Where is the rattlesnake legal?

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 rattlesnake stays under § 92.029(a), and subsection (c) bars a pet permit. Venom, not size, is the line.

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.

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.

CPW has ruled on two rattlesnakes, the western diamondback and Colorado's own prairie rattlesnake, and gives both the same answer: "Family Viperidae not approved in regulation". Appendix A clears only listed nonvenomous families, and Appendix C, the wild-collection list for Colorado natives, names no rattlesnake, so every rattlesnake is regulated wildlife with no pet license.

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.

(xxx) A member within the family Viperidae (including, but not limited to, copperhead, rattlesnake, cottonmouth, adder, viper, pit viper and night adder),

Connecticut names the rattlesnake in the Viperidae entry of Category Two. Because Category Two comes first, the state's own timber rattlesnake gets no help from the native tiers. 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.

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 itself bars every venomous snake not native to or generally found in Delaware, with exceptions only for medical or psychological research and licensed zoos and traveling circuses, and says no permit shall issue. It reaches every rattlesnake that is not native to or generally found in Delaware.

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 rattlesnake fits nothing on the closed list. No permit route.

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 Viperidae (vipers and pit vipers) - All species;

Every viper and pit viper is in the inherently dangerous tier, licensed only to dealers and exhibitors, so a rattlesnake from outside the state has no pet route. The native species are less clear: DNR's pet guide says Georgia law "allows the taking of certain native species" including venomous snakes because of their nuisance status, and the rule incorporates a statutory definition of wild animal that was not read here. Whether a timber, eastern diamondback or pygmy rattlesnake caught in Georgia may be held under that sentence is worth a call to the Special Permit Unit.

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)

Hawaii prohibits the whole snake suborder, and both carve outs are institutional; the zoo one is limited to nonvenomous snakes. No snake of any kind is keepable.

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.

Herptile Special Use permits may be issued to residents using approved venomous reptile species only for bona fide educational programs, following an inspection and approval of the proposed facilities. A minimum of 6 documented programs shall be required of each permittee per calendar year.

Every pit viper is a venomous reptile under § 10-5, and § 85-5 bars possessing a special use herptile except as the Act provides. The Act's only route is a special use permit for bona fide educational programs, at least six documented a year, with 250 hours of venomous experience, insurance and an inspected facility. Even then § 10-20 allows only venomous species native to the United States and excludes the eastern and western diamondbacks, the Mojave, the southern Pacific and the southern timber or canebrake rattlesnake by name. No pet route.

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.

Rattlesnakes are named in the venomous snake clause. § 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.

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.

Family Viperidae All Species in Family Viperidae (Vipers) ... 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 viper family, pit vipers included, is Category 1. The wild-take allowance for native reptiles in 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) covers only reptiles native to Maine and not listed as threatened, endangered or of special concern. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

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 pit viper is barred by family name, "Crotolidae" as well as Viperidae, and Maryland's own timber rattlesnake is also on the COMAR 08.03.11.03C list of native herps that may not be possessed at all outside scientific or endangered species permits. 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.

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.

(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. That covers the state's own rattlesnake as well, since it is not among the indigenous reptiles listed for category 1.

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.

"Crotalidae--Pit Vipers" is on the potentially dangerous species table under the venomous serpents, which takes in every rattlesnake, and 4.9(a)3 rules out keeping one as a pet. New Jersey's own rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake, is also on the state endangered list at 4.13, and 4.10 bars a permit for an endangered species except on a clear showing under 4.14.

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 | Viperidae | any venomous species | IV

Every venomous viper is in Group IV, and two rattlesnakes are named on their own rows. New Mexico's own rattlesnakes are a separate question: the importation rule does not reach an animal already in the state, and the native reptile rules were not read here. 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.

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 Viperidae. New York's own timber rattlesnake is also a native snake with no open season under 6 NYCRR 3.3, and native snakes are small game, so it is caught a third time. 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.

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)

Every front-fanged venomous snake is prohibited, "even if devenomized", and all Viperidae are named, which takes in the pit vipers and so every rattlesnake. A native timber rattlesnake is caught a second time by (b)(ii), which imports the state's protected wildlife. 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.

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.

(B) Reptiles: (i) Order Crocodylia: Crocodiles and alligators--All species; and (ii) Order Serpentes: Snakes--All venomous species;

Every venomous snake is in Class I, which reaches Tennessee's native rattlesnakes as well as any from elsewhere. 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".

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".

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.

"Rattlesnakes (Genus Crotalus)" 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. A rattlesnake native to Arkansas caught by hand in the state may instead be kept as one of six native pets under Code 09.14(A), which Code 09.17 Exception B frees from the permit, though 09.14 still applies the F1.08 caging rules and bars sale and removal from the state.

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.

The no-permit list at 68A-6.003(14)(a) covers only nonvenomous reptiles, so every rattlesnake, native or not, needs Florida's venomous reptile permit. It is open to an individual: the applicant must be 18, show at least one year and 1,000 hours of hands-on experience with the species or its family backed by two references from licensed keepers or professional bodies, pass the Commission's examination, and have the facility inspected before the snake arrives. That is a demanding permit, but it is a personal one.

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.

(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 timber rattlesnake is on Indiana's endangered reptile list in 312 IAC 9-5-4, which adds that layer for the state's own rattlesnake.

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.

Restricted Snakes. The importation, private possession, selling, and/or purchasing of constrictor snakes in excess of eight feet, ... and venomous snakes, as defined in Subparagraph K.1.a herein, (hereinafter "restricted snakes") obtained in any manner, shall only be allowed via permit issued by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Rattlesnakes are pit vipers, which K.1.a counts as venomous snakes, and K covers "All Venomous Snakes", native or not. A Restricted Snake Permit needs an applicant of 18 or over with at least 500 hours of documented experience with the species or a similar one, locked enclosures in a locked room, an inspection before issue and annual renewal.

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.

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, native or exotic, and MassWildlife lists "Any venomous (poisonous) snakes" among snakes you cannot have as a pet. 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."

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.

2. License requirements for possession of nongame species for personal use. a. Mississippi Resident - Valid Resident Sportsman's License, All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing License, or Small Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing License. b. Nonresident - Valid Nonresident All Game Hunting License.

Every native Mississippi reptile is a nongame species in need of management, so keeping a native rattlesnake needs a hunting license, the green anole's position, within twenty snakes and lizards and no more than four of a species, and its cage must be labeled "DANGER" with the species name. Rattlesnakes taken from the wild may not be sold. A rattlesnake not native to Mississippi is outside the rule, and Rule 8.3 names no reptile.

How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting license to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.

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 rattlesnake 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. A rattlesnake not native to Missouri needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The state's own timber rattlesnake is Class II wildlife under 3 CSR 10-9.240, which only a Class II wildlife breeder permit may hold.

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 rattlesnake 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.

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 viper is a restricted snake under § 935.01(L)(2)(c), which takes in the rattlesnakes. 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. Ohio's own timber rattlesnake and massasauga are a Division of Wildlife question as well, since R.C. 1531.01(X) makes reptiles wild animals; that side was not read for this cell.

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.

An exotic rattlesnake 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. The timber rattlesnake is different: it is on the native snake list, and § 3.7(C) restricts native wildlife to the Department, researchers, AZA zoos and short-term USDA exhibitors.

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.

An individual must obtain a certificate of registration prior to collecting, possessing, importing, or propagating any reptile, whether wild caught or captive-bred, that is: (a) native to Utah; (b) venomous; and (c) a bite from which may cause substantial physical injury to humans ordinarily requiring medical treatment.

Utah splits venomous snakes by origin. A rattlesnake native to Utah needs a certificate of registration, wild-caught or captive-bred: the applicant must be 18, describe their experience with venomous reptiles and any mentor, show local government verification that the activity is consistent with its ordinances, and show that medical treatment is available nearby. A rattlesnake not native to Utah is a prohibited species under R657-53-9(1)(a), with a possession limit of zero and a Wildlife Board variance needed for any document, so the permit route exists only for the state's own species.

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.

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

The Unrestricted list clears boas and pythons and colubrids, each except named species, and no viper family, so every rattlesnake, native or not, 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.

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 rattlesnake not native to West Virginia 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 timber rattlesnake is different. It is on the DNR's native snake checklist, and § 58-73-1.1 prohibits taking or possessing any native reptile not listed in the rule, which lists no snake.

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 rattlesnake 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. A Wyoming rattlesnake that Chapter 52 puts behind a scientific or educational take permit falls under § 9(b) as well.

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.

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);

Alabama splits rattlesnakes by nativity. Any rattlesnake that has never lived wild in Alabama is barred outright. A native one is not on the protected nongame list in 220-2-.92(1), so it falls outside the restricted rules, with one exception: 220-2-.92(3) bars possessing a live eastern diamondback rattlesnake without the Commissioner's permit.

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.

No sportfishing license is required for the sport take of any rattlesnake, but bag and possession limits do apply.

California splits the genus by origin. § 671(c)(7)(E) restricts "Family Crotalidae-Pitvipers: All nonnative species (D)", so a rattlesnake from outside the state is barred with no pet route. The seven natives are sport-take animals under § 5.60: the western diamond-backed, Mohave, western, speckled and Panamint rattlesnakes and the sidewinder carry the default limit of two, a daily bag and possession limit, while the red diamond rattlesnake's limit is zero. So a native rattlesnake within the limit is lawful to hold, and anything else is not.

How this rule works: CDFW's current Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet, which reprints Title 14 section 5.60 in full, including species bag limits and county closures.

Wildlife classified as Unprotected Wildlife or Predatory Wildlife that are lawfully taken by a person licensed or authorized to hunt or trap in accordance with Chapter 4, Title 36, Idaho Code, may be exported, transported, possessed, or sold without additional permit from the Department,

Idaho Code § 36-201 lists "Rattlesnake" as predatory wildlife, so a native rattlesnake taken by someone holding an Idaho hunting or trapping license may be kept with no further Department permit. Any other rattlesnake is venomous and so outside the conventional pets definition, which needs a captive possession license under 200.01; § 261.02.e sets locked, double-walled enclosures with safety glass for venomous reptiles.

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.

(a) Subject to federal and state laws and regulations, wildlife listed in subsection (b) may be taken for personal use on a noncommercial basis. (b) For purposes of this regulation, wildlife shall include the following, excluding any species listed in K.A.R. 115-15-1 or K.A.R. 115-15-2 : ... (13) reptiles, except common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles;

Kansas splits rattlesnakes by nativity. A non-native rattlesnake is a dangerous regulated animal under K.S.A. 32-1301(d)(3), closed to new keepers since 1 July 2006. A rattlesnake native to Kansas may be taken for personal use under 115-20-2, no more than two of a species and five reptiles in all per person or domicile, unless it is on the 115-15-1 or 115-15-2 lists. The timber rattlesnake is on 115-15-2, so it is excluded.

How this rule works: The possession limits for listed native amphibians and reptiles taken under a fishing license: five amphibians in any combination, and five reptiles with no more than two of any one species, per person or domicile.

Five (5) or fewer individuals of each species of native reptile or amphibian may be taken year-round or possessed for personal use without a permit,

The Department's reptile checklist gives Kentucky one Crotalus, the timber rattlesnake, beside the western pigmy rattlesnake of the genus Sistrurus. As a native reptile the timber rattlesnake may be taken or kept for personal use, up to five, with no permit. Every other rattlesnake is an exotic member of Viperidae, which 2:082 § 4(2)(t) bars as an inherently dangerous venomous snake, with only the 13 July 2005 grandfather and the § 5 exemptions left.

How this rule works: The companion to 2:082 and the rule that reaches any Kentucky native. § 1(3) defines native wildlife as species that have historically existed, currently exist or have naturally expanded their range into Kentucky, "regardless of ... origin or location of an individual animal" and of "being captive-bred or taken from the wild", so captive breeding is no exit. § 2(3) then requires a captive wildlife permit before acquiring one, with a five-per-species free allowance for native reptiles and amphibians at § 2(5) and nothing comparable for mammals. § 3(2) is the noncommercial permit, § 4 the transportation permit, § 6 the prohibited natives.

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. Subd. 39 also folds in any species on Minnesota's chapter 6134 endangered, threatened and special concern lists, which were not read for the state's own rattlesnakes. 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.

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.

001.03A3 Take of individuals from the wild within Nebraska and associated in-state transport, possession, or processing will be permitted with a bag and possession limit of ten (10) individuals per species, or products derived from ten (10) individuals per species. Species with Take Up to 10 Individuals: ... Prairie Rattlesnake Crotalus viridis

Nebraska regulates reptiles only where they are its own. The prairie rattlesnake is on the take-ten list, so up to ten may be taken and kept, and one bought outside Nebraska may be held without limit with proof of legal acquisition under § 001.03A2. The timber rattlesnake is a nongame species in need of conservation under § 001.02 and may not be possessed. A rattlesnake not native to Nebraska is outside the chapter entirely.

How this rule works: Nebraska renumbered its Game and Parks regulations: what used to be 163 NAC ch. 4 is now Title 166, and captive wildlife has its own chapter 8 rather than a subsection. Anything on this map citing "163 NAC ch. 4, § 008" is pointing at a title that is now called ADMINISTRATION. Chapter 8 has three operative parts. § 001.01B bars retaining any WILD BIRD or WILD MAMMAL in captivity except a listed set of Nebraska natives under a Captive Wildlife Permit. § 001.07A prohibits six species outright, none of them a pet: the Asian raccoon dog, white-tailed and mule deer, red deer, wild pigs and bighorn or thinhorn sheep. And § 001.08A is a closed importation list, which is what actually answers most exotic mammals here, because they are not wild mammals and so the permit scheme never reaches them. Chapter 10 does the same job for reptiles and amphibians and is limited to species native to Nebraska.

(7)Pit vipers and true vipers, except species indigenous to this State..... All species in the family Viperidae, except species indigenous to this State

Nevada splits the genus by origin. Every viper from outside the state is prohibited, with permits only for zoos, research and nonprofit educational exhibitors. Nevada's own rattlesnakes are carved out of that entry, and under NAC 503.080(3) any reptile not classified as protected, sensitive, threatened or endangered is unprotected, so a native rattlesnake needs no license to keep. The answer turns on the species. NAC 503.140(4) preserves county and city ordinances, so check the municipality as well.

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.

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 rattlesnake 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. Taking one of the state's own rattlesnakes from the wild is a Wildlife Resources Commission question that was not read here.

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.

(3) Legal reptiles. The following reptiles shall be legal to harvest during the dates of March 1-June 30: (A) Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis). (B) Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). (C) Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). (D) Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus).

Oklahoma's three native rattlesnakes may be taken from 1 March to 30 June with no bag limit, and anyone taking or possessing one needs a hunting license under 7-7(2)(A), the hognose snake's position; a wild-caught rattlesnake may be sold only to a wildlife breeder license holder. A rattlesnake not native to Oklahoma is exempt from import permits and breeder licenses under 800:25-25-3(c).

How this rule works: The part that reaches Oklahoma's own herps, and the one that 800:25-25-3 does not answer. 7-7(2) requires a hunting or fishing license of anyone taking or possessing a reptile or amphibian, 7-8 gives every reptile a year-round season at six per species per day and in possession with a twelve-species closed list, and 7-9 does the same for amphibians at four. 7-7(1) separately bars commercial activity involving wild-collected indigenous species.

(ix) Rattlesnakes ... Viperidae ... All nonnative species and hybrids except Crotalus aquilus, C. basiliscus, C. durissus, C. intermedius, C. polystictus, C. pusillus, C. tortugensis, C. triseriatus, C. unicolor, and C. vegrandis;

Oregon splits the genus by species. Every nonnative rattlesnake is prohibited except ten Mexican, Central and South American species, which the noncontrolled list at 0060(4)(c)(P) names one by one and which need no ODFW permit. So a western diamondback is barred and a Mexican west coast rattlesnake (C. basiliscus) is not. Oregon's own western rattlesnake is native wildlife, which OAR 635-044-0440 bars capturing from the wild or holding except under the listed holding, scientific, rehabilitation and similar permits. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

A. No native reptile or amphibian, including parts, products, eggs, and derivatives may be sold, purchased, traded, exchanged, bartered, exported or shipped, transferred and/or re-homed, except:

South Carolina splits rattlesnakes by nativity. A rattlesnake not native to the state comes under § 50-16-60, which lets reptiles be imported for the pet trade without a permit. A native rattlesnake may not be bought, sold, traded or re-homed under Regulation 123-151.3, and 123-151.4(I) says § 50-16-60 does not reach natives, so the routes are catching one yourself, which the regulations set no snake possession limit on, or a non-native color morph of a native species, which 151.3(A)(5) exempts.

How this rule works: The 2021 native reptile rules. 123-151.3(A) bars selling, purchasing, trading, exchanging, bartering, exporting, shipping, transferring or re-homing any native reptile or amphibian, with twelve exceptions that are mostly named snakes under a size limit. 123-151.4 adds possession caps for turtles, two for the eastern box turtle with shell notching and registration. 123-151.4(I) is the clause that matters most: the pet-trade exemption at S.C. Code § 50-16-60 does not privilege a native reptile.

Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus) Blacktail rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)

Texas answers its own rattlesnakes and everyone else's differently. Five native rattlesnakes are on the 65.331(d) list, so a person may hold up to 25 of each without a permit, captive-bred animals included. A rattlesnake not native to Texas is a nonindigenous venomous snake, which § 43.851 puts under a controlled exotic snake permit, available to private keepers for recreational purposes. Local ordinances were not checked.

How this rule works: The rule that decides a Texas pet question whenever the animal is native, and the one the dangerous wild animal statute distracts from. § 65.327(a) starts from a prohibition, "no person may collect, acquire, possess, import, export, cause the import or export of, or engage in a commercial activity involving nongame wildlife", and § 65.327(b)(3) then gives an unlicensed keeper two numbers: 25 of a species on the § 65.331(d) list, six of anything else. Three definitions carry the weight. § 65.325(a) says nongame wildlife "includes captive-bred nongame wildlife", so buying from a breeder does not lift the cap. The same sentence limits the subchapter to VERTEBRATE wildlife, which is narrower than the statute it implements, since Parks & Wild. Code § 67.001 says "vertebrate and invertebrate", and that gap is what leaves every terrestrial invertebrate outside the scheme entirely. And § 65.326(2) defines commercial activity as "the sale, offer for sale, exchange, or barter", so buying is not itself commercial activity, and § 65.327(b)(1)(B) lets a permitted dealer "sell lawfully obtained nongame wildlife to anyone". The two species lists are attached figures rather than statutory text: the (d) list names about 100 species, and the (e) list is longer and expressly "not limited to" what it names, so a native species on neither list falls to the six cap.

(F) Family viperidae, all species, such as rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, bushmasters, puff adders, and gaboon vipers;

Every viper is a potentially dangerous wild animal, and the statute names rattlesnakes, so a rattlesnake from outside the state is barred, with possession before 22 July 2007 grandfathered. The exception is Washington's own western rattlesnake: 16.30.020(1)(k) exempts native wildlife subject to Title 77, and Title 77 asks only that a captive animal be lawfully acquired, with a department permit needed to take one from the wild. That is the same reading the black bear gets, and it is thin for a venomous snake.

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.

e. The family Viperidae . Common names include: pit and true vipers, including rattlesnakes.

Arizona names rattlesnakes in the Viperidae entry. Live take of native reptiles under a hunting license runs through R12-4-404, R12-4-405 and Commission Order 43, which were not read here; an exemption there would be the only keeper's route for a native snake. 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.

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.

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (m) Pit vipers and true vipers (all species in family Viperidae except species indigenous to Montana);

Every rattlesnake not native to Montana is a prohibited pit viper. The rule carves out the species indigenous to Montana, which as native wildlife are outside the exotic wildlife scheme altogether, and no Montana rule read here says whether or how a native rattlesnake may be kept. Recorded unclear rather than legal for that reason.

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.