Exotic pet laws in Arkansas

Codes 12.01, 12.02

It is unlawful to hunt, buy, sell or possess an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) or other crocodilian species, or any part, nest or eggs.

The only exception for a live alligator is Code 12.01(C): a written permit or letter of authorization for display and education, which only established facilities such as state and federal parks, zoos, aquariums and nature centers may hold. The alligator is also a game animal under Code 01.00.

How this rule works: Code 12.01 makes it unlawful to hunt, buy, sell or possess an American alligator "or other crocodilian species". The only possession exception for a live animal is a written permit or letter of authorization for display and education, which Code 12.01(C) confines to established facilities such as parks, zoos, aquariums and nature centers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03; Code 01.00; Code 09.02

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11, and Addenda F1.03, F1.04 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.08, and 09.14): ... Large carnivores

Code 01.00 defines a large carnivore to include "all species of bears", R1.03 refuses breeding, sale and importation permits for large carnivores, and Code 09.02 ties bear possession to Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-501 to 20-19-511 or a breeder permit. The black bear is an Arkansas game animal and is not among the natives 09.14 lets a household keep.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(B)

Species not listed in Addenda R1.01, R1.02, or R1.03 are prohibited until evaluated.

No otter is on any of the three lists, and the closing clause makes an unlisted species prohibited until the Commission evaluates it. The only mustelids named anywhere are the domestic ferret, cleared on R1.01, and the tayra on R1.02. CITES Appendix I since 2019 governs international trade separately.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(A)(1) and its *** note

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species ... 1. Amphibians ▪ Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)*** ... *** Legal possession of these species is restricted to only those owned prior to May 16, 2024, that register the animal with the Commission by June 30, 2025.

The axolotl is on the prohibited list by name, and its *** note reaches further than the ** note on the large pythons: it limits possession itself, not only new permits, to animals owned before May 16, 2024, and registered with the Commission by June 30, 2025. With that window shut, there is no route for a new keeper. Separately, the federal injurious-wildlife listing at 50 CFR 16.14 restricts importing Ambystoma into the US and shipping it to or from Hawaii, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US territories; it does not bar moving an axolotl between continental states.

Existing owners: An axolotl owned before May 16, 2024, and registered with the Game and Fish Commission by June 30, 2025, may still be kept.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(iii), (B); Addendum R1.03(B)

Bobcat, coyote, gray fox, and red fox that were captured by hand prior to July 1, 2022, may be retained until their death.

The hand-capture route for the bobcat closed on July 1, 2022. The captive-born route needs a permitted breeder or an importation permit, and the bobcat is on none of the three addenda, which R1.03(B) makes "prohibited until evaluated". Only animals captured before the 2022 date remain.

Existing owners: A bobcat, coyote, gray fox or red fox captured by hand in Arkansas before July 1, 2022, may be kept as a pet until it dies, within the six-per-household limit, and may not be sold or taken out of 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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 09.02(D); Code 01.00; Addendum R1.03; Code 09.07 Exception F

It is unlawful for any person to possess mountain lions (Puma concolor) except in compliance with Codes 09.07.

Code 09.02(D) ties cougar possession to the breeder/dealer permit, Code 01.00 counts the mountain lion as a large carnivore, and Addendum R1.03 lists both "Large carnivores" and "Mountain lion (Puma concolor)" among the species the Commission will not permit. Code 09.07 Exception F repeats that no breeder/dealer permit will be issued for an R1.03 species, so only exempt holders such as accredited zoos remain. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a cougar unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says. The Florida panther subspecies is also endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(B)

Species not listed in Addenda R1.01, R1.02, or R1.03 are prohibited until evaluated.

The fennec is on none of the three lists. R1.01 clears one carnivore, the European domestic ferret, plus wolf and dog hybrids; R1.02, the permit list, names the arctic fox, the serval, the kinkajou and the wolf and no fennec; and R1.03 names only red and gray foxes from listed states. The closing clause makes an unlisted species prohibited until the Commission evaluates it, so there is no permit to apply for until it does.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-502, 20-19-503, 20-19-504; Code 09.02(E); Addendum R1.03

(a) A person may possess a large carnivore only if: (1) The person was in possession of the large carnivore and was the legal possessor of the large carnivore on or before August 12, 2005; and (2) The person applies for and is granted a permit for personal possession for each large carnivore in the person's possession not more than one hundred eighty (180) days after August 12, 2005.

The lion is a large carnivore under § 20-19-501 and Code 01.00. A private keeper could hold one only if it was owned by August 12, 2005, and permitted by the county sheriff within 180 days, and § 20-19-504(b)(2) bars any new animal under that permit. The exemptions in § 20-19-503 are zoos, humane societies, veterinary clinics, USDA exhibitors, scientific collectors and Commission breeder/dealer permittees, and Addendum R1.03 lists large carnivores among the species the Commission will not permit for breeding, sale or importation. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a lion unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A lion legally held on or before August 12, 2005, could stay if the owner obtained a sheriff's personal possession permit within 180 days and renews it every year. No additional animal may be acquired under it.

How this rule works: The 2005 large carnivore act. § 20-19-502 makes it unlawful to own, possess, breed or transfer a bear, lion or tiger, § 20-19-503 exempts zoos, USDA exhibitors and Commission breeder/dealer permittees among others, and § 20-19-504 lets a private owner keep only an animal held on or before August 12, 2005, and permitted by the sheriff within 180 days.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 12.01

It is unlawful to hunt, buy, sell or possess an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) or other crocodilian species, or any part, nest or eggs.

Code 12.01 reaches "other crocodilian species" in the same words as the alligator, and the only live-animal exception, Code 12.01(C), is a display and education authorization for established facilities such as parks, zoos, aquariums and nature centers.

How this rule works: Code 12.01 makes it unlawful to hunt, buy, sell or possess an American alligator "or other crocodilian species". The only possession exception for a live animal is a written permit or letter of authorization for display and education, which Code 12.01(C) confines to established facilities such as parks, zoos, aquariums and nature centers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03; Codes 01.00, 09.14

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11, and Addenda F1.03, F1.04 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.08, and 09.14): ... Skunks (Genera: Mephitis, Spilogale)

Both native routes are shut. A skunk is a furbearer under Code 01.00, not nongame wildlife, so it is not among the animals 09.14(A) lets a household catch by hand. And the captive-born route in 09.14(B) needs a permitted breeder or an importation permit, which R1.03 says the Commission will not issue for skunks.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-502, 20-19-503, 20-19-504; Code 09.02(E); Addendum R1.03

(a) A person may possess a large carnivore only if: (1) The person was in possession of the large carnivore and was the legal possessor of the large carnivore on or before August 12, 2005; and (2) The person applies for and is granted a permit for personal possession for each large carnivore in the person's possession not more than one hundred eighty (180) days after August 12, 2005.

The tiger is a large carnivore under § 20-19-501 and Code 01.00. A private keeper could hold one only if it was owned by August 12, 2005, and permitted by the county sheriff within 180 days, and § 20-19-504(b)(2) bars any new animal under that permit. The exemptions in § 20-19-503 are zoos, humane societies, veterinary clinics, USDA exhibitors, scientific collectors and Commission breeder/dealer permittees, and Addendum R1.03 lists large carnivores among the species the Commission will not permit for breeding, sale or importation. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a tiger unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A tiger legally held on or before August 12, 2005, could stay if the owner obtained a sheriff's personal possession permit within 180 days and renews it every year. No additional animal may be acquired under it.

How this rule works: The 2005 large carnivore act. § 20-19-502 makes it unlawful to own, possess, breed or transfer a bear, lion or tiger, § 20-19-503 exempts zoos, USDA exhibitors and Commission breeder/dealer permittees among others, and § 20-19-504 lets a private owner keep only an animal held on or before August 12, 2005, and permitted by the sheriff within 180 days.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(ii), (B)(6); Addendum R1.03

Deer that were captured by hand prior to July 1, 2012, may be retained until their death.

Arkansas closed both pet routes for deer. A hand-captured deer counts only if it was caught before July 1, 2012, a captive-born white-tailed deer only if it was acquired before June 30, 2005, and registered by June 30, 2008, and Addendum R1.03 lists "Cervids (Family Cervidae)" among the species the Commission will not permit for breeding, sale or importation. A grandfathered deer must be tested for CWD when it dies and kept behind an 8-foot fence.

Existing owners: A deer caught by hand in Arkansas before July 1, 2012, may be kept until it dies, and a captive-born white-tailed deer acquired before June 30, 2005, and registered by June 30, 2008, may be kept too, both within the six-per-household limit.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus)

Named on the permit list, which is more than the fennec fox gets. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Red-necked or Bennet’s Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

Named on the permit list under its older genus, beside the red kangaroo. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Named on the permit list beside the Eurasian lynx and the serval. It is federally threatened, which brings federal rules on interstate sale. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Code 09.02(H); Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-602, 20-19-605

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Capuchin Monkeys (Subfamily Cebinae)

Named on the permit list. Code 09.02(H) adds that a primate may be possessed only in compliance with Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-601 to 20-19-610, which bar only apes, baboons and macaques, so the capuchin stays lawful. The owner must register it with the county sheriff within 30 days of acquiring it under § 20-19-605(a)(1)(B), may not tether it outdoors or let the public touch it under § 20-19-602, and must meet USDA caging standards under § 20-19-606. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02. Code 09.07 Exception I leaves primates out of the private resale allowance. § 20-19-609 lets cities and counties go further.

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

Not on the mammal list, which stops at the Norway rat and the chinchilla in rodent terms.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.17; Addendum F1.08; Addendum R1.02(A)(4); Code 09.02(I)

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.

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Code 09.02(H); Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-602, 20-19-605

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Named on the permit list. Code 09.02(H) adds that a primate may be possessed only in compliance with Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-601 to 20-19-610, which bar only apes, baboons and macaques, so the common marmoset stays lawful. The owner must register it with the county sheriff within 30 days of acquiring it under § 20-19-605(a)(1)(B), may not tether it outdoors or let the public touch it under § 20-19-602, and must meet USDA caging standards under § 20-19-606. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02. Code 09.07 Exception I leaves primates out of the private resale allowance. § 20-19-609 lets cities and counties go further.

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

Octodon degus is absent while the chinchilla, guinea pig and hamsters are all named, so the omission looks deliberate rather than accidental.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Arkansas's unrestricted list clears several New World colubrid genera by name (Lampropeltis, Pantherophis, Nerodia, and others), but every one of those entries excepts species native to Arkansas, and Thamnophis never appears on the list at all. As Arkansas's own native species, a garter snake isn't covered by the pet-trade clearance and instead needs the state's Permitted Captive Wildlife Species List.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Kinkajou (Potos flavus)

Named on the permit list. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Monitor Lizards (Genus Varanus: V. acanthurus, V. albigularis, V. glauerti, V. jobiensis, V. kingorum, V. macraei, V. pilbarensis, V. prasinus, V. salvator, V. timorensis)

Varanus niloticus is absent from the cleared list, so it remains restricted non-native wildlife.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

No Cynomys is on the unrestricted mammal list, so the restriction and permit codes still apply.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

The bird list runs to dozens of parrots by name and the monk parakeet is not among them, so it stays inside Code 09.02 rather than being exempted. This is the usual pattern: the monk parakeet is the one parrot states single out, because established colonies damage electrical infrastructure.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.17; Addendum F1.08; Addendum R1.02(A)(4); Code 09.14(A)

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.

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Code 09.02(H); Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-602, 20-19-605

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Named on the permit list. Code 09.02(H) adds that a primate may be possessed only in compliance with Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-601 to 20-19-610, which bar only apes, baboons and macaques, so the ring-tailed lemur stays lawful. The owner must register it with the county sheriff within 30 days of acquiring it under § 20-19-605(a)(1)(B), may not tether it outdoors or let the public touch it under § 20-19-602, and must meet USDA caging standards under § 20-19-606. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02. Code 09.07 Exception I leaves primates out of the private resale allowance. § 20-19-609 lets cities and counties go further. Lemur catta is on CITES Appendix I, which bars commercial international trade, so a pet lemur here can only come from captive breeding inside the country, and the whole family Lemuridae is listed endangered under the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 17.11).

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Monitor Lizards (Genus Varanus: V. acanthurus, V. albigularis, V. glauerti, V. jobiensis, V. kingorum, V. macraei, V. pilbarensis, V. prasinus, V. salvator, V. timorensis)

Arkansas clears ten monitors by name and the savannah is not one of them, which is a near miss worth noticing: V. albigularis, the white-throated monitor, is on the list and was long treated as a subspecies of V. exanthematicus.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

No felid appears anywhere on the unrestricted list.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Code 09.02(H); Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-602, 20-19-605

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Squirrel Monkeys (Genus Saimiri)

Named on the permit list. Code 09.02(H) adds that a primate may be possessed only in compliance with Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-19-601 to 20-19-610, which bar only apes, baboons and macaques, so the squirrel monkey stays lawful. The owner must register it with the county sheriff within 30 days of acquiring it under § 20-19-605(a)(1)(B), may not tether it outdoors or let the public touch it under § 20-19-602, and must meet USDA caging standards under § 20-19-606. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02. Code 09.07 Exception I leaves primates out of the private resale allowance. § 20-19-609 lets cities and counties go further.

Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... Two-toed Sloths (Genus Choloepus)

Named on the permit list by genus. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.02; Codes 09.02, 09.07, 09.10

A. Permits for breeding, sale, and importation may be issued for the following species in accordance with Codes 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/ Dealer Permit Required) and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required): ... 3. Mammals ... White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)

Named on the permit list, beside the ring-tailed coati and the mountain coatis. A non-native animal on the permit list may be kept if it came from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or in on a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records, a veterinary disease certificate and sexes housed apart unless neutered, under Code 09.02.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(i), (B); Code 01.00

It is unlawful to possess native wildlife as pets except as follows: ... No more than 6 per household of any combination of the following animals may be possessed as pets: Hand-captured opossum, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel;

The gray squirrel is an Arkansas game animal under Code 01.00, and Code 09.14 lets a household keep one it catches by hand in Arkansas, within a combined limit of six native pets, with no sale and no removal from the state. A captive-born squirrel bought from a permitted breeder/dealer or imported on a permit is the other route under 09.14(B), also within the six.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1) and (B)

It is unlawful to possess native wildlife as pets except as follows: ... No more than 6 per household of any combination of the following animals may be possessed as pets: Hand-captured opossum, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel

The southern flying squirrel is an Arkansas native and appears nowhere in Addendum R1.01, whose mammal section runs to thirteen entries and no sciurid, so it is a Code 09.14 animal rather than an unrestricted one. Six per household, by either route: hand-captured in Arkansas under (A), which bars sale and removal from the state, or commercially obtained and captive born under (B), which requires a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or a Wildlife Importation Permit and acquisition records. Recorded conditional rather than permit because nothing is issued and nothing is paid at six or fewer; above six the Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit at Code 09.07 is what applies.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Addendum R1.01, Reptiles, Geckos and Lizards; Code 09.14(B)

Anoline Lizards (Genera: Anolis, Audantia, Chamaelinorops, Ctenonotus, Dactyloa, Deiroptyx, Norops, Xiphosurus) except Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) or species native to Arkansas

Two exceptions, and the second is written for this animal: Anolis carolinensis is the only anole native to the United States, and the Arkansas Herpetological Atlas vouchers it in 29 of the state’s 75 counties across the Ouachita Mountains and South Central Plains. Off R1.01 it becomes a Code 09.14 native pet, six per household, either hand-captured in Arkansas or commercially obtained and captive born from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or under a Wildlife Importation Permit. The first exception, the brown anole, is an invasive rather than a native, which is why the entry needed both.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.14(B); Addendum R1.01

Captive born native wildlife: No more than 6 per household of any commercially obtained, captive born native wildlife not listed in Addendum R1.01 may be possessed as personal pets

R1.01 clears the genus Lampropeltis "except species native to Arkansas", and the milksnake is native there, vouchered across the Ozark Highlands and Crowley’s Ridge, so the exception takes it off the unrestricted list and Code 09.14 takes over. No permit and no fee at six or fewer per household, but the animal must be captive born and commercially obtained, acquired either from a Commission-permitted Wildlife Breeder/Dealer or under a Wildlife Importation Permit, with acquisition records kept and produced on demand. The Commission names no binomial, so the whole Arkansas milksnake complex is caught whichever way the 2014 split between L. triangulum and L. gentilis is resolved. Code 09.14(A) is the other route, hand-capture in Arkansas, and those animals may not be sold or taken out of 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.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(i); Addendum R1.03

It is unlawful to possess native wildlife as pets except as follows: ... No more than 6 per household of any combination of the following animals may be possessed as pets: Hand-captured opossum, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel;

Arkansas lets a household keep a raccoon it catches by hand in Arkansas, within a combined limit of six native pets, with no sale and no removal from the state. The other route, a captive-born animal bought from a permitted breeder or imported on a permit under 09.14(B), is closed for the raccoon: Addendum R1.03 says the Commission will not issue breeding, sale or importation permits for it. So the condition is a wild-caught Arkansas raccoon, in the limit.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(i), (B); Code 01.00

It is unlawful to possess native wildlife as pets except as follows: ... No more than 6 per household of any combination of the following animals may be possessed as pets: Hand-captured opossum, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel;

The opossum is both a furbearer and a game animal under Code 01.00, and Code 09.14 lets a household keep one it catches by hand in Arkansas, within a combined limit of six native pets, with no sale and no removal from the state. A captive-born opossum bought from a permitted breeder/dealer or imported on a permit is the other route under 09.14(B), also within the six.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(A)(4) and its ** note; Codes 09.02(A), 09.07 Exception F

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11, and Addenda F1.03, F1.04 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.08, and 09.14): ... 4. Reptiles ... Large Asian and African Pythons: Reticulated, Burmese, and Rock Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus, Python bivittatus, P. molurus, P. natalensis, P. sebae) **

The Burmese python is on the prohibited list by name, so no new breeding, sale or importation permit will issue for it. The list's own opening leaves possession open under Code 09.02, which allows a non-native animal acquired from a permitted breeder/dealer or imported on a permit. For the large pythons the ** note keeps those permits for permittees who held them before May 21, 2020, so a pet can come only from such a holder. Federally, the Burmese python has been injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2012 (50 CFR 16.15(a)), which bars importing one into the country or shipping one to Hawaii or a territory; USARK v. Zinke (D.C. Cir. 2017) held it does not bar shipment between the continental states.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(A)(4); Codes 09.02(A), 09.07 Exception F

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11, and Addenda F1.03, F1.04 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.08, and 09.14): ... 4. Reptiles ... Anacondas (Genus Eunectes)

Anacondas are on the prohibited list without the asterisk that keeps permits for earlier permittees, so no breeding, sale or importation permit will issue for one. The list's own opening leaves possession open under Code 09.02, which needs an animal acquired from a permitted breeder/dealer or imported on a permit, and neither can now be had for an anaconda. An animal already lawfully held is the case the wording leaves open. Federally, the green anaconda has been injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2015 (50 CFR 16.15(a)), which bars importing one into the country or shipping one to Hawaii or a territory; USARK v. Zinke (D.C. Cir. 2017) held it does not bar shipment between the continental states.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Addendum R1.03(A)(4) and its ** note; Codes 09.02(A), 09.07 Exception F

The Commission will not issue permits for breeding, sale, or importation of the following species other than in accordance with the exceptions listed in Codes 09.07, 09.10, 09.11, and Addenda F1.03, F1.04 (possession of some species may be allowed in accordance with Codes 09.02, 09.05, 09.08, and 09.14): ... 4. Reptiles ... Large Asian and African Pythons: Reticulated, Burmese, and Rock Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus, Python bivittatus, P. molurus, P. natalensis, P. sebae) **

The reticulated python is on the prohibited list, so no new breeding, sale or importation permit will issue for it. The list's own opening leaves possession open under Code 09.02, which allows a non-native animal acquired from a permitted breeder/dealer or imported on a permit. For the large pythons the ** note keeps those permits for permittees who held them before May 21, 2020, so a pet can come only from such a holder. Federally, the reticulated python has been injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2015 (50 CFR 16.15(a)), which bars importing one into the country or shipping one to Hawaii or a territory; USARK v. Zinke (D.C. Cir. 2017) held it does not bar shipment between the continental states.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

The unrestricted list names one hybrid, the wolf and dog cross, and no cat of any kind. A Bengal is registered as a domestic cat, so whether Code 09.02 reaches it at all is the question, and this document does not answer it. Ask the Game and Fish Commission.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Additionally, persons may possess and hold captive fish, bullfrogs, mussels, aquatic turtles, alligators and other aquatic wildlife in compliance with Code Chapters 26.00, 27.00, 29.00, 30.00, 31.00, 32.00, 33.00, 34.00, 35.00...

Both the three-toed and the ornate box turtle are native to Arkansas, and a terrestrial native turtle is neither on the unrestricted list nor inside the aquatic wildlife carve-out. Arkansas's native wildlife rules govern, and this document does not reach them.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

Same open question as the tarantula: no invertebrate appears on the list in either direction.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

No myriapod is named, and the list's scope is birds, mammals, reptiles and snakes, so nothing here settles it.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 09.14(A)(1)(iii), (B); Addendum R1.03

Bobcat, coyote, gray fox, and red fox that were captured by hand prior to July 1, 2022, may be retained until their death.

The hand-capture route for the red fox closed on July 1, 2022, with existing animals kept until death. What is left is 09.14(B), a captive-born native animal from a Commission-permitted breeder or imported on a permit, and the addenda do not say whether such a permit can be had for a red fox: R1.03 refuses breeding, sale and importation permits only for red and gray foxes that originate from or have lived in a list of twenty states and Canada, and R1.02, the permit list, does not name the red fox. The fox is on a list, so the "prohibited until evaluated" clause does not settle it either.

Existing owners: A bobcat, coyote, gray fox or red fox captured by hand in Arkansas before July 1, 2022, may be kept as a pet until it dies, within the six-per-household limit, and may not be sold or taken out of 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.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Additionally, persons may possess and hold captive fish, bullfrogs, mussels, aquatic turtles, alligators and other aquatic wildlife in compliance with Code Chapters 26.00, 27.00, 29.00, 30.00, 31.00, 32.00, 33.00, 34.00, 35.00...

An aquatic turtle and native to Arkansas, so it falls under the chapters the unrestricted list defers to rather than under the list itself.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code 01.00 (definitions of wild and wildlife); Codes 09.01, 09.02

To be living in a state of nature and not domesticated.

Arkansas turns on whether a Savannah is wildlife at all. Code 01.00 defines wild as "living in a state of nature and not domesticated" and wildlife as wild animals "regardless of classification", including animals living in a captive state. If a Savannah is wildlife it is non-native wildlife under Code 09.02, and no felid hybrid appears on any of the three addenda, whose closing clause makes an unlisted species prohibited until evaluated. If it is a domesticated cat, nothing in Chapter 09.00 applies. The codebook never says which, the same question the Bengal raises. Ask the Game and Fish Commission.

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.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Additionally, persons may possess and hold captive fish, bullfrogs, mussels, aquatic turtles, alligators and other aquatic wildlife in compliance with Code Chapters 26.00, 27.00, 29.00, 30.00, 31.00, 32.00, 33.00, 34.00, 35.00, and Addenda Chapters I1.00, J1.00, and V1.00.

The unrestricted list expressly hands aquatic turtles to a different set of chapters rather than answering for them, and the common snapping turtle is native to Arkansas and commercially harvested there. The answer exists, but not in this document.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

The following species are exempt from Codes 09.02 (Possession Of Non-Native Wildlife In Captivity Restricted), 09.07 (Wildlife Breeder/Dealer Permit Required), and 09.10 (Wildlife Importation Permit Required)

The unrestricted list has no invertebrate section, so whether a tarantula needs an exemption depends on whether the Game and Fish Commission's definition of wildlife reaches invertebrates at all. Most state game codes stop at vertebrates, but Arkansas's does list mussels among the aquatic wildlife it regulates, which cuts the other way.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Code Addendum R1.01, Unrestricted Captive Wildlife Species List

Additionally, persons may possess and hold captive fish, bullfrogs, mussels, aquatic turtles, alligators and other aquatic wildlife...

The unrestricted list has sections for birds, mammals, reptiles and snakes and no amphibian section at all. The only amphibian it mentions is the bullfrog, and that by deferring to other chapters. Ambystoma tigrinum is also native to Arkansas.

How this rule works: Species exempt from Codes 09.02 (possession of non-native wildlife restricted), 09.07 (breeder/dealer permit) and 09.10 (importation permit), named individually with binomials. Read it out of the codebook rather than the compiled PDF AGFC posted at agfc.com in 2022, which is the version that circulates as "the Arkansas list" and is two revisions behind: it lacks the rosy boa and the whole Anoline Lizards entry with its Arkansas-native exception. The compiled PDF says so itself, that the codebook lists "take precedence".

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.