Exotic pet laws in Maine

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Crocodilia All Species in Order Crocodilia (Crocodilians) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every crocodilian is Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.06(4); § 7.11(4)(A)

Unclassified Species: A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter, however a request may be made to review the categorization of a species subject to section 7.06(5).

Ursidae appears nowhere in chapter 7's lists, so a black bear is an uncategorized species and § 7.06(4) makes it ineligible for any permit. Maine plainly has bears in view: § 7.11(4)(A) bars even rehabilitators from taking black bears without the commissioner's authorization. A native mammal has no wild-take route under 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B).

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Canidae All Species in Family Canidae (Canids)

Every canid is Category 1, and the permit goes only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities. The domestic ferret is the only carnivore on the Unrestricted List.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(1)(b)

Family Mustelidae All Species in Family Mustelidae (Badgers, Otters, Weasels, and Relatives)

Otters are named in the Category 1 family entry, and § 7.06(3)(A)(1)(b) separately puts any CITES Appendix I species in Category 1, which this otter has been since 2019. Permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators and research facilities.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Macropodidae All Species in Family Macropodidae (Kangaroos, Wallabies, and Allies) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every macropod is Category 1. The only marsupial on the Unrestricted List is the sugar glider. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats)

Every felid is Category 1, exhibitors, rehabilitators and research facilities only. The bobcat is also a Maine native, and § 7.11(3)(A) bars possessing a native restricted species under the general possession permit in any case.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats)

Category 1 for every felid, and the Canada lynx meets the Category 1 criteria twice over: it is a Maine native and it is federally threatened. Permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators and research facilities.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Primates All Species in Order Primates (Primates) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Maine puts the whole primate order in Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Elapidae All Species in Family Elapidae (Cobras, Coral Snakes, Elapids, Kraits) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

The whole cobra family is Category 1, which takes in the king cobra. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Primates All Species in Order Primates (Primates) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Maine puts the whole primate order in Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every wild cat is Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.06(4); 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A), (1-B)

Unclassified Species: A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter, however a request may be made to review the categorization of a species subject to section 7.06(5).

The eastern gray squirrel is a Maine native and sits in none of the four buckets: the only squirrel chapter 7 names is Prevost's squirrel in Category 1, and the Unrestricted List's rodents are cage species. So § 7.06(4) bars it and says it is not eligible for a permit. The wild-take exemption at 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) covers reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, not mammals.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Canidae All Species in Family Canidae (Canids)

Every canid is Category 1, and a Category 1 permit goes only to an exhibitor, a wildlife rehabilitator, a USDA-registered laboratory or an accredited research facility. The fennec is not on the Unrestricted List, whose only carnivore is the domestic ferret, so nothing lifts it out of Category 1 and there is no permit a private keeper can hold.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.06(4)

Unclassified Species: A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter, however a request may be made to review the categorization of a species subject to section 7.06(5).

Glaucomys volans is in none of Maine's four buckets. The Unrestricted List's Rodentia section runs to thirteen entries, all cage rodents, and no Glaucomys. § 7.18(1) Prohibited is two species, the monk parakeet and the mute swan. Category 1 Mammalia reaches Callosciurus prevostii and Cynomys ludovicianus by name and twenty-one families wholesale, none of them Sciuridae; Category 2 Mammalia is Camelidae, the binturong, genets, three coatis and Caviidae. So § 7.06(4) applies and says in terms that the animal is not eligible for a permit, which is why this is banned rather than permit. The wild-take escape at 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) covers only reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, so it does not reach a native mammal. The live route is § 7.06(5), a request to the commissioner and the technical committee to classify the species.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Eunectes spp. All Species in Genus Eunectes ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every anaconda is Category 1, and § 7.18(2)(A) catches the green anaconda a second time as federally injurious. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Potos flavus Kinkajou

Named by binomial in Category 1, where the permit goes only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities. The coati, its relative, is a Category 2 animal; the kinkajou is not.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every wild cat is Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.18(1)(A); § 7.06(2)

Prohibited Species : See 7.06(2) for exceptions for research institutions. A. Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus);

Maine does not leave this bird to a permit. Chapter 7 names the monk parakeet first on its Prohibited Species list, and a prohibited species is one for which no permit shall be granted, except that the department may authorize possession by accredited research facilities under § 7.06(2). The old unrestricted list carved the species out of the parrot family with "Except for: Myiopsitta monachus", which read like a permit animal, but the rule settles it: no private keeper can hold one. IFW's own captivity page agrees, listing the monk parakeet among the species that cannot be possessed with or without a permit.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.06(4)

Unclassified Species: A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter, however a request may be made to review the categorization of a species subject to section 7.06(5).

Procyon lotor is in none of Maine's four buckets. The only procyonids chapter 7 names are the kinkajou in Category 1 and three coatis in Category 2, Procyonidae is not among the Category 1 families, and the Unrestricted List's carnivore section is the domestic ferret alone. So § 7.06(4) bars it and says it is not eligible for a permit. The raccoon is also a Maine native, the wild-take exemption at 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) covers only reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, and § 7.11(3)(A) would bar a native from the Category 2 permit even if it were listed there.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Viperidae All Species in Family Viperidae (Vipers) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

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

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Canidae All Species in Family Canidae (Canids)

Every canid is Category 1, and a Category 1 permit goes only to an exhibitor, a wildlife rehabilitator, a USDA-registered laboratory or an accredited research facility. The red fox is also a Maine native furbearer with no wild-take route for mammals.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Python reticulatus Reticulated Python ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Maine names the reticulated python in Category 1, beside the Indian and the two African rock pythons, and § 7.18(2)(A) catches it a second time as federally injurious. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Primates All Species in Order Primates (Primates) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Maine puts the whole primate order in Category 1, and § 7.18(2)(B) separately reaches anything on CITES Appendix I, where Lemur catta sits. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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).

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats)

Every member of the cat family is Category 1, and a Category 1 permit goes only to an exhibitor, a wildlife rehabilitator, a USDA-registered laboratory or an accredited research facility. The Unrestricted List clears no felid, so nothing lifts the serval out of Category 1 and there is no permit a private keeper can hold.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(G); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Crocodilia All Species in Order Crocodilia (Crocodilians) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every crocodilian is Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Order Primates All Species in Order Primates (Primates) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Maine puts the whole primate order in Category 1. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(4)

Family Mustelidae All Species in Family Mustelidae (Badgers, Otters, Weasels, and Relatives)

Either way the answer is no. On the older taxonomy the striped skunk is a mustelid and Category 1, open only to exhibitors, rehabilitators and research facilities. On current taxonomy it is in Mephitidae, which chapter 7 never names, so it is uncategorized and § 7.06(4) makes it ineligible for any permit. It is also a Maine native mammal with no wild-take exemption.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Felidae All Species in Family Felidae (Cats) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every wild cat is Category 1, and the tiger is caught a second time as a federally endangered species under § 7.18(2)(C). Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route. 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.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Choloepus hoffmanni Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is named in Category 1. The other two-toed sloth, Choloepus didactylus, is named nowhere, and § 7.06(4) bars any species that has not been categorized, so neither has a pet route. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.06(4); 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A), (1-B)

Unclassified Species: A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter, however a request may be made to review the categorization of a species subject to section 7.06(5).

The only opossum chapter 7 names is the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, in Category 1. Didelphis virginiana, which now ranges into Maine, is in none of the four buckets, so § 7.06(4) bars it and says it is not eligible for a permit. The wild-take exemption at 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) does not reach mammals.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.18(2)(F); § 7.06(3)(A)(2)(a)

Family Cervidae All Species in Family Cervidae (Deer) ... An applicant for a permit pertaining to Category 1 Restricted Species must be an exhibitor, wildlife rehabilitator; laboratory registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, or accredited research facility.

Every deer is Category 1. The white-tailed deer is Maine's own game animal, and the wild-take exemption in 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) does not reach mammals. Deer farming in Maine runs under separate agricultural and disease rules that were not read here. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so there is no pet route.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List

Maine's clean list names only Varanus exanthematicus (savannah monitor) among monitors (documented in this site's savannah-monitor research). Varanus acanthurus is absent, so it falls back to Maine's general importation/possession permit requirement rather than the no-permit list. Whether an individual permit is actually issued for a pet Ackie was not separately confirmed.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 27, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Order Psittaciformes* All Species in Order Psittaciformes (Parrots) Except for: Myiopsitta monachus; Cyanoliseus patagonus; Enicognathus leptorhynchus; Enicognathus ferrugineus; Family Strigopidae

The whole parrot order is cleared, but the asterisk carries the footnote that removes anything on CITES Appendix I or listed by the IUCN as Endangered. The African grey is both: it moved to Appendix I on January 2, 2017, and was assessed Endangered in 2016, months before this list was published. So the one parrot most people think of is outside the clearance while a macaw is inside it.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Amphibia (Amphibians) Captive Bred Origin Only ... Anura (Frogs And Toads)

Same gap as the tiger salamander: the amphibian list is frogs and toads only. The axolotl is also IUCN Critically Endangered, which the footnote would catch even if a salamander order existed.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Testudines (Turtles And Tortoises)

No Terrapene appears anywhere on the list. The only match for the words box turtle is the Amboina box turtle, which is a Cuora and a different animal. The eastern box turtle is also a species of special concern in Maine, so its own native status is part of the picture.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Serpentes (Snakes)

The snake section lists pythons individually and neither Python bivittatus nor Python molurus is among them. The asterisk footnote would exclude it in any case, since the Burmese python has been federal injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2012.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Rodentia (Rodents)

Not on the rodent list, which stops at the brown rat in size terms.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list, Psittaciformes

All Species in Order Psittaciformes (Parrots) Except for: Myiopsitta monachus; Cyanoliseus patagonus; Enicognathus leptorhynchus; Enicognathus ferrugineus; Family Strigopidae *Except if listed on: IUCN Red List (Endangered, Critically Endangered, or Extinct in the Wild) OR CITES Appendix I

Maine clears the whole parrot order but then strips back out anything on CITES Appendix I or the IUCN's Endangered/Critically Endangered tiers. That carve-out catches several of the most commonly kept pet cockatoos: the Moluccan, yellow-crested and Goffin's cockatoos are CITES Appendix I, and the umbrella cockatoo is IUCN Endangered even though it's only CITES Appendix II. Species on neither list, like the cockatiel or galah, would still clear it, but size is no guide: the small Goffin's needs the permit; the larger, more iconic cockatoos generally need Maine's captivity permit instead.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 27, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Arachnida (Arachnids) ... Araneae (Spiders) ... Mesostigmata

The arachnid section runs to three tarantulas and one predatory mite. No scorpion appears in it, so the emperor scorpion is not unrestricted and needs a permit. Pandinus imperator is also on CITES Appendix II, though that is not what decides it here.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list, Serpentes (Captive Bred Origin Only)

Maine's unrestricted-species list runs through every North American colubrid genus commonly kept as a pet, kingsnakes, ratsnakes, hognose, watersnakes, and more, and Thamnophis is conspicuously absent from every entry. A Maine garter snake needs the state's separate captivity permit rather than falling under this pet-trade clearance.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 27, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

All Species in Genus Ctenosaura (Spiny-tailed Iguanas)

The only iguanas cleared are the spiny-tailed Ctenosaura. Iguana iguana is not on the list, so the common green iguana needs a permit in Maine while its less commonly kept relative does not.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Varanus exanthematicus

The savannah monitor is the only Varanus on the list. The Nile monitor is absent and therefore restricted, which fits its treatment in Florida and Louisiana for different reasons.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Rodentia (Rodents)

The unrestricted rodent list runs to thirteen species, all of them small cage animals. Cynomys is not among them.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Testudines (Turtles And Tortoises)

No Trachemys is on the list. Maine treats the slider as a species it does not want established, so a permit rather than an outright naming is what stands between it and a pet keeper.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Testudines (Turtles And Tortoises)

Chelydra serpentina is native to Maine and does not appear on the list of unrestricted species, which is the ordinary pattern: the list is aimed at exotics and native wildlife is handled under the general permit requirement.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Testudines (Turtles And Tortoises)

The tortoises cleared are the Russian, Greek, Hermann's, leopard, red-footed and yellow-footed. Centrochelys sulcata is not among them, and the footnote would exclude it regardless, since the IUCN moved it to Endangered in 2021.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Amphibia (Amphibians) Captive Bred Origin Only ... Anura (Frogs And Toads)

Maine's amphibian section contains one order, Anura, and every entry in it is a frog or a toad. There is no Caudata order at all, so no salamander or newt of any species is unrestricted in Maine. The whole section is also limited to captive bred origin.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

§ 7.18(3)(C); § 7.06(3)(B)(2)(a); § 7.07(3)

Nasua narica White-nosed Coati

The white-nosed coati is named in Category 2, the one restricted tier open to a private keeper. The general possession permit goes to "an individual with demonstrated experience with the care and husbandry of the species", documented as a year of husbandry or 100 hours of experience with two personal references, plus a maintenance plan for the animal if the keeper dies or falls ill.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 7.12; § 7.07(2)

Wolf Hybrids: No Wolf Hybrid may be permitted under this chapter unless the applicant has first presented proof from a licensed veterinarian that: A.The wolf hybrid has been permanently identified in accordance with 7 M.R.S. §3921-A; B.The wolf hybrid has been spayed or neutered; and C.All other criteria for a Wildlife Possession Permit have been met.

Maine treats a wolfdog as wildlife that an individual may be permitted to keep, which it does for no pure canid. Chapter 7 applies to wildlife "that has been hybridized", the exhibition permit excludes wolf hybrids in terms, and § 7.12 sets the conditions for a possession permit: a vet's proof of permanent identification and sterilization. The rule's stray provisions refer to wolf hybrids licensed under the dog licensing statute in Title 7 as well, so the dog license is a second requirement rather than an alternative. No generation or percentage line is written.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

Bearded Dragon Pogona vitticeps

Named by species rather than by genus, so no asterisk and no conservation-status filter. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

All Species in Family Scincidae (Skinks) Family Scincidae*

A family-wide clearance with no species excepted. Tiliqua scincoides is IUCN Least Concern and on none of the four lists the asterisk points at. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Serpentes

All Species in Genus Pantherophis (North American Ratsnakes) Except for: Pantherophis gloydi

A captive-bred corn snake needs no importation, possession, exhibition, propagation or research permit. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all. The one excepted species, the eastern fox snake, is Category 2 at 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.18(3)(D). The genus entry carries the asterisk that removes anything USFWS-listed as injurious or as threatened or endangered, anything in CITES Appendix I, and anything the IUCN rates Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild; Pantherophis guttatus is Least Concern and on none of the others.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

all species in infraorder Gekkota Except for: Nephrurus deleani

Correlophus ciliatus is a diplodactylid and therefore inside Gekkota. The asterisk is the thing to check here rather than the taxonomy: it removes anything the IUCN rates Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild, and the crested gecko is Vulnerable, one rung below the cut. It is not listed under CITES at all, so the Appendix I filter does not touch it. The IUCN rating is close enough that a reassessment would move this cell without Maine changing anything, which is the same exposure Massachusetts carries for the ball python. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

All Species in Genus Anolis (Anoles) Anolis spp.*

The genus is cleared outright. The green anole is not native to Maine, so the native-reptile provisions at 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B) and § 7.01 do not come into it, and Anolis carolinensis is IUCN Least Concern, so the asterisk does not remove it. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

Jackson's Chameleon Trioceros jacksonii

Named by species. Maine does not clear Chamaeleonidae as a family: it lists ten chameleons individually, two Trioceros, two Chamaeleo, three Furcifer, Calumma parsonii, Rhampholeon spectrum and Rieppeleon brevicaudatus, so the species entry is what answers this and a chameleon outside those ten is uncategorized. All chameleons are CITES Appendix II, and the asterisk filter names Appendix I. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Sauria

all species in infraorder Gekkota Except for: Nephrurus deleani

Maine clears geckos at infraorder rank, which sidesteps the family-splitting problem that other states run into: Eublepharidae, Diplodactylidae and Gekkonidae are all inside Gekkota. Eublepharis macularius is IUCN Least Concern, not CITES Appendix I and on neither USFWS list, so the asterisk on the entry does not remove it. The one exception, the Pernatty knob-tail, is Category 2. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Serpentes; 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B)

All Species in Genus Lampropeltis (Kingsnakes And Milk Snakes) Except for: Lampropeltis herrerae; Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum

Maine clears the genus and then excepts one subspecies, and it is the state's own: Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, the eastern milk snake. So a captive-bred milk snake of any other form is unrestricted, subject to the section heading "Captive Bred Origin Only". The nominate subspecies is not, and it appears in no other category either, so 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(4) bars possessing an imported one and no permit is available for it. What is left is 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-B): up to two of any native reptile may be taken from the wild in Maine and possessed without a permit, provided it is not imported, exhibited, propagated, exported or sold. The other exception, L. herrerae, is Category 1.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species List, Reptilia, Serpentes

Rosy Boa Lichanur trivirgata

Named by species, with the genus misprinted as Lichanur for Lichanura. The whole Reptilia section of the list sits under the heading "Captive Bred Origin Only", which is the condition on the clearance: a wild-caught animal of the same species is not unrestricted and falls back to § 7.06(4), under which an uncategorized animal may not be possessed at all. A species-level entry carries no asterisk, so the conservation-status filter that qualifies the genus entries does not apply, and Lichanura trivirgata is IUCN Least Concern in any event.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on September 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Araneae (Spiders) ... Grammostola pulchra ... Grammostola pulchripes ... Grammostola rosea

Three tarantulas are unrestricted and no others: the Brazilian black, the Chaco golden knee and the Chilean rose. Every Brachypelma, Aphonopelma, Caribena or Poecilotheria needs a permit. This is the sharpest species-level split in the matrix, and it turns entirely on which animal is in the enclosure.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

Unrestricted Species list

Carnivora (Carnivores) Mustela putorius furo Domestic Ferret

A Bengal is registered as Felis catus, and a domestic cat is not wildlife, so the unrestricted list is arguably the wrong document to consult. But the list clears exactly one carnivore, and Maine regulates hybrids of wild species elsewhere in its wildlife rules. Nothing here settles which side a Bengal falls on. Ask Inland Fisheries and Wildlife before buying.

How this rule works: The list 12 M.R.S. § 12152(1-A) requires the department to maintain and 09-137 CMR ch. 7 § 7.06(1) describes: species needing no importation, exhibition, propagation, research or possession permit, which pet shops may also trade. Dated August 11, 2017, on every page, and this is the version IFW still serves. Three headings do most of the work: Reptilia, Serpentes and Testudines each carry "Captive Bred Origin Only", and an asterisk on an entry removes anything on the USFWS injurious or threatened and endangered lists, in CITES Appendix I, or on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild.

Checked against the published text on August 5, 2026.

09-137 CMR ch. 7, §§ 7.01, 7.18(2)(F); 12 M.R.S. § 10001(71)

These rules shall apply to: 1.The possession, propagation, research, rehabilitation, or exhibition of any wildlife in captivity and to the importation of live wildlife from an area outside the state, including wildlife that has been hybridized, genetically altered, or reared in captivity, pursuant to 12 M.R.S. Part 13.

Maine reaches further toward the Savannah than toward the Bengal, but never names it. Chapter 7 applies to wildlife "that has been hybridized"; 12 M.R.S. § 10001(71) defines wildlife to include "any part, egg or offspring" of a species wild by nature; and § 7.18(2)(F) lists "All Species in Family Felidae (Cats)" as Category 1 restricted, which only exhibitors, rehabilitators, accredited research facilities and USDA-registered laboratories may hold. Follow that chain and an F1 Savannah, the offspring of a serval, is Category 1 wildlife with no pet route. Against it, a domestic cat is not wildlife, § 10001(69) draws wild animals "as distinguished from the common domestic animals", and chapter 7 writes a whole permit scheme for wolf hybrids and nothing for cat hybrids. No generation line exists either way. Ask Inland Fisheries and Wildlife before buying.

How this rule works: Maine is a closed-list state and § 7.06(4) is the sentence that makes it one: "A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized", and an uncategorized species "will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter". The four categories are the Unrestricted List, the Prohibited list at § 7.18(1), and Restricted Categories 1 and 2. Category 1 permits go only to exhibitors, rehabilitators, USDA-registered laboratories and accredited research facilities, so it is not a pet tier; Category 2 is open to "an individual with demonstrated experience". § 7.05 and § 7.06(5) are the route for getting an unlisted species classified.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.