Is It Legal to Own a Boa Constrictor? Federal Withdrawal and State Rules
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Boa constrictors spent years in federal regulatory limbo alongside pythons and anacondas, then the government explicitly declined to restrict them. That decision, plus a small number of genuinely restrictive states, is the entire legal picture for this species.
The Federal History: Proposed, Then Withdrawn
FWS proposed listing nine large constrictor species, including the boa constrictor, as injurious wildlife back on March 12, 2010. In January 2012, the agency finalized a listing for four of those species, the Burmese and Indian python plus the Northern and Southern African python, but left the remaining five, including the boa constrictor, under continued consideration. After a 2014 comment period reopened for those five, FWS's March 2015 final rule listed the reticulated python and three anaconda species, and explicitly withdrew the boa constrictor from consideration entirely.
FWS's own stated reasoning is worth reading directly: although a boa "can be damaging to U.S. wildlife," the agency found that "the circumstances surrounding the species, which include widespread private ownership and domestic breeding, render importation and interstate transport prohibitions less effective." In other words, the boa constrictor was already too widely and legally established as a pet for a federal trade ban to meaningfully change anything, so FWS chose a cooperative approach with states, wildlife agencies, and the pet industry instead. As of 2026, the boa constrictor remains not federally listed as injurious wildlife.
FWS noted that boas had been found "on the loose" in 46 states by the time of its 2015 decision, an indicator of just how widespread private ownership already was, and part of why the agency concluded a federal ban would do little beyond inconveniencing existing legal owners.
Where States Restrict Boa Constrictors
| State/City | Rule | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | Total ban | All snakes prohibited outright; possession is a class C felony with fines up to $200,000 and up to 3 years imprisonment |
| New York City | Banned (municipal) | NYC Health Code prohibits the entire family Boidae |
| Louisiana | Permit required, any length | Boa constrictor is named individually on the restricted nonnative species list; a Restricted Snake Permit is required regardless of size |
| Missouri | Registration once over 8 feet | A dangerous reptile over eight feet must be registered with the county law enforcement agency; failure to register is the offense, not possession |
| West Virginia | Legal | The board's adopted dangerous wild animal list names no snake at all |
| Delaware | Permit required | A live reptile not native to Delaware needs a $25 Individual permit from the State Veterinarian; no snake is on the exempt list, and the python and anaconda entry people cite is a breeding restriction on sales permit holders, not a possession ban |
| New Jersey | Not restricted | Named on the state's exempt species list as Constrictor constrictor, with no subspecies split |
| Florida | Not restricted | On neither the Prohibited nor the Conditional list under Ch. 68-5, F.A.C. |
| Ohio | Not restricted | The restricted-snake line is constrictors of twelve feet or more, and only pythons and anacondas are named there |
| New York State, Connecticut, Texas, Massachusetts | Not restricted | None reach the boa constrictor; Texas regulates six named constrictors and the boa is not one |
| New Mexico | Import permit required | The Colombian red-tail that dominates the trade is Group III, needing an importation permit with specific provisions attached |
| Minnesota | Legal from a permitted breeder | Snakes 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 |
Louisiana Is Now the Strictest Mainland State
Louisiana rewrote its reptile rules in January 2025, and the result catches a lot of people still working from older summaries. The current LAC 76:XV.101 names Boa constrictor individually on the restricted nonnative species list, which means a Restricted Snake Permit is required to import, possess, sell or buy one at any size. A separate general provision covers constrictor snakes over eight feet, and that eight-foot line is the part most secondhand write-ups quote, but for a boa it is beside the point: the species is restricted by name whatever length it is. Permitted facilities are also open to inspection.
New Jersey: Exempt, Not Permitted
New Jersey is worth stating plainly because the opposite claim circulates widely. The state's exempt species list at N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.4 names the boa constrictor outright, using the older binomial Constrictor constrictor, and makes no distinction between B. c. imperator, B. c. ortonii and the nominate subspecies. The potentially dangerous species list at 7:25-4.8 reaches only venomous families, Elapidae, Viperidae and Crotalidae, plus the usual mammals and crocodilians. No boa appears on it. What New Jersey does require a permit for is the ball python, which is the reverse of most states and the likeliest origin of the subspecies story.
Hawaii and New York City: The Two Outright Bans
Hawaii bans every snake species without exception, boas included, a felony-level offense carrying fines up to $200,000 and up to three years imprisonment, with an amnesty turn-in program for anyone who already has one. The reasoning is ecological rather than punitive: Hawaii's native bird populations evolved with no natural snake predators, and any established snake population would be devastating to the island ecosystem.
New York City separately bans the entire family Boidae under its health code, which on its plain language captures boa constrictors even though the code's own illustrative examples focus on anacondas. This is a municipal rule layered on top of New York State law, which does not restrict boas at all, meaning the same snake is legal an hour outside the city and illegal within it.
Florida Does Not Ban Boa Constrictors
This one needs saying because the opposite claim is common. FWC added 16 high-risk nonnative reptiles to Florida's Prohibited list in February 2021, effective that April, and the boa constrictor was not among them. The prohibited snakes are the brown tree snake, four anacondas in genus Eunectes, four Python species, two Morelia species and the sea snake family. The Conditional list's only reptile is the red-eared slider. Boa constrictor is on neither, so no Florida permit, microchip or caging standard attaches to keeping one.
What About Interstate Transport and CITES?
Two more points that get muddled. Because the boa constrictor is not federally listed as injurious, the Lacey Act's import and interstate transport prohibitions do not apply to it, and no federal approval is needed to move one across state lines or sell one interstate. What does apply is CITES, and only to international movement: Boa constrictor is on Appendix II, and the Argentine subspecies B. c. occidentalis is on Appendix I. Neither touches domestic ownership.
The Takeaway
The federal government looked at banning boa constrictors and decided against it, on the record, because the species was already too well established as a legal pet for a ban to accomplish much. That leaves state and local law as the only real barrier, and it's a short, specific list: Hawaii's total ban, New York City's municipal ban layered over an otherwise permissive state, permits in Louisiana, New Mexico and Delaware, Missouri's registration duty once the animal passes eight feet, and Minnesota's permitted-breeder condition. West Virginia turned out to be legal once the board's list was read: the statute told a three member board to consider constrictors over six feet, but the list the board actually adopted in April 2022 names no snake at all, only the Komodo dragon among reptiles. Delaware turned out to be a permit state once its regulation was read in full: no snake is exempt there, so a boa needs a $25 Individual permit, and the python and anaconda list that made it look like a ban is a restriction on what sales permit holders may breed. Everywhere else, boa constrictors are simply legal to own. See our exotic pet legal hub for how this compares to the federal and state patterns for other species, or our Ball Python legal guide for a similarly widely-legal snake with its own narrow exceptions.
For the animal rather than the husbandry, see the Boa Constrictor encyclopedia profile.
To see this at a glance, our interactive map of boa constrictor laws shades every state that restricts one, and clicking a state gives you the rule it comes from.
Sources & Further Reading
Last reviewed 5 Sep 2026 · 6 sources
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Service Lists Four Nonnative Large Constrictor Snakes as Injurious Wildlife
- Federal Register, March 10, 2015 (80 FR 12702)
- N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.4, Exempted species
- LAC 76:XV.101, Reptiles and Amphibians, Recreational and Commercial Harvests; Prohibitions
- Florida FWC Prohibited Nonnative Species List (Ch. 68-5, F.A.C.)
- Missouri Revised Statutes 578.023, Keeping a dangerous wild animal
- Ohio Revised Code 935.01, Dangerous Wild Animals and Restricted Snakes definitions
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is the boa constrictor listed as federally injurious wildlife?
No, and this is a common point of confusion. FWS proposed listing it alongside 8 other large constrictors in 2010, but affirmatively withdrew the boa constrictor from that list in a March 2015 rule that did list four other species instead. The boa constrictor remains not federally listed as of 2026.
Why did the federal government withdraw the boa constrictor specifically?
FWS's own reasoning, stated in its 2015 rule: although the species can be damaging to US wildlife, its circumstances, meaning widespread private ownership and domestic breeding already established across the country, made import and interstate transport prohibitions less effective as a tool. FWS opted for a cooperative approach with states and the pet industry instead.
Where is it illegal to own a boa constrictor?
Hawaii bans all snakes outright, a felony-level restriction. New York City bans the whole family Boidae at the municipal level, snakes are otherwise legal in most of New York State. Everywhere else, it comes down to permits rather than outright bans in a few states.
Does New Jersey require a permit for a boa constrictor?
No. New Jersey's exempt species list at N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.4 names the boa constrictor outright, under the older name Constrictor constrictor, and draws no subspecies distinction. Boas also appear nowhere on the potentially dangerous species list at 7:25-4.8, which reaches only venomous snake families. New Jersey does require a permit for the ball python, which is the reverse of most states and a likely source of the confusion.
Do Louisiana or other states have length-based restrictions?
Louisiana has both, and the species rule is the one that matters. Its January 2025 rewrite of LAC 76:XV.101 names Boa constrictor individually on the restricted nonnative species list, so a Restricted Snake Permit is required at any length, on top of a separate general rule for constrictors over eight feet. Missouri's is a true length rule: a dangerous reptile over eight feet must be registered with the county sheriff. Ohio sets its restricted-snake line at twelve feet and lists only pythons and anacondas there, so boas fall outside it. Most other states don't regulate boas at all (New York State, Connecticut, Texas) or exempt the family except for a few named large species (Massachusetts, Rhode Island).
Is Florida's rule on boa constrictors settled?
Yes, and the answer is that Florida does not restrict them. Boa constrictor appears on neither of FWC's lists under Chapter 68-5, F.A.C. The Prohibited list of snakes covers the brown tree snake, four Eunectes anacondas, four Python species and two Morelia species; the Conditional list's only reptile is the red-eared slider. The February 2021 rule change that added 16 high-risk reptiles did not add the boa. Claims that Florida bans boa constrictors, which circulate on secondary sites, are wrong.
📰 More on the Boa Constrictor
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🐍 Boa Constrictor Enclosure Setup: Sizing for the Adult It Will Become
🐍 Boa Constrictor Feeding: Schedule, Prey Size, and Why Adults Eat So Rarely
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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