Where is the cobra legal?

Any species of venomous reptile which has never naturally existed in the wild in Alabama including but not limited to venomous snakes of the families Viperidae, Atractaspididae, Elapidae, Hydrophiidae and Colubridae, except for hognose snakes (genus Heterodon);

Cobras are elapids and have never lived wild in Alabama, so possessing one is barred. Only accredited educational, research and rehabilitation facilities may be exempted, by the Commissioner's written permission under § (6). The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Alabama's prohibited list, not a permitted one, so absence from it means an animal is unrestricted. The official code site is a React app that serves nothing to a fetcher, but /api/rule/<number> returns the current rule as a PDF; use it, because Cornell LII's copy is the 2020 version and the current one differs. Two clauses do most of the work: everything the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act is banned by reference, and a block of mammals is banned when it comes from outside Alabama.

The department may not issue a permit for the capture, possession, import, or export of any game animal, including a hybrid of a game animal and a species listed in (b) of this section, for use as a pet

Reptiles are game in Alaska, and the clean list clears only "Any nonvenomous reptile", so a cobra stays under § 92.029(a), and subsection (c) bars a pet permit. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The strictest structure in the country and the clearest. Subsection (a) bars possessing live game without a permit, (b) is a short clean list of species needing no permit, and (c) then removes the escape hatch: the department may not issue a permit for any game animal for use as a pet. So an animal missing from the clean list cannot be kept, permit or not.

Family Elapidae-Cobras, Coral Snakes, Mambas, Kraits, etc. All species (D)

California names the cobras in the family heading and restricts every elapid, marked (D) for detrimental, which takes in the king cobra with the Naja species. No permit type covers pet keeping. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: § 671(b) defines (D) detrimental and (W) welfare. § 671.1(a) lists permit types; none covers pet keeping. The only possession permit, Animal Care, requires lawful possession in California before January 1992.

Any species of wildlife that is not specifically listed in Chapter W-11 as Domestic or Unregulated or in Chapter W-07 as Appendix A or Appendix B, the species is regulated wildlife and a CPW license is required. CPW will not issue a license for private possession (eg pet) of regulated wildlife.

Appendix A's snake families are file snakes, pipe snakes, boas, colubrids, pythons, shield-tails and sunbeam snakes; Elapidae is not among them, so a cobra is regulated wildlife with no pet license. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: CPW's own page, with four downloadable lists, herpetofauna, mammals, birds, and fish and marine animals, each row giving a species and the regulation that decides it: Domestic, Unregulated, Appendix A or B, Appendix C, Regulated or Prohibited. Updated 1 May 2026. Not exhaustive, and CPW takes questions on unlisted species by email. This is the agency applying its own rule, which matters most where Appendix A turns on whether a species is native only to the tropics.

(xxix) A member within the family Elapidae (including, but not limited to, cobra, coral snake, mamba, sea snake and sea krait),

Connecticut names the cobra in the Elapidae entry of Category Two, which reaches the king cobra too. Subsection (b)(3) allows a Category Two animal only to a treating vet, municipal parks, zoos, aquaria, nature centers, museums, exhibitors, laboratories and research facilities, so there is no private route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Connecticut's official eRegulations text, served as a PDF. This is the operative rule for every animal on this map, and it sorts wild animals into four categories. Category One (four mammal families) and Category Two (a long specific list) may be possessed only by institutions; Category Three, which is Connecticut's own native species, bars import and export but not possession; Category Four, the state endangered, threatened and special concern species, needs a permit. An animal in none of the four is not restricted by this section. The definitions in subsection (a) do more work than the lists: 'wild animal' reaches invertebrates, and 'domestic animal' is defined in a way that takes the pet rabbit and the ferret out of the scheme entirely.

Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, except for medical or psychological research or for display in any licensed zoological park or traveling circus, no person shall bring into this State, possess, sell or exhibit any poisonous snake not native to or generally found in Delaware where the venom of such snake poses a risk of serious injury or death to a human, and no permit for the same shall be issued by the Department of Agriculture.

The statute bars every venomous snake not native to Delaware outside research and licensed zoos and circuses, and says no permit shall issue. No pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: §7201 requires a permit before bringing in, possessing, selling, or exhibiting any live wild mammal or reptile not native to Delaware; the California kingsnake, a Pacific coast species, falls under this permit requirement.

a person shall not import into the District, possess, display, offer for sale, trade, barter, exchange, or adoption, or give as a household pet, any living member of the animal kingdom, including those born or raised in captivity, except the following

Category (E) admits non-venomous snakes only, so a cobra fits nothing on the closed list. No permit route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: A closed list and one of the shortest in the country. Subsection (j)(1) bars importing, possessing, displaying, selling, trading or giving as a household pet "any living member of the animal kingdom, including those born or raised in captivity", except seven categories: domestic dogs, domestic cats, domesticated rodents and rabbits, captive-bred common cage birds, non-venomous snakes and fish and turtles, ferrets, and racing pigeons. No lizard, no amphibian and no invertebrate fits any of them. Read from the D.C. Code rather than from a reproduction: the seven categories and their exact wording are what every cell in this jurisdiction turns on.

Family Elapidae - All species;

Every elapid, the king cobra included, is in the inherently dangerous tier, which needs a license and liability insurance and is licensed only to dealers and exhibitors. No pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Georgia sorts wild animals into three tiers and none of them is a pet tier. Rule .03 prohibits outright, and its only pet-relevant entry is the monk parakeet. Rule .04 is inherently dangerous animals needing a license AND liability insurance: all Felidae, four canid genera, bears, hyenas, kangaroos, great apes, crocodilians, the venomous snake families and a short list of fish and scorpions. Rule .05 requires a license, and it works by taxonomic order rather than by species, which is why it is so wide: all Carnivora, all hedgehogs, all lagomorphs, all marsupials, all primates, and all rodents except six named genera. The thing to read before any of it is O.C.G.A. § 27-5-4(b)(1), because it says who a license is issued to: the wild animal trade and public exhibitors, plus no-cost permits for science, education, a capuchin monkey for a person with a permanent disability, and grass carp for a pond owner. No pet. So an animal on .04 or .05 is not a permit animal for a keeper, it is a no, and the rule proves it by writing express "may be held as a pet without a license" exceptions for exactly two animals, the European ferret and the sugar glider.

Serpentes (all species in suborder, except for two male nonvenomous snakes for exhibition in a government zoo, and for four sterile male brown tree snakes, Boiga irregularis, for research or training of snake detector dogs by the department)

Every snake is on the prohibited list, the tier with no permit, and the zoo carve out reaches only nonvenomous snakes. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Also carries the default rule: introduction is 'prohibited except for those animals on the lists' incorporated in § 4-71-6.5.

Permittees may keep legally obtained venomous reptile specimens native to the United States, except the following species:

Cobras are named in the Elapidae entry of the venomous reptile definition, and the special use permit that is the Act's only route is for educational programs. Even a permittee may keep only venomous species native to the United States, which no cobra is. No route at all. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The statute behind 17 Ill. Adm. Code 885, and the only Illinois law that reaches pet reptiles and amphibians. § 5-5 sets the possession limits, § 15-5 clears the family Boidae from the permit system outright, § 25-5 defines 'monitor lizards' as only the crocodile monitor and Komodo dragon, and § 85-5 bars possession of a special use herptile. Sections are served individually from this endpoint by DocName, 051000680K<section>.

A member of the family elapidae, viperidae, crotalidae, atractaspidae, or hydrophidae which are venomous, including but not limited to cobras, mambas, coral snakes, kraits, adders, vipers, rattlesnakes, copperheads, pit vipers, keelbacks, cottonmouths, and sea snakes.

Cobras are named in the venomous snake clause, and elapidae is one of the families it covers. § 717F.3 bars owning, possessing, breeding or bringing one into the state, and the only private route was the § 717F.4 registration of animals already held on 1 July 2007. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: An owner in possession on 1 July 2007 could keep the animal after implanting an electronic identification device within sixty days and registering with the department by 31 December 2007. No new route exists.

How this rule works: § 717F.3 bars owning, possessing, breeding or importing a dangerous wild animal. § 717F.1(5) defines the class by family and order rather than by species name, so the boundaries are read off the taxonomy. § 717F.4 grandfathers animals already owned on 1 July 2007.

"Dangerous regulated animal" means a live or slaughtered parts of: (1) Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and mountain lions, or any hybrid thereof; (2) bears or any hybrid thereof; and (3) all non-native, venomous snakes.

All non-native venomous snakes are dangerous regulated animals, and since 1 July 2006 no one may take possession of one except a USDA licensee keeping up the inventory it held that day. A cobra is never native to Kansas. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: An animal possessed on 1 July 2006 may be kept if registered with the local animal control authority, caged to K.S.A. 32-1306, covered by $250,000 liability insurance or bond, and not bred.

How this rule works: Kansas restricts three things here and nothing else, and the definition is short enough to read in full. But this Act is not where a Kansas answer ends. K.S.A. 32-701 defines wildlife as any member of the animal kingdom and K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) makes possessing wildlife unlawful unless a rule of the secretary permits it, so the operative rules are K.A.R. 115-20-3 for anything not native and K.A.R. 115-20-2 and 115-15-2 for anything that is.

(2) Except as established in Sections 5 and 6 of this administrative regulation, a person shall not import, transport, or possess the following inherently dangerous exotic wildlife: ... (t) Venomous exotic snakes of the families Viperidae, Atractaspididae, Elapidae, Hydrophidae, and Colubridae, except for hognose snakes (Genus Heterodon);

Cobras are elapids, one of the families of venomous exotic snakes on the inherently dangerous list. The only routes left are an AZA-accredited facility and the commissioner's exemption in § 5, which is open to municipal zoos, colleges, circuses and earlier exempted facilities, not private keepers. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: A person who legally possessed the animal before 13 July 2005 may keep it for its life with veterinary records, acquisition papers or other proof, but may not replace it, breed it or transfer it.

How this rule works: Three lists. Section 4(1) is prohibited species, injurious to native ecosystems. Section 4(2) is inherently dangerous exotic wildlife. Section 7 is the permit-exempt list. Anything on none of the three may be possessed, but a transportation permit is needed to bring it into the state. KRS 65.877, cited in the regulation itself, lets local governments prohibit inherently dangerous wildlife outright.

xi. All species in the Genera Naja, Ophiophagus, Pseudohaje, Aspidelaps, and Walterinnesia (cobras); Dendroaspis (mambas), Oxyuranus (taipans), and Bungarus (kraits) of the Family Elapidae;

Cobras, the king cobra included, are on Louisiana's prohibited nonnative list, which bars importing, possessing, selling, transferring and breeding them. Owners had 365 days from the January 2025 effective date to register and obtain a permit, the Burmese python's position. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: Registration within 365 days of the rule taking effect, no breeding, no further acquisition.

How this rule works: Rewritten in January 2025 and now one of the strictest reptile rules in the country. Three tiers: prohibited nonnative species, restricted nonnative species needing a permit, and a general rule that any constrictor over eight feet needs a restricted snake permit.

Family Elapidae All Species in Family Elapidae (Cobras, Coral Snakes, Elapids, Kraits) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

The whole cobra family is Category 1, which takes in the king cobra. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

A person may not import into the State, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live: ... (viii) poisonous snake in the family groups of Hydrophidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, or Crotolidae.

Every elapid is barred by family name, the king cobra with the Naja species. The exemptions run to research facilities, licensed exhibitors, DNR licensees, sanctuaries, vets and circuses, and a licensed exhibitor may acquire a primate or big cat only with $1,000,000 of insurance, paid full-time staff and a disposition policy. Subsection (e) preserves stricter county and municipal rules. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: Lawful possession on or before 31 May 2006 may continue, but only if the keeper gave written notification to the local animal control authority by 1 August 2006, with the number and type of animals and a photograph or a description of a tattoo or microchip. That window is long closed.

How this rule works: Maryland's dangerous animal list, on the General Assembly's own site. Eight clauses and nothing else: fox, skunk, raccoon or bear; caiman, alligator or crocodile; any cat other than the domestic cat; a cat hybrid over 30 pounds; any dog other than the domestic dog and any dog hybrid; non-human primates; and venomous snakes of four named families. A misdemeanor, and subsection (e) says in terms that counties and municipalities may go further. Note COMAR 15.11.16.01, titled List of Prohibited Animals, is an agriculture rule about feral swine and is not this provision.

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (g) Cobras (all species in family Elapidae);

Cobras are named on the prohibited list, as are mambas, kraits and coral snakes, all by the family Elapidae. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

the importation, transportation or possession of the following species of live wildlife or hybrids thereof, including viable embryos or gametes, is prohibited: ... (6)Coral snakes, cobras, kraits, mambas, Australian elapids and sea snakes...... All species in the family Elapidae

Nevada names cobras in the Elapidae entry of the prohibited list. Permits for a prohibited species go only to accredited zoos and aquaria, colleges, universities and government agencies for research, other scientific institutions, commercial aquaculture, and nonprofits that exhibit wildlife solely for education or science, so there is no pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Two lists: 503.110 prohibits, 503.140 names species that may be possessed, transported, imported and exported without a permit. Nevada counties and cities are frequently stricter than the state, notably Clark County, Henderson and Las Vegas.

(b) A permit shall be issued only to a person in the permittee category(ies), as defined in Fis 802.01, and cited in Table 800.2 as follows: ... Reptiles ... 5 All venomous reptiles

Fis 804.02(b)(4) frees exotic reptiles from any permit except alligators, crocodiles and venomous reptiles, and the venomous row in Table 800.2 is category 5 only, so no permit can issue to an individual. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Readopted in full by Document #14558, effective 21 April 2026. Four buckets and a closing rule. Fis 804.02 is the non-controlled possession list, Fis 804.03 the prohibited list, Fis 804.05 with Table 800.2 the controlled table, and Fis 804.04(b) then says "All species not specifically listed under the categories of non-controlled, prohibited, or controlled shall be designated as prohibited." Fis 803 runs the same three-way split for importation against Table 800.1. The number beside a species in either table is the permittee category from Fis 802.01: 1 is an individual, 5 an exhibitor, so a species marked 5 alone cannot be held privately. Fis 802.05 is the waiver for unlisted species and subsection (c) closes it to categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, which leaves only exhibitors.

The potentially dangerous species shall not be kept as a pet, for hobby purposes or in situations, which, in the judgment of the Department, could adversely affect the health of the animal or which could constitute a hazard to the public.

"Elapidae--Coral snakes and cobras" is on the potentially dangerous species table, which reaches the king cobra too, and 4.9(a)3 rules out keeping one as a pet. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: NJDEP's own courtesy copy of the whole of N.J.A.C. 7:25. Subchapter 4 starts at 7:25-4.1 and carries the definitions, the permit requirement at 4.2, the three species lists at 4.3, 4.4 and 4.8, the pet bar at 4.9(a)3 and 4.15(b), and the state endangered list at 4.13. The three list PDFs the Division hands out are extracts of this.

Snake | Elapidae | all venomous species | Snakes, Venomous | IV

Every venomous elapid is in Group IV, the king cobra included. Group IV importation is prohibited for the general public and allowed only for scientific study, department approved restoration, zoological display, temporary events, use as a service animal, or by a qualified expert. 19.35.7 NMAC is an importation rule, so it governs bringing the animal into New Mexico rather than keeping one already here. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The roughly 1,300 row table that 19.35.7 NMAC points at and that earlier research could not obtain. Every row gives a family, a scientific name, a common name and a roman numeral group. Group I is semi-domesticated and needs no importation permit. Group II is not known to be invasive or dangerous and needs a permit. Group III presents minimal or manageable concerns and needs a permit with specific provisions attached. Group IV is prohibited to the general public. The list is reached from the download page rather than a direct file URL, and the site needs a User-Agent header.

(5) All reptiles that are venomous by nature, pursuant to department regulation, and the following species and orders: Burmese Python (Python m. bivittatus), Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus), African Rock Python (Python sabae), Green Anaconda (Eunectes maurinus), Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus),

Every venomous reptile is a wild animal that may not be kept as a pet, and 180.1(b)(17) lists all Elapidae, the king cobra with them. The exemptions in § 11-0512(2) are zoos, licensed exhibitors and research facilities, vets, shelters, universities, rehabilitators, sanctuaries and travelers, all holding the animal for a purpose other than a pet, and 6 NYCRR 180.1(c) issues dangerous animal licenses only for scientific, educational, exhibition, zoological or propagation purposes. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: New York answers exotic and native animals through two entirely separate mechanisms, and the famous one is the smaller. § 11-0103(6)(e) is a closed "wild animal" list, six clauses long, that § 11-0512 then bars keeping as a pet: primates, Felidae, Canidae, Ursidae, a named set of large constrictors and monitors plus all venomous reptiles, and Crocodylia. It carries two express carve-outs that decide cells on this map, for registered Felis catus hybrids five generations clear of wild parentage and for captive bred fennec foxes. The other mechanism is the one that catches natives, and it is a definition rather than a list: § 11-0103(2)(c) makes native frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards and snakes SMALL GAME, therefore game, therefore protected wildlife under § 11-0103(6)(c), and § 11-0107(2) bars possessing protected wildlife "whether taken within the state or coming from without the state". The only license, § 11-0515, is for propagation, banding, scientific or exhibition purposes, so there is no pet route behind it.

Reptiles (Reptilia). All Helodermatidae (gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard); all front-fanged venomous snakes, even if devenomized, including, but not limited to, all Viperidae (viper, pit viper), all Elapidae (cobra, mamba, krait, coral snake)

Cobras are named in the Elapidae clause, and the front-fanged venomous snake clause applies "even if devenomized", so a venomoid cobra is no answer. The king cobra is an elapid as well. The Code's only exceptions are the Parks Department and Wildlife Conservation Society zoos, labs, veterinary facilities and permitted temporary exhibits, so there is no pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: A city rule that is stricter than any state on this map, and it works in three layers. It opens with a standard rather than a list, deeming a wild animal to be "any animal which is naturally inclined to do harm and capable of inflicting harm upon human beings". It then adds, at (b)(ii), any wildlife protected or endangered under federal, STATE or local law, which imports New York State's protected wildlife scheme into the city wholesale. And it closes with 24 numbered clauses that work mostly by family: all cats other than Felis catus and their hybrids, all dogs other than Canis familiaris, all Mustelidae including the ferret by name, all squirrels, all marsupials, all large rodents, all Boidae, all Pythonidae, all Varanidae, all Iguanidae, all teiidae, all Chelydridae, all venomous spiders including the tarantula by name, and all turtles under four inches. § 161.01(c) is the short answer to what is left: gerbil, hamster, guinea pig, domesticated rabbit, and small birds such as parakeet, parrot, canary and finch.

(ii) Order Serpentes: Snakes--All venomous species;

Every venomous snake is in Class I. Class I "may only be possessed by zoos, circuses and commercial propagators", and § 70-4-404(c)(1) says that after 25 June 1991 "no new animals shall be brought into possession under authority of a personal possession permit". The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: Persons legally possessing Class I wildlife before 25 June 1991 must hold an annual personal possession permit and may keep the lineage up to three animals per species; no new animal may be brought into possession under a personal possession permit.

How this rule works: Five classes. Class I is a specific list of inherently dangerous animals, possessable only by zoos, circuses and commercial propagators. Class II is "native species, except those listed in other classes". Class III "requires no permits except those required by the department of agriculture, and includes all species not listed in other classes", followed by seventeen illustrative subdivisions. Class IV is black bear, white-tailed deer and wild turkey; Class V is whatever the commission designates as injurious. The catch-all sitting at Class III rather than Class II is what makes Tennessee permissive, and the exception clause in Class II is what keeps native reptiles out of it. Tennessee's official code is behind LexisNexis and publications.tnsosfiles.com refuses this container, so the wording here was taken from two independent reproductions that agree: animallaw.info, which carries the current post-2024 text, and lawserver.com, whose copy is marked effective until 1 July 2024 and differs only in the snake clause, which the 2024 amendment changed from "poisonous" to "venomous".

(1)(a) A species of the Order Squamata (snakes and lizards) is classified as a prohibited species if: (i) it is venomous; (ii) not native to Utah; and (iii) a bite from which may cause substantial physical injury to humans ordinarily requiring medical treatment. (b) Species of the Order Crocodilia (crocodiles, gharials, caimans, and alligators) are classified as prohibited.

A cobra is venomous, not native to Utah and dangerous to bite, so it is a prohibited species. A prohibited species needs a variance from the Wildlife Board before any certificate of registration, and its possession limit is zero, so there is no pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The whole of Utah's herp rule, self-hosted by the Division of Wildlife Resources because the Office of Administrative Rules site is a React app that serves nothing to a fetcher. Written for collection from the wild: 53-4(1) bars possession outright and 53-5 then gives it back, 53-12 is the only certificate of registration that attaches to possession and it covers native venomous reptiles only, and 53-8(1) lifts captive-bred and out-of-state animals out of the possession limits.

(C) Family elapidae, all species, such as cobras, mambas, kraits, coral snakes, and Australian tiger snakes;

Cobras are named in the elapid entry, which reaches the king cobra too. RCW 16.30.030(1) bars owning, possessing, keeping or bringing one into the state, and (2) bars breeding; the exemptions in 16.30.020 are for zoos, sanctuaries, exhibitors, research and similar bodies. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

Existing owners: A person in legal possession before 22 July 2007 may keep the animal for the rest of its life, with veterinary records or acquisition papers proving the date, but may not breed it.

How this rule works: An enumerated definition. Felidae is limited to lions, tigers, captive-bred cougars, jaguars, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards and clouded leopards; Canidae to wolves excluding wolf-hybrids. § 16.30.030: 'A person shall not own, possess, keep, harbor, bring into the state, or have custody or control of a potentially dangerous wild animal', grandfathering lawful possession before 22 July 2007.

It is unlawful to possess any medically significant venomous reptile after July 1, 2021, whether native or non-native to Arkansas, without obtaining a valid Venomous Reptile Permit issued by the Commission and complying with all permit requirements in Addendum F1.08.

"Cobras (Genus Naja)" and "King Cobras (Genus Ophiophagus)" both sit on the R1.02 permit list, and Code 09.17 requires a Venomous Reptile Permit to keep one. Addendum F1.08 issues the permit to an applicant at least 18 with no captive wildlife or cruelty conviction in five years who shows written proof that local ordinances allow the animal, and sets locked enclosures, a locked escape-proof room and warning signage. The animal must also come from a permitted breeder/dealer or in on an importation permit under Code 09.02. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Code 09.01 makes it unlawful to hold any live wildlife captive unless otherwise specified, and its exceptions include terrestrial invertebrates. Code 09.02 conditions non-native wildlife on sourcing and veterinary certification. Code 09.14 caps native wildlife pets at six per household. Chapter 01.00 supplies the two definitions that decide the rest: WILDLIFE reaches "all other wild animals, regardless of classification", and WILD means "living in a state of nature and not domesticated". Addendum R1.02 closes with "Species not listed in Addenda R1.01, R1.02, or R1.03 are prohibited until evaluated", so absence is a bar rather than a silence.

Any person who keeps, possesses, exhibits or sells any venomous reptiles or reptile of concern shall comply with Sections 379.303, 379.304, 379.305, 379.372, 379.373, 379.374 and 379.3761, F.S., and the provisions of subparagraph 68-5.007(5)(a)1., F.A.C., and the rules of this chapter.

A cobra needs Florida's venomous reptile permit, which an individual can hold: 18 or older, at least one year and 1,000 hours of experience with the species or its family with two qualified references, the Commission's examination, and an inspected facility before the animal arrives. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Florida's venomous reptile permit. Anyone who keeps a venomous reptile must comply with ch. 379 F.S. and this rule; an applicant must be 18, have a clean record on wildlife and cruelty violations for three years, have the facility inspected before animals arrive, and show at least one year and 1,000 hours of experience with the species or its family, with two references from licensed keepers or professional bodies. Individuals as well as businesses may apply. The reptiles of concern list is currently empty.

No person may import into Idaho, export from Idaho, transport, possess or otherwise hold in captivity, propagate, sell or release into the wild any live wildlife, except those animals exempted by Idaho Code or these rules, without a corresponding import, export, transport, captive possession (individual animal license or multiple animal license at a private, commercial or rehabilitation facility), sale or release license/permit from the Department.

A cobra is venomous and so outside the conventional pets definition, which exempts only "non-venomous or non-dangerous reptiles". Keeping one needs a Fish and Game captive possession license, and § 261.02.e requires venomous reptile enclosures with safety glass, double walls against fangs and locks. The Agriculture deleterious list has no reptile. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Section 010.06 defines conventional pets, which sit outside the wildlife permit regime. Unusually explicit: it names ferrets, hedgehogs and sugar gliders in the rule text.

(4) Venomous reptiles. (5) Crocodilians that are at least five (5) feet long.

Venomous reptiles are Class III, and 312 IAC 9-5-6(s) lets an individual possess one only under a wild animal possession permit or a scientific purposes license. A Class III permit has to be in hand before taking possession and needs a recapture or destruction plan with the equipment to carry it out, a cage inspection and proof of lawful acquisition. It is still a pet permit. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Three classes by risk. Class I is rabbits and squirrels, Class II is a long and specific list of small wild cats plus Indiana's furbearers, Class III is wolves, bears, all other wild cats, venomous reptiles and large crocodilians. Both the Class II and Class III lists end with the same sentence exempting hybrids with a domestic dog or cat, which is the clearest hybrid answer any state gives.

All venomous snakes require a permit. The following snakes may be kept without a permit: 1. All species of boas and pythons (family Boidae), except those species categorically non-exempt pursuant to 321 CMR 9.01(3), and except the African Rock Python (Python sebae), Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) and all species of Anaconda (Eunectes spp.), which require a permit.

Every venomous snake requires a permit, so a cobra is outside the exemption list. The license under § 23 exists on paper, but MassWildlife says permits for non-exempt wildlife "are issued only for certain scientific, educational, commercial, or other specific reasons" and "You will not be issued a permit for keeping a wild animal as a pet." The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Massachusetts runs a closed white list and says so in terms: a species not on it, or listed as requiring a permit, is not exempt from M.G.L. c. 131, § 23. Two structural points decide most of this state. First, 9.01(2) defines "species" as a "distinct non-domestic VERTEBRATE animal population", and § 23 itself reaches only fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, so terrestrial invertebrates are outside the scheme entirely. Second, 9.01(3) is a categorical override that most readings of this rule miss: no species may be exempted if it is listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, appears in the IUCN Red Book(s), or is on the Massachusetts endangered, threatened and special concern list at 321 CMR 10.90. Nearly every group listing in 9.01 repeats the cross-reference, so it operates as a live carve-out rather than as drafting furniture, and it is what pulls the Burmese python out of Boidae, the crested gecko out of Gekkonidae and the box turtle out of the turtle allowance.

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

A cobra is a poisonous reptile under Missouri's dangerous wild animal statute, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native reptile it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

b. Category 3 species of nontraditional livestock includes the following species and their hybrids: ... (2) Big cats, including mountain lion, jaguar, leopard, lion, tiger, and cheetah. (3) Bears. (4) Wolves. (5) Venomous reptiles and nonvenomous injurious reptiles. (6) Primates.

Venomous reptiles are category 3 nontraditional livestock, so a cobra needs a license. The owner must hold a nontraditional livestock license from the Board of Animal Health before acquiring one, and the board must inspect and approve the premises first, under 48.1-09-01-03(1) and (2)(b). The annual fee is fifteen dollars under NDCC 36-01-08.1. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The nontraditional livestock category system is alive and sits here, not in the repealed title 48. 48.1-09-01-02 sorts every nondomestic species held in confinement into three categories, category 1 needing no license and categories 2 and 3 needing one before the animal is acquired. Subsection 4 exempts arachnids and invertebrates from even the importation permit, along with a short list of small pets named one by one: gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats and sugar gliders. The Board of Animal Health's own page (https://www.ndda.nd.gov/divisions/animal-health/non-traditional-livestock) files that list under Exempt Animals and calls them exempt from non-traditional livestock requirements and importation requirements. Last amended April 1, 2026.

(2) A person that acquires a restricted snake in this state on or after January 1, 2014, and that does not intend to propagate, sell, trade, or otherwise transfer the snake shall obtain a restricted snake possession permit under this section not later than one hundred twenty days after acquiring the snake.

Every elapid is a restricted snake under § 935.01(L)(2)(b), the king cobra included. The restricted snake possession permit is still open to a new keeper: the director issues it to an applicant 18 or older with two years' experience with the species or a passed examination, proof of financial responsibility, a clean criminal record and a facility that meets the rules, who signs that the public will have no physical contact with the snake. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The operative half of Chapter 935. § 935.02(A) bars possessing a dangerous wild animal on or after 1 January 2014 and (B)(1) bars acquiring one after the chapter took effect; the wildlife shelter and propagation permits at §§ 935.05 and 935.07 are open only to someone who possessed a registered animal on 1 October 2013. § 935.041 sends four marmosets, squirrel monkeys, four capuchins and lemurs to registration with the director of agriculture. The restricted snake permits at §§ 935.08 and 935.10 remain open to a snake acquired after 1 January 2014, within 120 days of acquiring it.

(1) All venomous snakes require an exotic animal possession permit.

A cobra needs an exotic animal possession permit from the Division of Agriculture, which § 3.9(A) makes available to private persons for animals § 3.7 does not expressly prohibit, and § 3.7 does not name venomous snakes. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: One of the most species-specific schemes in the country. § 3.6 defines domestic animals, § 3.7 sets general prohibitions, § 3.9 governs permits, and § 3.17 is the long exempt list of animals that need no exotic animal possession permit. Anything not domestic, not native and not on the § 3.17 list needs a permit.

Sec. 43.851. PERMIT. (a) The commission by rule shall establish permits that allow permit holders to possess or transport in this state a live nonindigenous snake, including a hybrid of any kind, that is: (1) venomous; or (2) a constrictor that is one of the following:

Every cobra is a nonindigenous venomous snake, which needs a controlled exotic snake permit. § 43.851(b) has the commission establish separate recreational and commercial permits, so a private keeper has a route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Texas regulates six constrictors by name and every nonvenomous snake beyond them not at all. The list is in the statute at § 43.851(a)(2) and repeated in the rule at 31 TAC § 55.651(2): African rock python, Asiatic rock python, Burmese python, green anaconda, reticulated python, southern African python, plus any hybrid, plus all venomous snakes not indigenous to Texas. H.B. 2326 in 2021 added Python bivittatus by name, after the Burmese was split off from Python molurus and the older wording left it arguable. A recreational permit is available to private keepers under 31 TAC § 55.652(a)(1), which is what separates this from a ban, and § 55.653(c) makes the sales receipt a temporary permit for 21 days from purchase.

Species not found on the Restricted, Unrestricted or Domestic species lists are considered Restricted.

The Unrestricted list clears boas and pythons and colubrids, and no elapid, so a cobra is restricted by absence. Restricted means a permit, and Regulation 881 § 5.2 leaves one open to a private keeper: for purposes other than research and education, the Commissioner shall not issue a permit "unless it has been determined that the wild animal or wildlife proposed to be brought into or possessed in the state does not conflict with the purpose of this regulation". That purpose is protecting wild and domestic animals, agriculture and livestock, and human health and safety, and the determination is the Commissioner's, case by case, with no published standard, so an application can be refused. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The list the whole Vermont answer turns on, and the one earlier research could not obtain. Anything on it may be kept with no permit. Its closing line is the important part: species not found on the Restricted, Unrestricted or Domestic species lists are considered Restricted, which makes Vermont an inverted-list state like Hawaii. Several entries are marked Captive Bred Only, which is a real condition rather than a note. The site refuses automated requests without a User-Agent header.

No person shall transport into or have in his possession within this state any live wildlife or viable eggs thereof from without the state, except as authorized by an importation permit issued by the director

A cobra is wildlife from without the state: § 20-1-2 counts reptiles as wildlife with no nativity limit, so one brought in from outside the state needs an importation permit from the director under § 20-2-13, the Burmese python's position. The board's Dangerous Wild Animal list names no snake and no crocodilian, although § 19-34-5 allowed both. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: No person may transport into or possess within the state any live wildlife or viable eggs from without the state except as authorized by an importation permit issued by the director.

An importation/possession permit shall be required for the activities listed in this section. ... (a) Importation or possession of venomous reptiles or poisonous amphibians. A certificate of veterinary inspection is also required prior to importation.

Venomous reptiles are the one group Chapter 69 pulls out of its free reptile clause, so a cobra needs an importation/possession permit and a veterinary certificate before import. § 9 lets the Department deny one where it would pose a risk to the state's wildlife resources. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Section 10(a)(i) is the sentence that matters for reptile keepers: amphibians and reptiles not listed in Section 8 or 9 need no permit at all.

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota makes every snake a protected wild animal, whatever its origin, under § 97A.015 subd. 39, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one unless the game and fish laws allow it. Subdivision 8 is the allowance: a snake from a permitted breeder, or one held before 1 August 2021, may be kept as a pet. No Minnesota statute read here treats a venomous or giant snake differently. The breeder permit the condition depends on is not on the DNR's permits page and no rule implements it, so the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place, the same gap the Burmese python carries. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before 1 August 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

It shall be unlawful for any person to own, possess, use, transport, or traffic in any venomous reptile that is not housed in a sturdy and secure enclosure. Enclosures shall be designed to be escape-proof, bite-proof, and have an operable lock.

North Carolina regulates venomous reptiles by how they are kept, not whether. A cobra is lawful only in a sturdy, escape-proof, bite-proof, locked enclosure. Each enclosure must be labeled "Venomous Reptile Inside" with the species, the appropriate antivenin and the owner's details, a written bite protocol and escape recovery plan must be posted within sight of the housing and travel with the animal, and an escape must be reported to local law enforcement at once. Counties may go further under § 153A-131. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: North Carolina's entire statewide exotic animal statute, and it reaches venomous reptiles only. It does not ban them either: it requires an escape-proof, bite-proof, lockable enclosure, a label reading Venomous Reptile Inside naming the species and the right antivenin, a written bite protocol kept in sight, and immediate notice to law enforcement on an escape. Nothing else in the General Statutes restricts keeping an exotic animal.

(G) Egyptian cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja haje; (H) Black & white cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja melanoleuca; (I) Indian cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja naja; (J) Red spitting cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja pallida; (K) King cobra -- Elapidae -- Ophiophagus hannah;

Oregon answers cobras one species at a time. Four Naja species and the king cobra are noncontrolled, so they need no ODFW permit at all; the black-necked spitting cobra and the Cape cobra are prohibited; and any other cobra is unlisted, which OAR 635-056-0130(1) treats as barred. Whether a cobra is lawful depends entirely on which species it is. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The allow-list. Wildlife on it may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported without an ODFW permit. It is long and written to genus or family with named exceptions, and it uses the taxonomy current when each entry was added rather than the current one.

c. The family Elapidae . Common names include: Australian elapids, cobras, coral snakes, kraits, mambas, and sea snakes.

Arizona names cobras in the Elapidae entry, which takes in the king cobra too. Restricted live wildlife may be held only under a special license listed in R12-4-409(A) or a listed exemption, and none of the R12-4-407 exemptions is a pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: The operative rule. Restricted live wildlife needs a special license, and the lists run by order and family rather than by species, so the whole of Carnivora is caught while most of the pet reptile trade is not. Two exceptions are written in by name: the genus Atelerix, the pet hedgehogs, and the genus Oryctolagus, which the rule says are not wildlife at all. Two subsections do quiet work: (D) exempts domestic animals, defined at R12-4-401 as a species that does not exist in the wild, and (E) pulls hybrids back in whenever one parent species is on the list. Note that the AZGFD commission rules PDF circulating as Supp. 13-2 is a 2013 edition and predates the Atelerix and Oryctolagus exceptions; read the current text, not that one.