Exotic pet laws in Delaware

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7

The eastern box turtle is native to Delaware and is a species of greatest conservation need there, so it is not exotic and falls to DNREC rather than to the Agriculture permit. Native reptiles are not available for private ownership, and the captive-bred colour morph carve-out is written for snakes. A Terrapene that is not a Delaware native would instead need an Individual permit as a non-native reptile.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7; Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72

Delaware's native-wildlife rules forbid keeping a Delaware-native reptile as a pet, and DNREC's own guidance is explicit that native wildlife isn't for private ownership. A narrow carve-out exists for a captive-bred, aberrantly-colored native snake held under permit, but an ordinary wild-type garter snake doesn't qualify.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 27 August 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7

The snapping turtle is native to Delaware, so it is not exotic and the Agriculture permit chapter does not reach it. What applies instead is DNREC's native wildlife regime, under which native reptiles are not available for private ownership. The narrow carve-out Delaware does allow, a captive-bred native snake in an aberrant colour morph held under permit, is written for snakes and does not help a turtle.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7

The eastern tiger salamander is native to Delaware and is state endangered there. Amphibians sit outside the Agriculture permit chapter, which names only mammals, their hybrids and reptiles, so DNREC's native wildlife rules are the whole answer and they do not make native wildlife available as pets. The barred tiger salamander sold in the trade is a western species and would fall outside the native rules, but it is also outside the Agriculture chapter, which is why the axolotl comes out legal here.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The ackie monitor is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. No monitor appears on the exempt list, and the Komodo dragon is the one varanid Delaware refuses to permit at all, so the family is treated with some care here. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-7.5.2.10, with 903-6.2

Giant snakes over 5 feet (anacondas, pythons, boas)

Corrected from banned. Pythons do appear in these regulations, but only at 7.5.2.10, which lists giant snakes over five feet among the animals a Sales Permit holder may not breed. That is a breeding restriction on one permit class, not a prohibition on possession, and it carries a size qualifier the previous entry read past. The only animals the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. A ball python is a non-native reptile on no exempt list, so it needs an Individual permit. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The Bengal is a hybrid of a wild mammal, which § 7201 names expressly alongside wild mammals themselves, and no cat appears on the exempt list. So an Individual permit is required and the filial generation does not enter into it, because the statute reaches the hybrid as such. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

Resolved from unclear. The question was whether Delaware's list reached Boidae generally, and the answer is that the list in question is a breeding restriction on Sales Permit holders at 7.5.2.10, not a possession ban, and the only outright refusals are the gila monster, beaded lizard and komodo dragon. The boa constrictor is simply a non-native reptile that no exemption covers, so an Individual permit is required. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Giant snakes over 5 feet (anacondas, pythons, boas)

The Burmese python is a non-native reptile and no snake is exempt in Delaware, so an Individual permit is required. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door. It is not banned here: pythons appear in these rules only at 7.5.2.10, which bars Sales Permit holders from breeding giant snakes over five feet, and that is a breeding restriction on a permit class rather than a prohibition on keeping one. Federal law is the harder constraint, since the species has been listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2012 and cannot lawfully cross a state line.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72

A live reptile not native to or generally found in Delaware needs a permit from the Department of Agriculture before it may be brought into the state, possessed, sold, or exhibited. The California kingsnake, a Pacific coast species, is exotic to 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.

Checked against the published text on 27 August 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

Corrected from banned. The previous entry read a wild rodent prohibition into Delaware's rules; no such prohibition exists in chapter 903. The exempt mammal list simply does not reach the capybara, which leaves it a live wild mammal needing an Individual permit under 6.2. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The fennec fox is a live wild mammal and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door. Delaware's outright refusals at 4.7 are only the gila monster, the beaded lizard and the komodo dragon, so no mammal is barred from permitting by name. County and municipal ordinances are the more likely obstacle for a cat or a canid of this size.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The southern flying squirrel is a wild mammal and squirrels are not on the exempt list, which covers hamsters, gerbils, mice, Norway rats, guinea pigs, chinchillas, degus, rabbits, possums, ferrets, hedgehogs and sugar gliders. A permit is therefore required. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door. Delaware's flying squirrel is also a native animal, so DNREC's native wildlife rules bear on taking one from the wild here regardless of the Agriculture permit.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The Nile monitor is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. No monitor appears on the exempt list. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

Corrected from banned. The previous entry read a wild rodent prohibition into Delaware's rules; no such prohibition exists in chapter 903. The exempt mammal list simply does not reach the prairie dog, which leaves it a live wild mammal needing an Individual permit under 6.2. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The red-eared slider is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. Delaware exempts no chelonian of any kind. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The red-footed tortoise is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. Delaware exempts no chelonian of any kind. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

Resolved from unclear. The question was whether Delaware's list reached Boidae generally, and the answer is that the list in question is a breeding restriction on Sales Permit holders at 7.5.2.10, not a possession ban, and the only outright refusals are the gila monster, beaded lizard and komodo dragon. The rosy boa is simply a non-native reptile that no exemption covers, so an Individual permit is required. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The Russian tortoise is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. Delaware exempts no chelonian of any kind. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The savannah monitor is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. Varanidae is absent from the exempt reptile list, which runs to anoles, agamas, water dragons, basilisks, bearded dragons, chameleons, geckos, iguanas, skinks, swifts and tegus. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The serval is a live wild mammal and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door. Delaware's outright refusals at 4.7 are only the gila monster, the beaded lizard and the komodo dragon, so no mammal is barred from permitting by name. County and municipal ordinances are the more likely obstacle for a cat or a canid of this size.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

3 Del. Admin. Code 903-6.2, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

Unless specifically exempt from the permitting requirement as presented in regulation 6.1, all persons who would own or have custody of an exotic animal must first obtain a permit issued by the Department.

The sulcata is a live reptile not native to Delaware and is not on the exempt list, so regulation 6.2 requires an Individual permit before anyone may bring one in, possess, sell or exhibit it. Delaware exempts no chelonian of any kind. Note that giant tortoises, meaning Aldabras and Galapagos, are barred from being bred by Sales Permit holders under 7.5.2.10, but a sulcata is neither and the restriction is on breeding by permit holders rather than on possession. The permit is a $25 Individual permit from the Department of Agriculture, issued where possession will be in the public interest, so this is a real route rather than a closed door.

How this rule works: The regulation that actually decides Delaware, and it is much narrower than the list circulating in secondary sources. § 7201 requires a permit before anyone brings in, possesses, sells or exhibits a live wild mammal, a hybrid of a wild mammal, or a live reptile not native to Delaware, and bans non-native venomous snakes outright with no permit available. Regulation 6.1 then exempts a named list of pets from the permit entirely, and 6.2 says everything else needs one. The only species the State Veterinarian may not permit at all are at 4.7: gila monsters, beaded lizards and komodo dragons. Pythons, anacondas and boas appear only at 7.5.2.10, a restriction on what Sales Permit holders may breed, not a possession ban. The Delaware regulations site is a single-page app that serves no text to a fetcher, so this was read from a full reproduction and cross-checked against the Department of Agriculture's own exotic animals page.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7

Corrected from legal. The previous entry cleared this snake against a banned list that does not exist in the form described. The real point is that the corn snake is native to Delaware, so it is not exotic, the Agriculture permit chapter does not reach it, and DNREC's native wildlife rules do. Those rules do not make native wildlife available as pets, with one carve-out that matters here: a captive-bred native snake in an aberrant colour morph may be held under permit. Since the pet trade in this species is almost entirely captive-bred colour morphs, most animals offered for sale can qualify where a wild-type one cannot. Hence conditional rather than banned, which is where the garter snake sits.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7, with Del. Code tit. 3 § 7201

The condition is which hognose. The eastern hognose is native to Delaware, so it is DNREC's and native reptiles are not available for private ownership, subject only to the captive-bred aberrant colour morph carve-out held under permit. The western hognose that dominates the pet trade is not a Delaware species, which makes it a non-native reptile needing an Individual permit from Agriculture instead. Neither route is simply open, but they are different routes.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Del. Code tit. 7, c. 7

Corrected from legal. The previous entry cleared this snake against a banned list that does not exist in the form described. The real point is that the eastern milk snake is native to Delaware, so it is not exotic, the Agriculture permit chapter does not reach it, and DNREC's native wildlife rules do. Those rules do not make native wildlife available as pets, with one carve-out that matters here: a captive-bred native snake in an aberrant colour morph may be held under permit. Since the pet trade in this species is almost entirely captive-bred colour morphs, most animals offered for sale can qualify where a wild-type one cannot. Hence conditional rather than banned, which is where the garter snake sits.

How this rule works: Delaware Code Online's game and fish possession chapter administered by DNREC, paired with a separate exotic species permit chapter at Del. Code tit. 3, c. 72.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.