Exotic pet laws in Kansas

K.S.A. 32-1301(d)(2), 32-1302(a), (c), (d); K.A.R. 115-20-4

(c) Except as provided in subsection (d), a person shall not take possession of a dangerous regulated animal or allow dangerous regulated animals in such person's possession to breed.

Bears are dangerous regulated animals, and since July 1, 2006, no one may take possession of one except a USDA licensee keeping up the inventory it held that day. K.A.R. 115-20-4 offers any individual a possession permit for a black bear, but it is a wildlife permit that cannot override the statute. Animals held on July 1, 2006, had to be registered with local animal control and insured for $250,000.

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

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

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-1301(d), 32-1302(a), (c), (d)

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

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

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

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-1301(d), 32-1302(a), (c), (d)

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

Mountain lions are dangerous regulated animals, and since July 1, 2006, no one may take possession of one except a USDA licensee keeping up the inventory it held that day. K.A.R. 115-20-4 offers any individual a possession permit for a mountain lion, but it is a wildlife permit that cannot override the statute, the black bear's position. 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.

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

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-15-2(a)(6); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

The following species shall be designated nongame species in need of conservation within the boundaries of the state of Kansas. ... (6) Mammals ... Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Three rules have to be read together and each one closes a door. K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife except as permitted by law or regulation. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, but 115-20-3(d) defines that as species not native to Kansas, and this regulation is the state saying in terms that Glaucomys volans is a Kansas species. 115-20-2 permits taking certain Kansas wildlife for personal use, but subsection (b) excludes any species listed in K.A.R. 115-15-1 or K.A.R. 115-15-2, which is this list. Nothing is left, and the special-permit regulation at 115-15-3 covers threatened and endangered wildlife rather than nongame species in need of conservation.

Existing owners: K.A.R. 115-15-2(c) lets an animal possessed before the regulation took effect be retained if an affidavit was filed with and approved by the secretary before January 1, 1990, or possession had already been approved by the department.

How this rule works: The list of nongame species in need of conservation, adopted under K.S.A. 32-959. It is both a protection and a statement of nativity: a species on it exists in Kansas, which takes it out of the exotic wildlife definition in 115-20-3(d) and out of the takeable list in 115-20-2(b).

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-15-2(a)(4); 115-20-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

The following species shall be designated nongame species in need of conservation within the boundaries of the state of Kansas. ... (4) Reptiles ... Plains hog-nosed snake, Heterodon nasicus (Baird and Girard, 1852) ... Eastern hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platirhinos (Latreille, 1801)

This is the flying squirrel pattern, and it is the sharpest case on the map of three regulations closing in sequence. Kansas has both hognose snakes, the western and the eastern, and both are established taxa on the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas. K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife except as permitted by law or regulation. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, but (d) defines exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas, and a Kansas native is not that. K.A.R. 115-20-2 permits taking certain Kansas wildlife, and its reptile clause at (b)(13) would cover a hognose, but the opening words of (b) exclude any species listed in K.A.R. 115-15-1 or 115-15-2, and this regulation is that list with both Heterodon species on it by binomial. Nothing is left to permit possession. The special permit at 115-15-3 covers threatened and endangered wildlife rather than nongame species in need of conservation, so there is no permit route either. Worth knowing for the pet trade specifically: the western hognose, Heterodon nasicus, is the animal almost every captive-bred hognose in the trade is, and it is the one Kansas names first.

Existing owners: K.A.R. 115-15-2(c) lets an animal possessed before the regulation took effect be retained if an application of affidavit was filed with and approved by the secretary before January 1, 1990, or possession had already been approved by the department.

How this rule works: The list of nongame species in need of conservation, adopted under K.S.A. 32-959. It is both a protection and a statement of nativity: a species on it exists in Kansas, which takes it out of the exotic wildlife definition in 115-20-3(d) and out of the takeable list in 115-20-2(b).

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-1301(d), 32-1302(a), (c), (d)

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

Lions are dangerous regulated animals, and since July 1, 2006, no one may take possession of one except a USDA licensee keeping up the inventory it held that day. 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: An animal possessed on July 1, 2006, may be kept if registered with the local animal control authority, caged to K.S.A. 32-1306, covered by $250,000 liability insurance or bond, and not bred.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-18-10(a)(13), (b)(1), (c)

The importation, possession, or release in Kansas of the following live wildlife species shall be prohibited, except as authorized by terms of a wildlife importation permit issued by the secretary: ... (13) monk parakeet (Myiopsita monachus)

Named by binomial on the prohibited list, and the company it keeps says what the prohibition is for: walking catfish, four carps, a snakehead, a round goby, zebra and quagga mussels, a mudsnail and three crayfish. This is an escape-and-establishment rule, not a dangerous-animal rule, which is the same reason a dozen other states bar this bird. The dangerous regulated animal statute at K.S.A. 32-1301 names no bird and has nothing to do with it. The permit that subsection (a) refers to is issued under (c) "for experimental, scientific, display, or other purposes", so there is no personal-pet route.

Existing owners: 115-18-10(b)(1) lets a bird possessed before February 1, 1978, be retained in closed confinement on an application to the secretary detailing how it came into the applicant’s possession.

How this rule works: Kansas's prohibited species list, and it is almost entirely aquatic invasives: carps, a snakehead, a goby, mussels, a mudsnail, crayfish. Two land animals are on it, the Asian raccoon dog and the monk parakeet, which is the quaker parakeet of the pet trade. The permit in subsection (c) is for experimental, scientific, display or other purposes and is not a pet route.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-1301(d), 32-1302(a), (c), (d)

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

Tigers are dangerous regulated animals, and since July 1, 2006, no one may take possession of one except a USDA licensee keeping up the inventory it held that day. 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: An animal possessed on July 1, 2006, may be kept if registered with the local animal control authority, caged to K.S.A. 32-1306, covered by $250,000 liability insurance or bond, and not bred.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-7-5(b), (d); 115-20-2(b)(13); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

A valid Kansas fishing license shall be required to take common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles.

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. Chelydra serpentina is one of only five herps the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas records in every county, so it is a Kansas native and 115-20-3 cannot reach it. Nor does the native permission: 115-20-2(b)(13) puts reptiles on the takeable list "except common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles", which takes this animal straight back out, and the cap in 115-20-2(e) never applies to it. The reason for the carve-out is that Kansas handles these two as fishing species. K.A.R. 115-7-5(b) sets the legal methods, hand, hook and fishing line, set line, hand dip net, seine, turtle trap and gig, and (d) requires a valid Kansas fishing license to take one. The bag and possession limits come from the fishing regulations rather than from Article 20. So the license-first answer is the real one: Kansas gives no no-permit route to a snapping turtle and no dealer route either, because the only permission in the rules is a licensed take. K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) then exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so the license attaches to getting the animal rather than to keeping it.

How this rule works: The rule that 115-20-2(b)(13) carves the common snapping turtle and the soft-shelled turtles out for. Kansas handles those two as fishing species rather than as takeable reptiles: subsection (b) sets the legal methods and subsection (d) requires a valid Kansas fishing license to take them. 115-9-7 is the other half of the licensing picture, because its subsection (i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual from needing a license at all, which is why none of the Kansas caps carry a license condition for a bought animal.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.S.A. 47-2101(a), (b) and definitions

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess domesticated deer unless such person has obtained from the animal health commissioner a domesticated deer permit.

Kansas answers the pet deer by name. A domesticated deer is any legally obtained cervid "being sold or raised in a confined area for" breeding stock, parts, exhibition "or companionship", and keeping one needs an annual domesticated deer permit from the animal health commissioner, at a fee of up to $400, under the Department of Agriculture's livestock law rather than the wildlife code. A wild white-tailed deer is big game under K.S.A. 32-701(a) and cannot be taken for a pet.

How this rule works: Makes it unlawful to possess domesticated deer without a domesticated deer permit from the animal health commissioner, and defines domesticated deer as any legally obtained cervid sold or raised in a confined area for breeding stock, parts, exhibition or companionship.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(13), (e), (f); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

no more than five reptiles and no more than two individuals of any reptile species per person and/or domicile, whichever is reached first

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. The ornate box turtle, Terrapene ornata, and the three-toed box turtle, Terrapene triunguis, are both established Kansas taxa on the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas, and neither is on K.A.R. 115-15-1 or 115-15-2. A Kansas native is therefore outside 115-20-3 and falls to K.A.R. 115-20-2, which permits taking certain Kansas wildlife for personal use on a noncommercial basis. 115-20-2(b)(13) puts reptiles on that list, with common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles taken back out, and the open season under (d) is year-round. What the earlier entry missed is the cap in (e): five reptiles and two individuals of any one reptile species, per person and per domicile, whichever is reached first. 115-20-2(f) defines domicile as the address you declare in legal documents to pay taxes, receive social security, vote, bank, and register vehicles and animals, so two people at one address do not get four. Taking one from the wild needs a hunting license, since 115-20-2(i) exempts only invertebrates from that, but K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so a bought animal needs no license to keep. One gap Kansas has never closed: 32-1002(a)(3) bars purchasing or selling any wildlife in this state unless a regulation permits it, 115-20-2 permits taking only on a noncommercial basis, and 32-1002(b) lifts the possession and sale bars for animals legally taken outside this state without saying what that means for one bred in captivity out of state.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(13), (e), (f); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

no more than five reptiles and no more than two individuals of any reptile species per person and/or domicile, whichever is reached first

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. Thamnophis sirtalis is an established Kansas taxon on the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas, and the only gartersnake Kansas lists in regulation is the checkered gartersnake, Thamnophis marcianus, which 115-15-1(b)(4) makes threatened and which is not this animal. A Kansas native is therefore outside 115-20-3 and falls to K.A.R. 115-20-2, which permits taking certain Kansas wildlife for personal use on a noncommercial basis. 115-20-2(b)(13) puts reptiles on that list, with common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles taken back out, and the open season under (d) is year-round. What the earlier entry missed is the cap in (e): five reptiles and two individuals of any one reptile species, per person and per domicile, whichever is reached first. 115-20-2(f) defines domicile as the address you declare in legal documents to pay taxes, receive social security, vote, bank, and register vehicles and animals, so two people at one address do not get four. Taking one from the wild needs a hunting license, since 115-20-2(i) exempts only invertebrates from that, but K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so a bought animal needs no license to keep. One gap Kansas has never closed: 32-1002(a)(3) bars purchasing or selling any wildlife in this state unless a regulation permits it, 115-20-2 permits taking only on a noncommercial basis, and 32-1002(b) lifts the possession and sale bars for animals legally taken outside this state without saying what that means for one bred in captivity out of state.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(13), (e), (f); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

no more than five reptiles and no more than two individuals of any reptile species per person and/or domicile, whichever is reached first

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. Kansas has two milksnakes, and the atlas carries the eastern milksnake under this exact binomial, Lampropeltis triangulum, alongside the western milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis. So the pet-trade name and the Kansas native are the same species here, and neither milksnake is on K.A.R. 115-15-1 or 115-15-2. A Kansas native is therefore outside 115-20-3 and falls to K.A.R. 115-20-2, which permits taking certain Kansas wildlife for personal use on a noncommercial basis. 115-20-2(b)(13) puts reptiles on that list, with common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles taken back out, and the open season under (d) is year-round. What the earlier entry missed is the cap in (e): five reptiles and two individuals of any one reptile species, per person and per domicile, whichever is reached first. 115-20-2(f) defines domicile as the address you declare in legal documents to pay taxes, receive social security, vote, bank, and register vehicles and animals, so two people at one address do not get four. Taking one from the wild needs a hunting license, since 115-20-2(i) exempts only invertebrates from that, but K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so a bought animal needs no license to keep. One gap Kansas has never closed: 32-1002(a)(3) bars purchasing or selling any wildlife in this state unless a regulation permits it, 115-20-2 permits taking only on a noncommercial basis, and 32-1002(b) lifts the possession and sale bars for animals legally taken outside this state without saying what that means for one bred in captivity out of state.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(13), (e); K.A.R. 115-15-2(a)(4); K.S.A. 32-1301(d)(3)

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

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

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

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(13), (e), (f); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

no more than five reptiles and no more than two individuals of any reptile species per person and/or domicile, whichever is reached first

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. The pond slider, Trachemys scripta, is an established Kansas taxon on the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas, and Kansas is inside the natural range of the red-eared subspecies. It is on neither K.A.R. 115-15-1 nor 115-15-2. A Kansas native is therefore outside 115-20-3 and falls to K.A.R. 115-20-2, which permits taking certain Kansas wildlife for personal use on a noncommercial basis. 115-20-2(b)(13) puts reptiles on that list, with common snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles taken back out, and the open season under (d) is year-round. What the earlier entry missed is the cap in (e): five reptiles and two individuals of any one reptile species, per person and per domicile, whichever is reached first. 115-20-2(f) defines domicile as the address you declare in legal documents to pay taxes, receive social security, vote, bank, and register vehicles and animals, so two people at one address do not get four. Taking one from the wild needs a hunting license, since 115-20-2(i) exempts only invertebrates from that, but K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so a bought animal needs no license to keep. One gap Kansas has never closed: 32-1002(a)(3) bars purchasing or selling any wildlife in this state unless a regulation permits it, 115-20-2 permits taking only on a noncommercial basis, and 32-1002(b) lifts the possession and sale bars for animals legally taken outside this state without saying what that means for one bred in captivity out of state.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)(1), (e), (f); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2)

no more than five total of any combination of amphibian may be possessed per person or domicile, whichever is reached first

The Kansas column was written against K.S.A. 32-1301, the dangerous regulated animal statute, which names six cats, bears and non-native venomous snakes and answers nothing here. The pair that decides a Kansas cell is K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), which makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife at all "unless and except as permitted by law or rules and regulations adopted by the secretary", and the two regulations that do the permitting. K.A.R. 115-20-3 permits exotic wildlife, and 115-20-3(d) reads exotic as a species not native or indigenous to Kansas and not present here as an established wild population. The eastern tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, is an established Kansas taxon under this exact binomial on the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas, with the western tiger salamander Ambystoma mavortium beside it, so this is a Kansas animal rather than an exotic one. That sends it to K.A.R. 115-20-2, whose subsection (b)(1) lists amphibians other than bullfrogs among the wildlife that may be taken for personal use on a noncommercial basis, year-round under (d). The cap is the part the earlier entry missed, and for an amphibian it is a single number rather than the reptile pair: five in total of any combination of amphibian per person or domicile, whichever is reached first. 115-20-2(f) defines domicile as the address you declare in legal documents to pay taxes, receive social security, vote, bank, and register vehicles and animals. Kansas lists eleven amphibians in K.A.R. 115-15-1 and 115-15-2 and this is not one of them, so the exclusion in 115-20-2(b) does not bite. Taking one from the wild needs a hunting license under 115-20-2(i), but K.A.R. 115-9-7(i) exempts the possession of wildlife that was legally acquired by the individual, so a bought animal needs no license to keep.

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

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-5-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b)

(b) Live furbearers legally taken during a furbearer season may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken.

K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) bars possessing any wildlife unless a regulation permits it, and the bobcat is a Kansas furbearer. The only regulation that permits a live furbearer is 115-5-2(b), and it lets a Kansas-caught animal be held only to the end of the season it was taken in, so a wild-caught pet is out. What is not settled is a captive-bred animal bought in another state: 32-1002(b) lifts the possession bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", and no Kansas text says whether that reaches one bred in captivity. The handoff records this as the one question Kansas has never closed.

How this rule works: Subsection (b) is the possession rule for a live Kansas furbearer: one legally taken during a furbearer season "may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken", which rules out keeping a wild-caught raccoon, fox, skunk or bobcat as a pet. Coyotes alone may be held live without limit in time under (d). Read from Cornell LII's copy of the rule.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-701(g), (r); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b); K.A.R. 115-20-2(b)

(r) "Small game" means any game bird, hare, rabbit or squirrel.

A squirrel is Kansas small game and so a game animal, and K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) bars possessing any wildlife unless a regulation permits it. 115-20-2, the personal-use list, reaches ground squirrels but not tree squirrels, and 115-20-3 covers only species not native to Kansas, so no regulation read here permits keeping one. As with the raccoon, 32-1002(b) lifts the possession bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", and no Kansas text says whether that reaches a captive-bred animal from elsewhere.

How this rule works: Defines big game (antelope, deer, elk), furbearing animals (the opossum among them), game animals and small game (any game bird, hare, rabbit or squirrel), and wildlife as any member of the animal kingdom.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-5-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b)

(b) Live furbearers legally taken during a furbearer season may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken.

K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) bars possessing any wildlife unless a regulation permits it, and the raccoon is a Kansas furbearer. The only regulation that permits a live furbearer is 115-5-2(b), and it lets a Kansas-caught animal be held only to the end of the season it was taken in, so a wild-caught pet is out. What is not settled is a captive-bred animal bought in another state: 32-1002(b) lifts the possession bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", and no Kansas text says whether that reaches one bred in captivity. The handoff records this as the one question Kansas has never closed.

How this rule works: Subsection (b) is the possession rule for a live Kansas furbearer: one legally taken during a furbearer season "may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken", which rules out keeping a wild-caught raccoon, fox, skunk or bobcat as a pet. Coyotes alone may be held live without limit in time under (d). Read from Cornell LII's copy of the rule.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-5-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b)

(b) Live furbearers legally taken during a furbearer season may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken.

K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) bars possessing any wildlife unless a regulation permits it, and the red fox is a Kansas furbearer. The only regulation that permits a live furbearer is 115-5-2(b), and it lets a Kansas-caught animal be held only to the end of the season it was taken in, so a wild-caught pet is out. What is not settled is a captive-bred animal bought in another state: 32-1002(b) lifts the possession bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", and no Kansas text says whether that reaches one bred in captivity. The handoff records this as the one question Kansas has never closed.

How this rule works: Subsection (b) is the possession rule for a live Kansas furbearer: one legally taken during a furbearer season "may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken", which rules out keeping a wild-caught raccoon, fox, skunk or bobcat as a pet. Coyotes alone may be held live without limit in time under (d). Read from Cornell LII's copy of the rule.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-5-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b)

(b) Live furbearers legally taken during a furbearer season may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken.

K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2) bars possessing any wildlife unless a regulation permits it, and the striped skunk is a Kansas furbearer. The only regulation that permits a live furbearer is 115-5-2(b), and it lets a Kansas-caught animal be held only to the end of the season it was taken in, so a wild-caught pet is out. What is not settled is a captive-bred animal bought in another state: 32-1002(b) lifts the possession bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", and no Kansas text says whether that reaches one bred in captivity. The handoff records this as the one question Kansas has never closed.

How this rule works: Subsection (b) is the possession rule for a live Kansas furbearer: one legally taken during a furbearer season "may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken", which rules out keeping a wild-caught raccoon, fox, skunk or bobcat as a pet. Coyotes alone may be held live without limit in time under (d). Read from Cornell LII's copy of the rule.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.S.A. 32-701(e); K.A.R. 115-5-2(b); K.S.A. 32-1002(a)(2), (b)

(b) Live furbearers legally taken during a furbearer season may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken.

The opossum is a Kansas furbearer under K.S.A. 32-701(e), so it stands where the raccoon does. 115-5-2(b) lets a Kansas-caught animal be held only to the end of its season, which rules out a wild-caught pet, and whether 32-1002(b), lifting the bar for animals "legally taken outside this state", reaches a captive-bred opossum from another state is the question Kansas has never closed.

How this rule works: Subsection (b) is the possession rule for a live Kansas furbearer: one legally taken during a furbearer season "may be possessed only through the last day of the season in which taken", which rules out keeping a wild-caught raccoon, fox, skunk or bobcat as a pet. Coyotes alone may be held live without limit in time under (d). Read from Cornell LII's copy of the rule.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

K.A.R. 115-20-4(a)(2), (b); K.S.A. 32-1301(d)

(a) Any person possessing one of the following animals shall be required to obtain a possession permit: (1) mountain lion, Felis concolor Linnaeus; (2) wolf, Canis lupus Say; (3) black bear, Ursus americanus Pallas; and (4) grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis Ord.

The wolf is not a dangerous regulated animal in Kansas; it needs a wildlife possession permit under 115-20-4, which any individual may apply for. Kansas writes no canid hybrid rule, so whether a wolfdog is a "wolf, Canis lupus" needing that permit or a dog needing nothing is unanswered. If it is a wolf, the answer is a personal permit; local ordinances apply either way.

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

How this rule works: A possession permit for exactly four animals, the mountain lion, the wolf (Canis lupus), the black bear and the grizzly, which "Any individual may apply" for with proof of purchase and the purpose of possession, subject to all local ordinances. Zoos, vets, schools, circuses and possession of five days or less are exempt. For the cats and bears it sits under K.S.A. 32-1302(c), which since July 1, 2006, bars anyone but a qualifying USDA licensee from taking possession of a dangerous regulated animal.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.