Exotic pet laws in Maryland

Crim. Law § 10-621(b)(1)(i)

A person may not import into the State, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live: (i) fox, skunk, raccoon, or bear; (ii) caiman, alligator, or crocodile; (iii) member of the cat family other than the domestic cat; (iv) hybrid of a member of the cat family and a domestic cat if the hybrid weighs over 30 pounds; (v) member of the dog family other than the domestic dog; (vi) hybrid of a member of the dog family and a domestic dog; (vii) nonhuman primate ...; or (viii) poisonous snake in the family groups of Hydrophidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, or Crotolidae.

Caught by the bare word "fox", with no genus qualifier and no carve-out for the fennec, in a clause otherwise aimed at rabies vector species. Maryland also bars the whole dog family other than the domestic dog two clauses later, so the fennec fox would be reached twice over. There is no private permit route. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

Existing owners: Lawful possession on or before 31 May 2006 may continue, but only if the keeper gave written notification to the local animal control authority by 1 August 2006, with the number and type of animals and a photograph or a description of a tattoo or microchip. That window is long closed.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's dangerous animal list, on the General Assembly's own site. Eight clauses and nothing else: fox, skunk, raccoon or bear; caiman, alligator or crocodile; any cat other than the domestic cat; a cat hybrid over 30 pounds; any dog other than the domestic dog and any dog hybrid; non-human primates; and venomous snakes of four named families. A misdemeanour, and subsection (e) says in terms that counties and municipalities may go further. Note COMAR 15.11.16.01, titled List of Prohibited Animals, is an agriculture rule about feral swine and is not this provision.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Crim. Law § 10-621(b)(1)(iii)

A person may not import into the State, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live: (i) fox, skunk, raccoon, or bear; (ii) caiman, alligator, or crocodile; (iii) member of the cat family other than the domestic cat; (iv) hybrid of a member of the cat family and a domestic cat if the hybrid weighs over 30 pounds; (v) member of the dog family other than the domestic dog; (vi) hybrid of a member of the dog family and a domestic dog; (vii) nonhuman primate ...; or (viii) poisonous snake in the family groups of Hydrophidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, or Crotolidae.

Maryland writes its cat clause as the whole family with one species excepted, so the serval is caught by the same six words that catch a lion. There is no permit anywhere in this section: the exemptions run to zoos, sanctuaries, research and licensed exhibitors, and for private keepers there is only the closed 2006 notification window. Enforcement is unusually direct, with immediate seizure available on probable cause and the costs of care falling on the keeper unless a court finds the seizure unjustified. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

Existing owners: Lawful possession on or before 31 May 2006 may continue, but only if the keeper gave written notification to the local animal control authority by 1 August 2006, with the number and type of animals and a photograph or a description of a tattoo or microchip. That window is long closed.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's dangerous animal list, on the General Assembly's own site. Eight clauses and nothing else: fox, skunk, raccoon or bear; caiman, alligator or crocodile; any cat other than the domestic cat; a cat hybrid over 30 pounds; any dog other than the domestic dog and any dog hybrid; non-human primates; and venomous snakes of four named families. A misdemeanour, and subsection (e) says in terms that counties and municipalities may go further. Note COMAR 15.11.16.01, titled List of Prohibited Animals, is an agriculture rule about feral swine and is not this provision.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03C

Except under the authority of the permits described in Regulation .01A of this chapter, the following species or subspecies are considered native to Maryland and may not be possessed, bred, or commercially traded: (1) Salamanders: (a) Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) ...

Maryland puts the eastern tiger salamander on its third tier, which is a flat bar rather than a cap. The only permits that reach it are the scientific collection permit under Nat. Res. § 10-909 and the endangered species permit under § 10-2A-05, both institutional. The species is at the northern edge of its range in Maryland and is state endangered, which is the context. Note the chapter draws no captive-bred exception anywhere on this tier, and Regulation .03D makes the scientific name control, so Ambystoma tigrinum is caught however the animal was produced or wherever it came from. Oregon reaches the same result by naming every nonnative subspecies on its prohibited list; Maryland reaches it by naming its own. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Nat. Res. § 10-902(a); § 10-901

Any person desiring to possess, import, export, breed, raise, protect, rehabilitate, hunt, kill, trap, capture, purchase, or sell any wildlife native to Maryland, shall first obtain a permit or license from the Department.

The southern flying squirrel is native to Maryland, and that single fact is the whole answer: § 10-902(a) attaches a permit requirement to possessing any native wildlife, with no exception for captive-bred animals and no exception for animals lawfully bought out of state. Section 10-901 sets out why, in findings about competition with native wildlife, disease and enforcement. The Secretary may exempt species by regulation under § 10-902(b)(2), which is what COMAR 08.03.11 does for reptiles and amphibians, and no equivalent exemption or personal pet permit class for a native mammal was located in COMAR subtitle 08.03, whose wildlife possession chapter deals with importation for release, protected birds, falconry, cervids and mute swans. So the permit exists in statute and the class a pet keeper would apply under is not evident in the regulations. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: The captive wildlife permit requirement, and the reason a native Maryland mammal is not a free pet here: anyone wishing to possess any wildlife native to Maryland must first obtain a permit or licence from the Department. Subsection (b)(2) lets the Secretary exempt species by regulation, which is what COMAR 08.03.11 does for reptiles and amphibians. Section 10-903 gives a separate power to restrict NON-native wildlife by regulation, which Maryland has used for aquatic organisms and not for pet mammals, birds or reptiles. Section 10-101(dd) defines wildlife broadly enough to reach an invertebrate, but the permit only ever attaches to natives.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Crim. Law § 10-621(b)(1)(iv)

A person may not import into the State, offer for sale, trade, barter, possess, breed, or exchange a live: (i) fox, skunk, raccoon, or bear; (ii) caiman, alligator, or crocodile; (iii) member of the cat family other than the domestic cat; (iv) hybrid of a member of the cat family and a domestic cat if the hybrid weighs over 30 pounds; (v) member of the dog family other than the domestic dog; (vi) hybrid of a member of the dog family and a domestic dog; (vii) nonhuman primate ...; or (viii) poisonous snake in the family groups of Hydrophidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, or Crotolidae.

Maryland is the one state on this map that answers the hybrid cat question by weight. The prohibition reaches a cat hybrid only "if the hybrid weighs over 30 pounds", with no generation test, no registry requirement and no reference to filial number at all. Most Bengals are well under that, so most Bengals are lawful, and the same clause would catch a large Savannah. The line is drawn on the individual animal rather than on its ancestry, which means the answer can in principle change as a cat grows. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

Existing owners: Lawful possession on or before 31 May 2006 may continue, but only if the keeper gave written notification to the local animal control authority by 1 August 2006, with the number and type of animals and a photograph or a description of a tattoo or microchip. That window is long closed.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's dangerous animal list, on the General Assembly's own site. Eight clauses and nothing else: fox, skunk, raccoon or bear; caiman, alligator or crocodile; any cat other than the domestic cat; a cat hybrid over 30 pounds; any dog other than the domestic dog and any dog hybrid; non-human primates; and venomous snakes of four named families. A misdemeanour, and subsection (e) says in terms that counties and municipalities may go further. Note COMAR 15.11.16.01, titled List of Prohibited Animals, is an agriculture rule about feral swine and is not this provision.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03B, .04C

Notwithstanding Natural Resources Article, §4-902, Annotated Code of Maryland, a person without a reptile and amphibian permit may possess only one of each individual reptile or amphibian, live or dead, listed in Regulation .03B of this chapter. A person may not take wood turtles, spotted turtles, or diamond-backed terrapins, including their eggs, from the wild. ... All turtles shall have a carapace length of at least 4 inches.

The eastern box turtle is on Maryland's middle tier, so one animal per person with no permit and no more. Two further conditions ride on the same subsection: every turtle must have a carapace of at least four inches, which is the state writing the federal small-turtle rule into its own possession law, and Regulation .16 bars using any listed species in a competition, which is aimed at turtle races. The certificate of origin requirement in the same subsection applies to wood turtles, spotted turtles and terrapins rather than to the box turtle. Above one, or to breed or sell, a reptile and amphibian permit is needed. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03A, .04A

Except as provided in §§D—F of this regulation, a person without a reptile and amphibian permit may not possess more than four of each individual reptile or salamander, live or dead, listed in Regulation .03A of this chapter. The individual reptiles or salamanders may have been: (1) Obtained from the wild; (2) Captively produced; or (3) Legally obtained outside of Maryland.

The cornsnake, which Maryland lists as Elaphe guttata guttata is on Maryland's first tier of native species, which means no permit but a hard cap of four. Read the second sentence: the cap applies whether the animal came from the wild, from captive breeding, or lawfully from outside Maryland, so buying a captive-bred one out of state does not lift it. Above four, or to breed or sell at all, a reptile and amphibian permit is needed. Colour mutations bred in captivity are exempt from the cap under Regulation .04E, with the burden of proving the mutation on the owner, and Regulation .16 bars using any listed species in a competition. This entry previously read as unrestricted on the strength of the venomous snake clause in the criminal statute. That clause is accurate and is not the rule: the corn snake is a Maryland native and the possession chapter is where it is answered. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03A, .04A

Except as provided in §§D—F of this regulation, a person without a reptile and amphibian permit may not possess more than four of each individual reptile or salamander, live or dead, listed in Regulation .03A of this chapter. The individual reptiles or salamanders may have been: (1) Obtained from the wild; (2) Captively produced; or (3) Legally obtained outside of Maryland.

The eastern gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis is on Maryland's first tier of native species, which means no permit but a hard cap of four. Read the second sentence: the cap applies whether the animal came from the wild, from captive breeding, or lawfully from outside Maryland, so buying a captive-bred one out of state does not lift it. Above four, or to breed or sell at all, a reptile and amphibian permit is needed. Colour mutations bred in captivity are exempt from the cap under Regulation .04E, with the burden of proving the mutation on the owner, and Regulation .16 bars using any listed species in a competition. This entry previously read as requiring a permit outright. It does not: Regulation .04A allows four of a first-tier species with no permit at all, and the permit is what lifts the cap or allows breeding and sale. The common ribbonsnake, a close relative, sits one tier down at one per person. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03B, .04C

Notwithstanding Natural Resources Article, §4-902, Annotated Code of Maryland, a person without a reptile and amphibian permit may possess only one of each individual reptile or amphibian, live or dead, listed in Regulation .03B of this chapter. A person may not take wood turtles, spotted turtles, or diamond-backed terrapins, including their eggs, from the wild. ... All turtles shall have a carapace length of at least 4 inches.

Which hognose it is decides the answer, and Maryland makes the split a matter of degree rather than of kind. The eastern hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platirhinos, is a Maryland native on the middle tier, so one per person with no permit. The western hognose, H. nasicus, is the animal the pet trade sells, is not on any of the three native lists, and is therefore outside the chapter entirely and unrestricted. Illinois and Connecticut each list one hognose and leave the other alone too, and no two of the three states pick the same one. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.03.11.03A, .04A

Except as provided in §§D—F of this regulation, a person without a reptile and amphibian permit may not possess more than four of each individual reptile or salamander, live or dead, listed in Regulation .03A of this chapter. The individual reptiles or salamanders may have been: (1) Obtained from the wild; (2) Captively produced; or (3) Legally obtained outside of Maryland.

The eastern milksnake, and separately the coastal plain milksnake is on Maryland's first tier of native species, which means no permit but a hard cap of four. Read the second sentence: the cap applies whether the animal came from the wild, from captive breeding, or lawfully from outside Maryland, so buying a captive-bred one out of state does not lift it. Above four, or to breed or sell at all, a reptile and amphibian permit is needed. Colour mutations bred in captivity are exempt from the cap under Regulation .04E, with the burden of proving the mutation on the owner, and Regulation .16 bars using any listed species in a competition. Both Maryland forms are on the first tier, so the cap is the whole of the answer for a milksnake here. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland's native reptile and amphibian chapter, adopted 1993 and amended through 2016, renumbered from 08.03.09. It works off three lists in Regulation .03: .03A species may be kept four per species without a permit, .03B species one only, and .03C species not at all outside a scientific collection or endangered species permit. A species on none of the three lists is not native to Maryland and the chapter does not reach it. Regulation .03D provides that where both names are given, the scientific name controls.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

COMAR 08.02.06.01; COMAR 08.03.11.03

A person may not catch a snapping turtle from the waters of the State by the use of a hook and line, trot line, bow and arrow, spear, gig or gig iron, or any other device capable of piercing any part of a turtle.

The snapping turtle is a Maryland native and appears on none of the three native herptile lists, which looks like an omission until you notice which agency has it: Maryland treats the species as a fishery, under the Fisheries Service and Natural Resources Article §§ 4-218 and 4-738 rather than the wildlife article. This chapter governs taking one from the wild, with prohibited gear, a season, a prescribed way of measuring the carapace and a harvest permit card. What it does not do is set up a pet possession permit, so a captive animal is not reached by the herptile chapter and a wild-caught one runs through the fisheries rules instead. Subsection (e) of § 10-621 preserves stricter county and municipal rules, and Maryland counties use that power, so the local ordinance is worth checking before the state list.

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

How this rule works: Maryland handles the snapping turtle through the Fisheries Service rather than the wildlife rules, which is why it appears on none of the three native herptile lists in COMAR 08.03.11. This chapter governs taking one from the wild: prohibited gear, a season, a measuring method and a harvest permit card.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.