Exotic pet laws in Mississippi

Rule 8.4(A), (B); Rule 8.3(A)(5)(b)(ii)

Game and furbearing animals are defined as the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, and weasel. B. Possession of live game and furbearing animals is prohibited with the following exceptions

Rule 8.3 lists every bear and offers a personal possession permit at $200, but Rule 8.4 separately names the black bear as a game animal and prohibits possessing one alive, and its exceptions do not include a Rule 8.3 permit. So the 8.3 permit is a route for exotic bears, not for Mississippi's own.

How this rule works: Defines game and furbearing animals as a closed list (white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrels, two rabbits, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, weasel) and prohibits possessing any of them alive, except public zoos, veterinarians, transport to care and permitted enclosures. Amended 10/22/2017. Not on mdwfp.com's rules record page, so read from Cornell LII. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 8.4(A), (B)

Game and furbearing animals are defined as the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, and weasel. B. Possession of live game and furbearing animals is prohibited with the following exceptions

Named in Rule 8.4's game and furbearing list, so possessing one alive is prohibited outside a zoo or a veterinarian's temporary care. Rule 8.3's cat entry stops at the big cats, so it offers no permit for a bobcat either.

How this rule works: Defines game and furbearing animals as a closed list (white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrels, two rabbits, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, weasel) and prohibits possessing any of them alive, except public zoos, veterinarians, transport to care and permitted enclosures. Amended 10/22/2017. Not on mdwfp.com's rules record page, so read from Cornell LII. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 8.3(A)(1)(b), (c), (A)(5)(b)(v)

1. b. Effective December 20, 2022, with the enacting of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, 16 U.S.C. §3370 et. seq., by the United States Congress, no new permits for the transfer or possession of members of the order Carnivora, family Felidae, or "big cats," will be issued.

The inherently dangerous felid entry names Felis concolor (cougar), all subspecies, and the rule used to offer a personal possession permit for felids at $300 an animal. Since December 20, 2022, Mississippi issues no new permit for the transfer or possession of a felid, and the rest of the rule stays in force only for current big cat permittees. 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: Current big cat permittees keep their permits under the rest of Rule 8.3, and had to register the animals with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023.

How this rule works: A short list drawn by genus and family, covering apes and some monkeys, wolves and three wild dogs, bears, the wolverine, hyenas, the big cats, elephants, rhinos, hippos and African buffalo. Nothing smaller appears. The rule also notes that since the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act took effect in December 2022 no new big cat permits are issued at all.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.4(A), (B)

A. Game and furbearing animals are defined as the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, and weasel. B. Possession of live game and furbearing animals is prohibited with the following exceptions:

The gray squirrel is on Mississippi's closed list of game and furbearing animals, and possessing one alive is prohibited except by public zoos and educational institutions, veterinarians treating it, someone taking a sick animal for care, and permitted deer and fox, coyote and rabbit enclosures, the raccoon's position.

How this rule works: Defines game and furbearing animals as a closed list (white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrels, two rabbits, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, weasel) and prohibits possessing any of them alive, except public zoos, veterinarians, transport to care and permitted enclosures. Amended 10/22/2017. Not on mdwfp.com's rules record page, so read from Cornell LII. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.3(A)(1)(b), (c), (A)(5)(b)(v)

1. b. Effective December 20, 2022, with the enacting of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, 16 U.S.C. §3370 et. seq., by the United States Congress, no new permits for the transfer or possession of members of the order Carnivora, family Felidae, or "big cats," will be issued.

The inherently dangerous felid entry names lions, and the rule used to offer a personal possession permit for felids at $300 an animal. Since December 20, 2022, Mississippi issues no new permit for the transfer or possession of a felid, and the rest of the rule stays in force only for current big cat permittees. 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: Current big cat permittees keep their permits under the rest of Rule 8.3, and had to register the animals with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023.

How this rule works: A short list drawn by genus and family, covering apes and some monkeys, wolves and three wild dogs, bears, the wolverine, hyenas, the big cats, elephants, rhinos, hippos and African buffalo. Nothing smaller appears. The rule also notes that since the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act took effect in December 2022 no new big cat permits are issued at all.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.4(A), (B)

Game and furbearing animals are defined as the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, and weasel. B. Possession of live game and furbearing animals is prohibited with the following exceptions

The raccoon is named in Rule 8.4's closed list of game and furbearing animals, and possessing one alive is prohibited. The exceptions are public zoos, veterinarians treating a sick animal, someone taking an injured animal to care, and permitted deer enclosures and fox, coyote and rabbit pens; none is a pet. Rule 8.4(C) has animals found in violation confiscated.

How this rule works: Defines game and furbearing animals as a closed list (white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrels, two rabbits, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, weasel) and prohibits possessing any of them alive, except public zoos, veterinarians, transport to care and permitted enclosures. Amended 10/22/2017. Not on mdwfp.com's rules record page, so read from Cornell LII. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 7.1(A), (F); Miss. Code § 49-7-1

F. Live nuisance animals may not be possessed except: 1. Coyotes in permitted coyote enclosures; 2. Fox in permitted fox enclosures

Mississippi law classes "fox" as a nuisance animal, and Rule 7.1(F) bars possessing a live one except in a permitted fox enclosure, which under Rule 8.1 is a fenced pen for running hounds, or briefly by a trapper delivering it to one. That is not a pet route.

How this rule works: Recites that Miss. Code § 49-7-1 classes nutria, beaver, fox, skunks, coyotes and wild hogs as nuisance animals, and at (F) bars possessing a live one except coyotes and foxes in permitted hunting enclosures, short-term trapper transport to them, and hogs for slaughter. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 7.1(A), (F); Miss. Code § 49-7-1

F. Live nuisance animals may not be possessed except: 1. Coyotes in permitted coyote enclosures; 2. Fox in permitted fox enclosures

"Skunks" are nuisance animals by statute, and the exceptions in Rule 7.1(F) cover only coyotes, foxes and hogs. So no live skunk may be possessed at all, descented or not.

How this rule works: Recites that Miss. Code § 49-7-1 classes nutria, beaver, fox, skunks, coyotes and wild hogs as nuisance animals, and at (F) bars possessing a live one except coyotes and foxes in permitted hunting enclosures, short-term trapper transport to them, and hogs for slaughter. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 8.3(A)(1)(b), (c), (A)(5)(b)(v)

1. b. Effective December 20, 2022, with the enacting of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, 16 U.S.C. §3370 et. seq., by the United States Congress, no new permits for the transfer or possession of members of the order Carnivora, family Felidae, or "big cats," will be issued.

The inherently dangerous felid entry names tigers, and the rule used to offer a personal possession permit for felids at $300 an animal. Since December 20, 2022, Mississippi issues no new permit for the transfer or possession of a felid, and the rest of the rule stays in force only for current big cat permittees. 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: Current big cat permittees keep their permits under the rest of Rule 8.3, and had to register the animals with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023.

How this rule works: A short list drawn by genus and family, covering apes and some monkeys, wolves and three wild dogs, bears, the wolverine, hyenas, the big cats, elephants, rhinos, hippos and African buffalo. Nothing smaller appears. The rule also notes that since the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act took effect in December 2022 no new big cat permits are issued at all.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.4(A), (B)

A. Game and furbearing animals are defined as the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, swamp rabbit, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, and weasel. B. Possession of live game and furbearing animals is prohibited with the following exceptions:

The opossum is on Mississippi's closed list of game and furbearing animals, and possessing one alive is prohibited except by public zoos and educational institutions, veterinarians treating it, someone taking a sick animal for care, and permitted deer and fox, coyote and rabbit enclosures, the raccoon's position.

How this rule works: Defines game and furbearing animals as a closed list (white-tailed deer, black bear, gray and fox squirrels, two rabbits, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, river otter, muskrat, mink, weasel) and prohibits possessing any of them alive, except public zoos, veterinarians, transport to care and permitted enclosures. Amended 10/22/2017. Not on mdwfp.com's rules record page, so read from Cornell LII. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.2(A)(1), (2), (C)(3), (D)(1), (3); Rule 8.4(B)(4)

1. No person may possess a live white-tailed deer in Mississippi unless that person possesses a valid permit issued by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP).

The permit Rule 8.2 means is for a registered high-fenced enclosure, and captive breeding is allowed only in pens of up to five acres inside an enclosure of at least 300 contiguous acres. No live white-tailed deer may be sold, none may be imported, and none may be moved from the wild into an enclosure, and Rule 8.4 bars possessing a live deer outside a permitted enclosure. So there is no route to a pet deer.

How this rule works: No person may possess a live white-tailed deer without an MDWFP permit, sell one, or import one. Captive breeding is permitted only in breeding pens of up to five acres inside a registered high-fenced enclosure of at least 300 contiguous acres, and deer may not be moved from the wild into an enclosure.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, R. 2.3(B), (C)(2), (F)

NONGAME MAMMALS ... SQUIRRELS Tamias striatus EASTERN CHIPMUNK Marmota monax WOODCHUCK Glaucomys volans SOUTHERN FLYING

Named by binomial on the nongame mammal list, which settles both nativity and treatment. The same license requirement in 2.3(C)(2) that covers the anole covers this animal, and 2.3(F) caps nongame mammals at ten in possession with no more than two of the same species. Selling one taken from the wild is barred by 2.3(C)(1), and captive propagation for commercial purposes needs a separate permit under 2.3(I).

How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting license to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, R. 2.3(B), (C)(2), (D)(2)

NONGAME REPTILES ... LIZARDS Anolis carolinensis GREEN ANOLE

This is the state the anole is actually from, and it is the state where keeping one costs a license. Rule 2.3 lists Anolis carolinensis by binomial as a nongame lizard in need of management, and 2.3(C)(2) sets the license for possessing a nongame species for personal use: a resident needs a Sportsman, All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing, or Small Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing license, a nonresident an All Game Hunting license. 2.3(D)(2) caps possession at twenty nongame snakes and lizards together and no more than four of any one species. The rule excludes commercially recognized color mutants at 2.3(A)(1)(b)(iv), which is a strong sign that ordinary captive-bred animals are meant to be inside it.

How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting license to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 2.3(A)(1)(a), (C)(2), (D)(2)

2. License requirements for possession of nongame species for personal use. a. Mississippi Resident - Valid Resident Sportsman's License, All Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing License, or Small Game Hunting/Freshwater Fishing License. b. Nonresident - Valid Nonresident All Game Hunting License.

Every native Mississippi reptile is a nongame species in need of management, so keeping a native rattlesnake needs a hunting license, the green anole's position, within twenty snakes and lizards and no more than four of a species, and its cage must be labeled "DANGER" with the species name. Rattlesnakes taken from the wild may not be sold. A rattlesnake not native to Mississippi is outside the rule, and Rule 8.3 names no reptile.

How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting license to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

Rule 8.3(A)(5)(b)(i), (B)(3), (C)(2)(a), (D)(4)

Family Canidae: Genus Canis (wolves, jackals, and dingos; all species, including crosses between wolves and domestic animals); excluding coyote (Canis latrans); Chrysocyon brachyurus (maned wolf); Cuon alpinus (red dog or dhole); Lycaon pictus (African hunting dog); ii. Family Ursidae (bears) - all species; iii. Family Mustelidae - Gulo gulo (wolverine); iv. Family Hyaenidae (hyenas) - all species; v. Family Felidae: Genus Leo or Panthera or Neofelis (lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards) - all species; Acinonyx iubatus (cheetah); Felis concolor (cougar) - all subspecies;

Mississippi lists genus Canis "including crosses between wolves and domestic animals" as inherently dangerous, with no generation cut-off. A personal possession permit exists at $75 an animal, but the bar is high: age 21, two years' experience with the species or a written exam, a recapture plan, $100,000 liability insurance per animal, a DWFP-implanted microchip and an inspection.

How this rule works: A short list drawn by genus and family, covering apes and some monkeys, wolves and three wild dogs, bears, the wolverine, hyenas, the big cats, elephants, rhinos, hippos and African buffalo. Nothing smaller appears. The rule also notes that since the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act took effect in December 2022 no new big cat permits are issued at all.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 2.3(A)(1)(b)(iii); Rule 8.4(A); Rule 5.3

b. Species not regulated by this rule include: i. endangered reptiles and amphibians; ii. reptiles and amphibians considered game species (Bullfrog, Pig Frog, Bronze Frog); iii. American Alligator;

The nongame rule carves the American alligator out as regulated elsewhere, and Rule 8.4's closed list of game and furbearing animals does not include it. The only other alligator rules on the department's record are the hunting season rules, which govern harvest under an alligator possession permit, not keeping a live animal. No Mississippi rule read here says whether a live alligator may be kept.

How this rule works: The rule that answers Mississippi natives, and the one the dangerous animal rule never reaches. It covers thirty-two small mammals and all native reptiles and amphibians, names each species, and requires a hunting license to possess any of them for personal use. mdwfp.com serves a cert without its GlobalSign intermediate; complete the chain rather than skipping verification.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 7.1(A), (F); Miss. Code § 49-7-1

F. Live nuisance animals may not be possessed except: 1. Coyotes in permitted coyote enclosures; 2. Fox in permitted fox enclosures

The statute classes "fox" as a nuisance animal with no species qualifier, and Rule 7.1(F) bars possessing a live one outside a hound pen. Read literally that reaches the arctic fox; read as a list of Mississippi's own pest species, it does not, and Rule 8.3 names no fox. The fennec fox cell reads only Rule 8.3 and answers legal.

How this rule works: Recites that Miss. Code § 49-7-1 classes nutria, beaver, fox, skunks, coyotes and wild hogs as nuisance animals, and at (F) bars possessing a live one except coyotes and foxes in permitted hunting enclosures, short-term trapper transport to them, and hogs for slaughter. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

Rule 7.1(A), (F); Miss. Code § 49-7-1; Rule 8.3

F. Live nuisance animals may not be possessed except: 1. Coyotes in permitted coyote enclosures; 2. Fox in permitted fox enclosures

The statute classes "fox" as a nuisance animal with no species qualifier, and Rule 7.1(F) bars possessing a live one outside a permitted fox enclosure, which is a pen for running hounds. Read literally that reaches the fennec; read as a list of Mississippi's own pest species, it does not. Rule 8.3, the inherently dangerous list, names the genus Canis and three other wild dogs, and Vulpes zerda is none of them, so the nuisance rule is the only question.

How this rule works: Recites that Miss. Code § 49-7-1 classes nutria, beaver, fox, skunks, coyotes and wild hogs as nuisance animals, and at (F) bars possessing a live one except coyotes and foxes in permitted hunting enclosures, short-term trapper transport to them, and hogs for slaughter. Cached as MS-ms-captivity-and-nuisance.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.