under that genus is caught, not only the Argentine |
| Louisiana | Banned | Named on the prohibited nonnative reptile list, which bars importation, possession, sale, transfer, release and reproduction |
| Hawaii, District of Columbia, New York City | Banned | Hawaii lists Salvator research-and-exhibition only, DC permits no lizard at all, and the NYC Health Code names the black and white tegu inside a family-wide clause |
| New Mexico | Import permit required | Group II on the Director's list, listed at genus level under the older taxonomy: not invasive or dangerous, but an importation permit is required first |
| New Jersey | Permit required | A closed-list state: 4.2(a) bars possessing any exotic or nongame species without a permit, and 4.5 sweeps in everything 4.4 does not exempt |
| Minnesota | Legal from a permitted breeder | Lizards are protected wild animals as a whole category, and one from a permitted breeder or held before August 2021 may be kept as a pet |
If You Already Owned One: The Grandfathering Window
Existing Florida tegu owners had until July 28, 2021 to obtain a free Grandfathered Prohibited Species for Personal Use permit and have their animal PIT-tagged, essentially microchipped, allowing them to legally keep it for the rest of its life. People relocating to Florida with documentation of prior ownership elsewhere could apply under the same provision. That registration window has been closed for years now, there's no current path to grandfather in a tegu acquired after the ban took effect.
Florida's tegu ban and its grandfather-permit structure closely mirror how the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act handled existing big cat owners in 2022 and 2023, a one-time registration window, then a permanently closed door. It's a pattern worth recognizing: when a state or federal wildlife rule bans new acquisition of an established pet species, a time-limited grandfathering option for current owners is the standard tool used to avoid an outright confiscation mandate.
Why Florida Specifically
This isn't a precautionary rule aimed at a hypothetical risk. Argentine tegus have established breeding wild populations in multiple Florida counties, including Miami-Dade, Charlotte, Hillsborough, and St. Lucie. They're documented predators of the eggs and nests of native species, gopher tortoises, American crocodiles, and ground-nesting birds among them. This is the same invasive-reptile enforcement pattern that previously drove Florida's restrictions on Burmese pythons, real, established wild populations causing measurable ecological damage, not a rule written in the abstract.
Worth separating clearly: this ecological risk to Florida's native wildlife is a completely different question from whether a pet tegu is dangerous to its own keeper. It isn't, tegus aren't venomous and a well-socialized one is famously calm, we cover the research behind both claims directly.
The 2025 Caging Rule Update
A rule refinement effective August 20, 2025 tightened enclosure requirements further: tegus and green iguanas over 9 inches snout-to-vent length must now be housed individually, specifically to prevent breeding, with any eggs produced destroyed immediately. Commercial breeding of tegus by qualifying license holders was only permitted through June 30, 2024, closing off what had been the last legal supply channel for captive-bred tegus sold within the state.
What About Other States?
Tegus aren't listed as federally injurious wildlife, so there's no nationwide restriction working against them the way there is for some large constrictor species. This guide focuses specifically on Florida's restriction because it's the one fully documented, verified rule we found in researching this species. That doesn't mean every other state is automatically clear, a handful of states maintain broader restrictions on nonnative or nondomestic reptiles generally, covered at a higher level in our exotic pet legal hub. Always verify directly with your own state's wildlife or natural resources agency before acquiring one, rules can and do change.
How this species compares to a green anole, fire-bellied toad, and tiger salamander is in Four Pets Whose Size Tells You the Wrong Thing. For the animal rather than the husbandry, see the Argentine Black and White Tegu encyclopedia profile.
To see this at a glance, our interactive map of argentine black and white tegu laws shades every state that restricts one, and clicking a state gives you the rule it comes from.
Sources & Further Reading
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to buy an Argentine tegu as a pet?
In most states, yes, tegus aren't federally injurious and most state wildlife codes don't mention them at all. Florida is the major exception: since April 29, 2021, new acquisition of a pet tegu has been banned outright under the state's Prohibited species list.
I already owned a tegu in Florida before the ban, can I keep it?
If you registered in time, yes. Owners had until July 28, 2021 to obtain a free Grandfathered Prohibited Species for Personal Use permit and have the animal PIT-tagged (microchipped). That window has been closed for years now, an unregistered tegu acquired in Florida after the ban took effect isn't legal to keep.
Why did Florida ban tegus specifically?
Argentine tegus have established breeding wild populations in multiple Florida counties, including Miami-Dade, Charlotte, Hillsborough, and St. Lucie. They prey on the eggs and nests of native species, including gopher tortoises, American crocodiles, and ground-nesting birds, the same invasive-reptile concern that previously drove Florida's Burmese python restrictions.
Are tegus restricted anywhere else in the US?
Tegus aren't listed as federally injurious wildlife, so there's no nationwide ban. This guide focuses on Florida's documented, verified restriction specifically; always check your own state's wildlife or natural resources agency directly, since state exotic-pet rules change and a handful of states restrict nonnative reptiles generally.
Can breeders still produce tegus for sale in Florida?
Only in a narrow, now-closing window. Qualifying license holders were permitted to breed tegus commercially only through June 30, 2024, after that date any eggs produced must be destroyed. A separate rule effective August 20, 2025 requires tegus and green iguanas over 9 inches snout-to-vent length to be housed individually specifically to prevent breeding.
Does this affect where I can buy a tegu from?
Yes, indirectly. With Florida's commercial breeding pipeline now closed off and the acquisition ban in place, prospective Florida owners have no legal path to a new pet tegu. Elsewhere, captive-bred stock is still the better buy.
📰 More on the Argentine Tegu
Written by Michael Ryan
Mike keeps two rescued bearded dragons, Dex and Cera, and writes the care guides on BeastlyFacts from his own research and mistakes. He is not a veterinarian.
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