Where is the milk snake legal?

The following list of species native to Georgia may not be held as a pet regardless of its origin or morphology.

Georgia DNR's own "Guide to Legal Pets" and "Laws Related to Native Wildlife" pages both list "Milksnake" among native species that cannot be kept as pets, captive-bred or not. This is a genuine blanket ban on a species that is a pet-store staple elsewhere. Statutory basis is Georgia's wild animal statute, O.C.G.A. § 27-5-4/27-5-5; we could not confirm an exact numbered administrative subrule beyond that, but two independent official DNR pages state the prohibition plainly.

How this rule works: Corn Snake and Milksnake both appear by name on DNR's own prohibited-native-species list, with the page stating plainly that origin or morphology doesn't matter.

Serpentes (all species)

Hawaii bans the entire snake suborder by name.

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.

A permit shall be required for any other exotic mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians, or nongame species not specifically exempted by Section 4.4.

New Jersey's exempted-species list names Boa constrictor, garter snakes and ribbon snakes among reptiles, but not milk snake, so a permit is required. We did not find a state-endangered listing for milk snake in New Jersey the way corn snake carries one; this is the general exotic/nongame species permit only.

How this rule works: Official NJDEP Fish & Wildlife exempted-species list; 4.5 requires a permit for any exotic reptile not named in 4.4's list, which covers Boa constrictor, garter snakes and ribbon snakes but not corn snake, milk snake, or rosy boa.

Illinois caps possession of native Illinois herptiles at 8 specimens total and 4 per species without a permit, and a sport fishing license is required to collect a native species from the wild. Milk snake is Illinois native. A $50 Herpetoculture Permit exempts a keeper from this cap.

How this rule works: Official Joint Committee on Administrative Rules text; §885.20 sets the 8-total/4-per-species cap on native herptiles and §885.80 sets the $50 Herpetoculture Permit that exempts a keeper from it.

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.

Since August 2021, Minnesota requires any pet snake, including a native species like milk snake, to come from a permitted breeder or be grandfathered from before that date.

How this rule works: Subd. 8 states a pet snake, lizard, or salamander must come from a permitted breeder or have been possessed before August 1, 2021; hosted on the MN Revisor of Statutes' own site.

Native species not listed in this subsection | No closed season | 1 | 1

Milk snake is Pennsylvania native and is not one of the specifically-tabled species in Chapter 79, so it falls under the catch-all "native species not listed" line: a daily and possession limit of one. Critically, § 79.4 states a permit is required for continued possession "regardless of the animal's origin," meaning this one-per-species cap is not just a wild-collection bag limit; it appears to bind a purchased or captive-bred milk snake too, since it is still a species native to Pennsylvania.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

eastern milksnakes reproduced in captivity and under 10 inches in total length are also permitted

South Carolina's 2021 native-reptile law (Act 177) bars sale/possession of native reptiles generally, but carves out captive-bred eastern milksnakes under 10 inches total length as an allowed pet-trade exception. We could not confirm the exact regulation subsection for this size cutoff beyond the Chapter 123-150s series.

How this rule works: Official codified text implementing 2021 Act 177; §123-151.3 carves out captive-bred corn snakes under 20 inches and eastern milksnakes under 10 inches from the general native-reptile sale/possession ban.

Nonpoisonous reptiles and amphibians except caimans and gavials

Class III wildlife needs no possession permit, and milk snake is nonpoisonous. But it is Tennessee native, and TWRA practice requires anyone holding a native, nonpoisonous Tennessee reptile to keep documentary evidence of the supplier's name, address and acquisition date.

How this rule works: Three classes. Class I is 'all species inherently dangerous to humans such as wolves, bears, lions and poisonous snakes', possessable only by zoos, circuses and commercial propagators. Class II is 'native species, except those listed in other classes'. Class III is everything else and needs no wildlife permit, only whatever the Department of Agriculture requires. The catch-all sitting at Class III rather than Class II is what makes Tennessee permissive.

Western milk snake, Lampropeltis gentilis: Limited possession (2 daily and yearly/4 total, per species)

Utah's own species table names the state's native milk snake population "Lampropeltis gentilis" (a segregate now often split from the broader Lampropeltis triangulum complex commonly called "milk snake" in the pet trade) and caps daily/yearly take and total possession at a combined 4. The phrase "limited possession," not just "bag limit," suggests the cap is not purely about wild collection.

How this rule works: Official Utah DWR table under R657-53; lists Western milk snake (Lampropeltis gentilis) under 'Limited possession' at 2 daily/yearly and 4 total per species.

A person may take or possess up to 5 individuals... of each species of native amphibian, lizard and snake that are not endangered or threatened.

Milk snake is Wisconsin native. Wild possession/take is capped at 5 individuals under NR 16.12. More notably, our research found that "the purchase of native amphibians and reptiles is prohibited except as provided in specified exceptions," meaning simply buying a milk snake, even a captive-bred one, is restricted in Wisconsin because of its native status, unlike a non-native pet-trade species such as corn snake or ball python.

How this rule works: Official Wisconsin State Legislature code text; caps take/possession of native, non-listed amphibians, lizards and snakes at 5 individuals per species, with NR 16.13 layering on the purchase restriction for native species.