Exotic pet laws in Minnesota

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(2), subd. 2

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association; (2) bears; and (3) all nonhuman primates

Bears are regulated animals, and no one may take possession of one after January 1, 2005. The black bear is also big game, and § 97A.105 offers game farm licenses for bear propagation as a business, which does not lift the regulated animal ban for a pet.

Existing owners: Possessed on January 1, 2005, and brought into Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days. Breeding after that date is barred, and a non-USDA-licensed keeper may replace the animal only once.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1), subd. 2

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association; (2) bears; and (3) all nonhuman primates

Every felid other than domestic cats is a regulated animal, and since January 1, 2005, no one may take possession of one, a bar the serval cell records the same way. The bobcat is also small game, a protected wild animal, but the special permit route in § 97A.401 cannot override the regulated animal ban.

Existing owners: Possessed on January 1, 2005, and brought into Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days. Breeding after that date is barred, and a non-USDA-licensed keeper may replace the animal only once.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1), subd. 2

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association; (2) bears; and (3) all nonhuman primates

A felid, so a regulated animal that no one may take possession of after January 1, 2005. It is also small game and federally threatened.

Existing owners: Possessed on January 1, 2005, and brought into Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days. Breeding after that date is barred, and a non-USDA-licensed keeper may replace the animal only once.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(3); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every nonhuman primate is a regulated animal, monkeys named. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(3); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every nonhuman primate is a regulated animal, and the statute names marmosets. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every felid but domestic cats and registered domestic breeds is a regulated animal, and cougars are named. The cougar is also small game under § 97A.015 subd. 45. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a cougar unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says. The Florida panther subspecies is also endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every felid but domestic cats and registered domestic breeds is a regulated animal, and lions are named first. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a lion unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(3); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every nonhuman primate is a regulated animal, and lemurs are the first example the statute gives. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others. 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).

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1) and subd. 2

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association; (2) bears; and (3) all nonhuman primates

Minnesota names the serval in the statute, in the short list of examples inside the Felidae clause, so there is nothing to construe. Subd. 2 makes possession unlawful and bars taking possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005, at all. The route that remains is historical: an animal already held on January 1, 2005, and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days, with a single replacement allowed for an unlicensed keeper who registered the animal.

Existing owners: Possessed on January 1, 2005, and brought into Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days. Breeding after that date is barred, and a non-USDA-licensed keeper may replace the animal only once.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(3); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every nonhuman primate is a regulated animal, monkeys named. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)(1); subd. 2(a), (c)

(a) Except as provided in this section, it is unlawful for a person to possess a regulated animal. ... (c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), a person must not take possession of a regulated animal after January 1, 2005.

Every felid but domestic cats and registered domestic breeds is a regulated animal, and tigers are named. Paragraph (e) lets only a USDA licensee in compliance on January 1, 2005, acquire new animals, to keep up its operating inventory, and subdivision 7 exempts institutions accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, among others. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a tiger unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A person who possessed the animal on January 1, 2005, and registered it with the local animal control authority within 60 days may keep it under the subdivision 4 requirements, and a registrant without a USDA license may replace it once if it dies.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 3(b); § 97A.015, subd. 39

(b) A special permit may not be issued to take or possess wild or native deer for exhibition, propagation, or as pets.

Deer are big game and so protected wild animals, and the special permit that lets the DNR allow other protected animals as pets is closed to deer by name. Farmed cervids are a separate scheme under the Board of Animal Health and the chronic wasting disease laws, which were not read here; that is a farm registration, not a pet route.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.015, subds. 39, 45; § 97A.501, subd. 1; § 97A.401, subd. 3(a)

Except as provided in paragraph (b), special permits may be issued without a fee to take, possess, and transport wild animals as pets and for scientific, educational, rehabilitative, wildlife disease prevention and control, and exhibition purposes. The commissioner shall prescribe the conditions for taking, possessing, transporting, and disposing of the wild animals.

The gray squirrel is small game under subd. 45 and so a protected wild animal, which § 97A.501 bars possessing unless the game and fish laws allow it. The allowance is the special permit in § 97A.401 subd. 3, issued free "as pets" on the commissioner's conditions, the same route the raccoon takes. It is discretionary.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.015, subds. 39, 45; § 97A.501, subd. 1; § 97A.401, subd. 3(a)

Except as provided in paragraph (b), special permits may be issued without a fee to take, possess, and transport wild animals as pets and for scientific, educational, rehabilitative, wildlife disease prevention and control, and exhibition purposes. The commissioner shall prescribe the conditions for taking, possessing, transporting, and disposing of the wild animals.

The raccoon is small game under subd. 45, so it is a protected wild animal, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one "unless allowed by the game and fish laws". The game and fish laws allow it through the special permit in § 97A.401 subd. 3, which may be issued free "as pets", on conditions the commissioner sets; the only animal that subdivision rules out is deer. It is a discretionary permit, and the DNR decides whether to issue one. The raccoon is not a regulated animal under § 346.155 and is not on the § 17.351 fur farm list.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.015, subds. 39, 45; § 97A.501, subd. 1; § 97A.401, subd. 3(a)

Except as provided in paragraph (b), special permits may be issued without a fee to take, possess, and transport wild animals as pets and for scientific, educational, rehabilitative, wildlife disease prevention and control, and exhibition purposes. The commissioner shall prescribe the conditions for taking, possessing, transporting, and disposing of the wild animals.

The opossum is small game under subd. 45 and so a protected wild animal. The special permit in § 97A.401 subd. 3 may be issued free "as pets" on the commissioner's conditions. It is discretionary.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A ackie monitor is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A tegu is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. The axolotl is a salamander, so the same condition applies. Nothing else in Minnesota reaches it: it is not on either invasive species list, and the DNR's frog importation permit list at Minn. R. 6256.0300 is frogs and toads only. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A ball python is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A bearded dragon is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A blue-tongue skink is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A boa constrictor is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. Neither box turtle is on the DNR's list of native Minnesota turtles, so the ban on selling native turtles as pets, which spares only the snapping turtle and the painted turtle, does not reach one. A box turtle bought at a retail outlet is exempt from the license requirement; there is no lawful wild-take route, since a recreational turtle license authorizes only painted and snapping turtles.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A Burmese python is a snake and takes the same breeder-source condition. Federally, the Burmese python has been injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 2012 (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. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A California kingsnake is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8; § 97A.015, subd. 39; § 97A.501, subd. 1

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota makes every snake a protected wild animal, whatever its origin, under § 97A.015 subd. 39, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one unless the game and fish laws allow it. Subdivision 8 is the allowance: a snake from a permitted breeder, or one held before August 1, 2021, may be kept as a pet. No Minnesota statute read here treats a venomous or giant snake differently. The breeder permit the condition depends on is not on the DNR's permits page and no rule implements it, so the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place, the same gap the Burmese python carries. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A corn snake is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A crested gecko is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. The garter snake is also a Minnesota native, and the DNR's narrower reading of the rule, that it bars collecting and selling wild-collected Minnesota snakes, bites hardest here: on either reading of the statute, a garter snake taken from the wild in Minnesota is not lawfully possessed. This entry previously read as unrestricted on the strength of the regulated animal statute, which reaches only cats, bears and primates and was never the law that answers a reptile question here. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8; § 97A.015, subd. 39; § 97A.501, subd. 1

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota makes every snake a protected wild animal, whatever its origin, under § 97A.015 subd. 39, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one unless the game and fish laws allow it. Subdivision 8 is the allowance: a snake from a permitted breeder, or one held before August 1, 2021, may be kept as a pet. No Minnesota statute read here treats a venomous or giant snake differently. The breeder permit the condition depends on is not on the DNR's permits page and no rule implements it, so the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place, the same gap the Burmese python carries. 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: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A green anole is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A green iguana is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. Both hognose species are Minnesota natives, so the wild-collection reading and the breeder-source reading point the same way. Neither is listed as endangered or threatened in Minnesota; the DNR's listed snakes are the eastern massasauga, the timber rattlesnake and the western ratsnake. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A Jackson's chameleon is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A leopard gecko is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A milk snake is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A Nile monitor is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8; § 97A.015, subd. 39; § 97A.501, subd. 1

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota makes every snake a protected wild animal, whatever its origin, under § 97A.015 subd. 39, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one unless the game and fish laws allow it. Subdivision 8 is the allowance: a snake from a permitted breeder, or one held before August 1, 2021, may be kept as a pet. Subd. 39 also folds in any species on Minnesota's chapter 6134 endangered, threatened and special concern lists, which were not read for the state's own rattlesnakes. No Minnesota statute read here treats a venomous or giant snake differently. The breeder permit the condition depends on is not on the DNR's permits page and no rule implements it, so the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place, the same gap the Burmese python carries.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Minn. Stat. §§ 17.351, subd. 3, 17.352; § 97A.015, subd. 45; § 97A.401, subd. 3

"Fur-bearing animal" means a fox, mink, fitch, chinchilla, karakul, marten, nutria, or fisher that is the second or later generation raised in captivity. ... Fur-bearing animals are domestic animals and products of fur-bearing animals are agricultural products.

Minnesota splits the red fox by pedigree. A fox at least two generations removed from the wild is a fur-bearing animal under the fur farming statute, and § 17.352 makes it a domestic animal, outside the game laws. A wild-caught or first-generation fox is still small game and a protected wild animal, which needs the § 97A.401 subd. 3 special permit the commissioner may issue for pets. Canids are not regulated animals under § 346.155.

How this rule works: Minnesota's fur farming statute does something the game laws do not: § 17.351 subd. 3 defines a fur-bearing animal as "a fox, mink, fitch, chinchilla, karakul, marten, nutria, or fisher that is the second or later generation raised in captivity", and § 17.352 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/17.352) declares such animals domestic animals. So a fox two or more generations from the wild is out of the game laws entirely, while a wild or first-generation red fox stays small game. The raccoon, skunk and bobcat are not on the list.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. The retail exemption is what makes a pet slider straightforward: buying one at a retail outlet needs no license. Taking one from the wild is a different matter and not available, because the only turtles a recreational turtle license authorizes taking are the western painted turtle and the snapping turtle. Minnesota also designates the red-eared slider a regulated invasive species, which the DNR describes as legal to possess, sell, buy and transport but never to release into a free-living state. It is not on the DNR's list of native Minnesota turtles.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. Whether a red-footed tortoise is a "turtle" for this section is not spelled out, since Minnesota never defines the word and its turtle rules are plainly written around aquatic natives. It does not matter much in practice: read broadly, the retail outlet exemption in subd. 2c covers a pet-shop animal anyway, and read narrowly the section does not reach it at all. Either way no license is needed for one bought at retail, and the species is on neither invasive species list.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8; § 97A.015, subd. 39; § 97A.501, subd. 1

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota makes every snake a protected wild animal, whatever its origin, under § 97A.015 subd. 39, and § 97A.501 bars possessing one unless the game and fish laws allow it. Subdivision 8 is the allowance: a snake from a permitted breeder, or one held before August 1, 2021, may be kept as a pet. No Minnesota statute read here treats a venomous or giant snake differently. The breeder permit the condition depends on is not on the DNR's permits page and no rule implements it, so the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place, the same gap the Burmese python carries. 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: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A rosy boa is a snake, so it needs to have come from a permitted breeder or to have been held before August 1, 2021. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. Whether a Russian tortoise is a "turtle" for this section is not spelled out, since Minnesota never defines the word and its turtle rules are plainly written around aquatic natives. It does not matter much in practice: read broadly, the retail outlet exemption in subd. 2c covers a pet-shop animal anyway, and read narrowly the section does not reach it at all. Either way no license is needed for one bought at retail, and the species is on neither invasive species list.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A savannah monitor is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. The snapping turtle is the one animal on this map that Minnesota treats as its own harvestable native turtle. It and the western painted turtle are the only two a recreational turtle license covers, and the only two native turtles that may be sold as pets, under a turtle seller's license. Minn. R. 6256.0500 sets the size floor at a shell length greater than 12 inches. A retail purchase is exempt from the license requirement, and taking one from the wild needs both an angling license and a recreational turtle license, for personal use only.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97C.605, subds. 1 and 2c

A person may not take, possess, or transport turtles without a resident angling license and a recreational turtle license. ... A person does not need the licenses specified under subdivision 1: ... (2) when buying a turtle at a retail outlet

Turtles are the gap in the 2021 pet reptile rule. Section 97A.401, subd. 8 covers snakes, lizards and salamanders and stops there, so turtles stay under their own older regime, which is a license requirement with a short list of exemptions rather than a source condition. Whether a sulcata is a "turtle" for this section is not spelled out, since Minnesota never defines the word and its turtle rules are plainly written around aquatic natives. It does not matter much in practice: read broadly, the retail outlet exemption in subd. 2c covers a pet-shop animal anyway, and read narrowly the section does not reach it at all. Either way no license is needed for one bought at retail, and the species is on neither invasive species list.

How this rule works: Turtles are handled apart from the 2021 snake, lizard and salamander rule and were not included in it. Subd. 1 requires an angling license plus a recreational turtle license to take, possess or transport turtles; subd. 2c exempts, among others, buying a turtle at a retail outlet, which is what leaves a pet-shop turtle or tortoise unlicensed.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. The eastern tiger salamander is a Minnesota native, and it is the animal the DNR's own summary of the rule is aimed at, since the department describes the restriction as reaching wild collected Minnesota salamanders. It is not on the state endangered or threatened list; the listed amphibian is Blanchard's cricket frog. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A tokay gecko is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.401, subd. 8

The commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue permits to breed, propagate, and sell snakes, lizards, and salamanders. A snake, lizard, or salamander that is obtained from a permitted breeder or that was possessed before August 1, 2021, may be possessed as a pet.

Minnesota gets here in three steps, and the surprise is that none of them turns on the species being native. Section 97A.015, subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures wild by nature and includes reptiles, with no geographic limit. Subd. 39 makes snakes, lizards and salamanders protected wild animals as whole categories. Section 97A.501, subd. 1 then bars possessing a protected wild animal unless the game and fish laws allow it, and this subdivision is the allowance. A veiled chameleon is a lizard, so the breeder-source condition applies to it as much as to a Minnesota native. Two things to know about how firm this is. The statute says the commissioner "must" prescribe conditions, but there is no snake, lizard or salamander breeder permit on the DNR's permits page, Minnesota Rules chapter 6256 covers only frogs and turtles, and no rule chapter implements the subdivision. And the DNR's own pet-trade page describes the change as reaching "wild collected Minnesota snakes, lizards, and/or salamanders", which is narrower than the statute's words and does not mention the breeder permit at all. So the condition is real on paper and its machinery is not visibly in place.

How this rule works: Subd. 8, added in 2021, is the pet reptile rule: the commissioner must prescribe conditions and may issue breeder permits, and a snake, lizard or salamander is possessable as a pet if it came from a permitted breeder or was held before August 1, 2021. Subd. 3 is the older, broader route, allowing special permits without a fee to possess wild animals as pets.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.015, subds. 39, 45, 55; § 97A.501

"Small game" means game birds, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, jack rabbit, raccoon, lynx, bobcat, short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, wolf, red fox and gray fox, fisher, pine marten, opossum, badger, cougar, wolverine, muskrat, mink, otter, and beaver.

Not a regulated animal. The small game definition names "otter" with no species, and small game is a protected wild animal that § 97A.501 bars possessing without a special permit. Read as Minnesota's river otter, an Asian otter is untouched; read literally, it needs the § 97A.401 permit. A wild animal is one "wild by nature", which a captive-bred otter still is. CITES Appendix I since 2019 governs international trade separately.

How this rule works: Two subdivisions decide most Minnesota questions. Subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures 'wild by nature' and includes reptiles and amphibians, with no geographic limit, so a ball python is a wild animal here. Subd. 39 makes snakes, salamanders, lizards, turtles and frogs protected wild animals as categories rather than as native species lists. Invertebrates other than crustaceans and mollusks are outside the definition entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association; (2) bears; and (3) all nonhuman primates

Two sentences of the same definition point opposite ways for this animal, and Minnesota has never said which wins. The Felidae clause excludes "domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association", and the Bengal is registered and shown as a domestic breed by TICA. But the definition closes with a sentence providing that a regulated animal "includes any hybrid or cross between an animal listed in clause (1), (2), or (3) and a domestic animal and offspring from all subsequent generations of those crosses or hybrids", and the Asian leopard cat behind the Bengal is a clause (1) animal. Read the hybrid sentence alone and every Bengal is banned at every generation. Read the carve-out as doing real work and the Bengal is exempt, since the registered domestic breeds it could describe are almost all wild hybrids and the carve-out would otherwise add nothing to "domestic cats". This entry previously read as banned on the hybrid sentence alone, without the carve-out. Recorded unclear rather than either, because the conflict is on the face of the statute and enforcement sits with local animal control rather than one agency that could settle it.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Minn. R. 6216.0250, subp. 5(C); Minn. Stat. § 84D.05, subd. 1

A person may not possess, import, purchase, sell, propagate, transport, or introduce a prohibited invasive species, except: (1) under a permit issued by the commissioner under section 84D.11

Minnesota designates the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, a prohibited invasive species by rule, with no strain or domestication qualifier, and § 84D.05 then bars possessing one outright. The DNR restates that on its own invasive species page, listing the European rabbit among the prohibited mammals and saying it is a misdemeanor to possess, import, purchase, transport or introduce them except under a permit for disposal, control, research or education. None of those permit categories is pet-keeping, no carve-out for domesticated stock appears in the rule, the statute or the agency page, and the DNR has published no species profile or guidance for it at all. Against that sits the obvious: Minnesota licenses pet shops and runs county-fair rabbit shows, and the listing descends from the federal injurious wildlife entry aimed at wild-type animals. Recorded unclear because the text says one thing plainly and practice says another, and nothing published resolves it. Illinois names the same animal and lands differently, because there the possession bar is written for the San Juan strain and the injurious list is headed "Wild Mammals".

How this rule works: Section 84D.05 bars possessing, importing, purchasing, selling, propagating or transporting a prohibited invasive species except under a permit, and Minn. R. 6216.0250 subp. 5 is the mammal list: Asian raccoon dog, Eurasian swine, European rabbit and nutria. No reptile or amphibian is on the prohibited list, and no bird at all.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 346.155, subd. 1(e)

all members of the Felidae family including, but not limited to, lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, ocelots, and servals, but not including domestic cats or cats recognized as a domestic breed, registered as a domestic breed, and shown as a domestic breed by a national or international multibreed cat registry association

The Bengal's internal conflict, with the hybrid sentence pointing harder at this cat. The serval is named in clause (1) itself, and the definition closes by saying a regulated animal "includes any hybrid or cross between an animal listed in clause (1), (2), or (3) and a domestic animal and offspring from all subsequent generations of those crosses or hybrids". Read alone, that reaches every Savannah ever bred. Against it, the same clause excludes cats recognized, registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry, all three, and if a Savannah meets that description the carve-out reads it out; the statute never ties those three words to a filial generation. Recorded unclear because the conflict is on the face of the statute and enforcement sits with local animal control. If the hybrid sentence wins, the answer is a ban, since possession has been closed to new animals since January 1, 2005.

Existing owners: Only if the cat is a regulated animal: possessed on January 1, 2005, and brought into Animal Welfare Act compliance within 90 days. Breeding after that date is barred, and a non-USDA-licensed keeper may replace the animal only once.

How this rule works: Revisor of Statutes text. 'Regulated animal' is the whole family Felidae, bears, and all non-human primates, plus any hybrid with a domestic animal and all subsequent generations. Possession has been unlawful since January 1, 2005, except for animals already held then and brought into federal Animal Welfare Act compliance. Note the carve-out inside the Felidae clause, which excludes not only domestic cats but cats registered and shown as a domestic breed by a multibreed registry; it and the hybrid sentence pull in opposite directions.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 97A.015, subds. 39, 45, 55; § 346.155, subd. 1(e)

"Small game" means game birds, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, jack rabbit, raccoon, lynx, bobcat, short-tailed weasel, long-tailed weasel, wolf, red fox and gray fox, fisher, pine marten, opossum, badger, cougar, wolverine, muskrat, mink, otter, and beaver.

The regulated animal statute reaches hybrids only of cats, bears and primates, so a wolfdog is not a regulated animal. What arguably reaches it is the game law: "wolf" is small game and a protected wild animal, and a wild animal is one "wild by nature". Minnesota has no canid hybrid provision saying whether a wolfdog is a wolf, a dog, or neither, so the answer turns on that unwritten line. Local ordinances commonly regulate wolf hybrids.

How this rule works: Two subdivisions decide most Minnesota questions. Subd. 55 defines wild animals as creatures 'wild by nature' and includes reptiles and amphibians, with no geographic limit, so a ball python is a wild animal here. Subd. 39 makes snakes, salamanders, lizards, turtles and frogs protected wild animals as categories rather than as native species lists. Invertebrates other than crustaceans and mollusks are outside the definition entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.