Exotic pet laws in Michigan

Fisheries Order 224.21

Blanding's, spotted, wood, and eastern box turtles; black rat snake, Butler's garter snake, eastern fox snake, copper-bellied water snake, Kirtland's snake, queen snake, smooth green snake, and eastern massasauga rattlesnake; boreal chorus frog, Blanchard's cricket frog, pickerel frog, and Fowler's toad; mudpuppy; small-mouthed salamander, marbled salamander, six-lined racerunner, western lesser siren, northern two-lined salamander, northern dusky salamander, and mink frog; all reptile eggs

The eastern box turtle is on Michigan's protected list, which means it may not be taken or possessed at all except as the DNR Director authorizes, and the Director's authorizations run to scientific and zoological purposes rather than pet keeping. The sale prohibition closes the other route, since reptiles and amphibians may not be bought or sold here. A Terrapene that is not a Michigan native, such as the ornate box turtle, is outside the order because it reaches only a state reptile from the wild.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

NREPA Part 427, MCL 324.42701 et seq.

badger, bobcat, red and gray fox, raccoon, coyote, beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, squirrels, striped skunk, woodchuck, opossum, ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, Hungarian partridge, ducks, geese and wild turkeys

Squirrels are on the closed list of species that may be held under a permit to hold game in captivity, so Michigan's native flying squirrel needs one. Two limits matter. The permit authorizes captive-bred game, so an animal taken from the wild cannot be brought under it, and the permit is issued for the species rather than as a general exotic pet licence. This is the opposite of the answer for the non-native rodents on this map, which need no permit at all.

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

How this rule works: Michigan's route for keeping a native mammal or game bird, and it is a closed list of species rather than a general exotic pet permit. It authorizes captive-bred animals only, so a wild-caught animal cannot be brought under it. Non-native species are outside it entirely, which is why a native red fox needs this permit and a fennec fox does not.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Keeping one is unrestricted, but breeding needs a permit, with an exemption for hobby breeders holding up to four ferrets aged six months or more, or a litter under five months kept temporarily for recreational purposes.

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

How this rule works: Michigan splits this across three bodies of law: the Large Carnivore Act, the Wolf-dog Cross Act, and Part 413 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Penalties run to misdemeanour charges, fines up to $2,000 per animal and forfeiture.

Checked against the published text on 4 August 2026.

Fisheries Order 224.21

Reptiles and amphibians may not be bought, sold or offered for sale.

The common garter snake is Michigan native and is not on the protected list, so it may be taken, but only on conditions. A fishing license is required, the limit is three a day and six in total across snakes, lizards and turtles combined, and the quoted sale ban means you cannot lawfully buy one in Michigan or sell the one you have. Personal collection is the only lawful route. Note that Butler's garter snake, a separate Michigan species, is on the protected list and may not be taken or possessed at all, so the answer turns on which garter snake you have.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Fisheries Order 224.21

Reptiles and amphibians may not be bought, sold or offered for sale.

The eastern hog-nosed snake is Michigan native and is not on the protected list, so it may be taken, but only on conditions. A fishing license is required, the limit is three a day and six in total across snakes, lizards and turtles combined, and the quoted sale ban means you cannot lawfully buy one in Michigan or sell the one you have. Personal collection is the only lawful route. The western hognose that dominates the pet trade is not a Michigan species at all, so it sits outside this order and is simply legal, which makes the answer depend entirely on which hognose is in the tank.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Fisheries Order 224.21

Reptiles and amphibians may not be bought, sold or offered for sale.

The eastern milk snake is Michigan native and is not on the protected list, so it may be taken, but only on conditions. A fishing license is required, the limit is three a day and six in total across snakes, lizards and turtles combined, and the quoted sale ban means you cannot lawfully buy one in Michigan or sell the one you have. Personal collection is the only lawful route. Michigan protects the black rat snake and the eastern fox snake but not the milk snake, so this one stays on the takeable side of the line.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Fisheries Order 224.21

A fishing license is required to take amphibians and reptiles for personal use.

Not protected, and the only turtle here with an open season. The conditions are specific: the season runs July 15 to September 15, the limit is two a day and four in total, and a fishing license is required to take one. Buying one is not an option, because reptiles and amphibians may not be bought, sold or offered for sale in Michigan, so a snapping turtle has to come from your own lawful take.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

Fisheries Order 224.21

Reptiles and amphibians may not be bought, sold or offered for sale.

The eastern tiger salamander is Michigan native and, unlike the small-mouthed and marbled salamanders, is not on the protected list. So it may be taken with a fishing license, up to ten amphibians in total, but it may not be bought or sold, which rules out a shop or a breeder. Check what you are buying, because the barred tiger salamander, Ambystoma mavortium, is a western species outside this order entirely and is the one usually sold in the trade.

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

How this rule works: The order that actually governs herps in Michigan, and the one most summaries miss because it sits in the fishing rules rather than the wildlife rules. Its reach is the phrase "any state reptile or amphibian from the wild", so it binds native species taken here and leaves captive-bred non-native pets alone. Michigan.gov blocks automated access, so this was read from the official guide as published by the state's regulations publisher.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.