Exotic pet laws in Missouri

3 CSR 10-9.240; 3 CSR 10-9.105 Approved Confined Wildlife Species List; RSMo § 578.023

Class II wildlife shall include copperheads, cottonmouths, timber rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlesnakes, eastern massasauga, prairie massasauga, mountain lions or mountain lion-hybrids, wolves or wolf-hybrids, and black bears or black bear hybrids.

The black bear is Class II wildlife, held only under a Class II wildlife breeder permit, and the approved species list confines that to "Bear, Black (& hybrids) legally obtained under a valid Class II Wildlife Breeder Permit prior to August 30, 2021". The Wildlife Hobby Permit excludes Class II. So no new bear may be acquired.

Existing owners: Black bears and black bear hybrids legally obtained under a valid Class II wildlife breeder permit before August 30, 2021, remain on the approved list.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.240; 3 CSR 10-9.105 Approved Confined Wildlife Species List; 3 CSR 10-9.420; RSMo § 578.023

Class II wildlife shall include copperheads, cottonmouths, timber rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlesnakes, eastern massasauga, prairie massasauga, mountain lions or mountain lion-hybrids, wolves or wolf-hybrids, and black bears or black bear hybrids.

The mountain lion is Class II wildlife, held only under a Class II wildlife breeder permit, and the approved species list confines that to "Lion, Mountain (& hybrids) legally obtained under a valid Class II Wildlife Breeder Permit prior to August 30, 2021". The Wildlife Hobby Permit excludes Class II, and § 578.023 adds county registration for any mountain lion kept. So no new cougar may be acquired, the black bear's position. 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: Mountain lions and mountain lion hybrids legally obtained under a valid Class II wildlife breeder permit before August 30, 2021, remain on the approved list.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-4.110(1); RSMo § 578.023

(2) Except for federally-designated endangered species and species listed in 3 CSR 10-4.117 and 3 CSR 10-9.240, the following may be bought, sold, possessed, transported, and exhibited without permit: ... amphibians, reptiles, and mammals not native to Missouri except those mammals located in a licensed big game hunting preserve;

Missouri's free pass for non-native mammals carves out federally designated endangered species, and 50 CFR 17.11 lists the whole family Lemuridae as endangered. That leaves the general prohibition in 3 CSR 10-4.110(1), which bars possessing wildlife "except as specifically permitted by these rules", and no permit read here is a pet route for an exotic endangered mammal. The other primates, not listed, need only § 578.023 registration. Lemur catta is on CITES Appendix I, which bars commercial international trade, so a pet lemur here can only come from captive breeding inside the country, and the whole family Lemuridae is listed endangered under the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 17.11).

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.223(3); 3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-4.110(4)

(3) Live skunks may not be imported, bought, sold, transported, given away, or otherwise disposed of in this state.

Missouri closes every door on the skunk. It may not be imported, bought, sold or given away, the Wildlife Hobby Permit excludes skunks by name, and as a furbearer it is outside the take-five rule for natives.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-4.110(1); RSMo § 578.023

(2) Except for federally-designated endangered species and species listed in 3 CSR 10-4.117 and 3 CSR 10-9.240, the following may be bought, sold, possessed, transported, and exhibited without permit: ... amphibians, reptiles, and mammals not native to Missouri except those mammals located in a licensed big game hunting preserve;

Missouri's free pass for non-native mammals carves out federally designated endangered species, and 50 CFR 17.11 lists the tiger as endangered wherever found. That leaves the general prohibition in 3 CSR 10-4.110(1), which bars possessing wildlife "except as specifically permitted by these rules", and no permit read here is a pet route for an exotic endangered mammal. § 578.023 would also require county registration. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a tiger unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.240; 3 CSR 10-9.105(7) and Approved Confined Wildlife Species List

Class II wildlife shall include copperheads, cottonmouths, timber rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlesnakes, eastern massasauga, prairie massasauga, mountain lions or mountain lion-hybrids, wolves or wolf-hybrids, and black bears or black bear hybrids.

Missouri writes "wolves or wolf-hybrids" into Class II, which may be held only under a Class II wildlife breeder permit, and 9.105(7) limits confined wildlife to species on the approved list. That list's only wolf entry is "Wolf, Gray legally obtained under a valid Class II Wildlife Breeder Permit prior to August 30, 2021", and no wolf hybrid appears on it at all. So the Wildlife Code reaches the wolfdog and offers no permit for a new one. RSMo § 578.023 separately requires a wolf to be registered with county law enforcement.

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

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-4.110(4); 3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-9.223(2)

Wildlife Hobby Permit. Authorizes the holder to purchase, possess, and propagate not more than fifty (50) ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail, in the aggregate, for personal use only and not for sale; and to hold in captivity not more than one (1) game mammal purchased from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, except that Class II wildlife, hoofed mammals, and skunks may not be held under this permit.

The bobcat is a Missouri furbearer, which 3 CSR 10-20.805(33) makes a game mammal, and the take-five rule for natives expressly excludes anything listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4), which is game mammals and furbearers. What remains is the Wildlife Hobby Permit: one animal, bought from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, held for personal use, never propagated or sold. The bobcat is also on the dangerous wild animal list in RSMo § 578.023, so the keeper must register it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

Class I wildlife shall include birds (including ring-necked pheasants and gray partridge) native to the continental United States, and those species of mammals (except bison and those listed in 3 CSR 10-9.240 and 3 CSR 10-9.250) and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri.

Both the three-toed and the ornate box turtle are native to Missouri, which puts them in Class I. Permits issue only for species on the Approved Confined Wildlife Species List.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

The Canada lynx is named on Missouri's dangerous wild animal list, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native mammal it needs no Wildlife Code permit. It is federally threatened, which brings federal rules on interstate sale.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

"Nonhuman primate" is on Missouri's dangerous wild animal list, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native mammal the capuchin needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2), and the 4.117 prohibited species list has no primate.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

A cobra is a poisonous reptile under Missouri's dangerous wild animal statute, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native reptile it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

"Nonhuman primate" is on Missouri's dangerous wild animal list, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native mammal the marmoset needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2), and the 4.117 prohibited species list has no primate.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-4.110(4); 3 CSR 10-20.805(33)

to hold in captivity not more than one (1) game mammal purchased from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, except that Class II wildlife, hoofed mammals, and skunks may not be held under this permit.

The gray squirrel is a game mammal under 3 CSR 10-20.805(33), so it is outside the take-five allowance for natives, which excludes anything listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4). The Wildlife Hobby Permit is the pet route: one game mammal bought from a Missouri wildlife breeder, kept but not bred or sold.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

those species of mammals... and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri

The garter snake is native to Missouri and nonvenomous, which places it in Class I, the tier that needs a simple possession permit rather than being unregulated.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

those species of mammals... and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri

Both the eastern and the western hognose are native to Missouri and neither is venomous for the purposes of the Class II list, so they fall in Class I.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

Class I wildlife shall include birds (including ring-necked pheasants and gray partridge) native to the continental United States, and those species of mammals (except bison and those listed in 3 CSR 10-9.240 and 3 CSR 10-9.250) and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri.

The black-tailed prairie dog is native to Missouri, which puts it in Class I. Permits are issued only for species on the Approved Confined Wildlife Species List in 3 CSR 10-9.105.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-4.110(4); 3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-9.223(2)

Wildlife Hobby Permit. Authorizes the holder to purchase, possess, and propagate not more than fifty (50) ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail, in the aggregate, for personal use only and not for sale; and to hold in captivity not more than one (1) game mammal purchased from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, except that Class II wildlife, hoofed mammals, and skunks may not be held under this permit.

The raccoon is a Missouri furbearer, which 3 CSR 10-20.805(33) makes a game mammal, and the take-five rule for natives expressly excludes anything listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4), which is game mammals and furbearers. What remains is the Wildlife Hobby Permit: one animal, bought from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, held for personal use, never propagated or sold. Live raccoons may not be imported into Missouri under 3 CSR 10-9.223(2), so the animal has to come from a Missouri breeder.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-9.240

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

A rattlesnake is a poisonous reptile under Missouri's dangerous wild animal statute, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. A rattlesnake not native to Missouri needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The state's own timber rattlesnake is Class II wildlife under 3 CSR 10-9.240, which only a Class II wildlife breeder permit may hold.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-4.110(4); 3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-9.223(2)

Wildlife Hobby Permit. Authorizes the holder to purchase, possess, and propagate not more than fifty (50) ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail, in the aggregate, for personal use only and not for sale; and to hold in captivity not more than one (1) game mammal purchased from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, except that Class II wildlife, hoofed mammals, and skunks may not be held under this permit.

The red fox is a Missouri furbearer, which 3 CSR 10-20.805(33) makes a game mammal, and the take-five rule for natives expressly excludes anything listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4), which is game mammals and furbearers. What remains is the Wildlife Hobby Permit: one animal, bought from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, held for personal use, never propagated or sold. 3 CSR 10-9.223(2) bars importing live foxes, so it has to be Missouri bred. Missouri's dangerous wild animal registration names the wolf and the coyote and no fox.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

those species of mammals... and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri

Native to Missouri, so Class I rather than outside the Wildlife Code.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

those species of mammals... and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri

Chelydra serpentina is a native nonvenomous reptile and so falls in Class I.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

RSMo § 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

if he or she keeps any lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, Canada lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, hyena, wolf, bear, nonhuman primate, coyote, any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long

"Nonhuman primate" is on Missouri's dangerous wild animal list, which does not ban it but makes it an offense to keep one without registering it with the local law enforcement agency in the county where it is kept. As a non-native mammal the squirrel monkey needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2), and the 4.117 prohibited species list has no primate.

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

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.230

those species of mammals... and nonvenomous reptiles and amphibians native to Missouri

Ambystoma tigrinum is native to Missouri, which puts it in Class I rather than outside the Wildlife Code.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.420(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-20.805(30), (33)

to hold in captivity not more than one (1) game mammal purchased from a Missouri wildlife breeder permit holder, except that Class II wildlife, hoofed mammals, and skunks may not be held under this permit.

The opossum is a furbearer under 3 CSR 10-20.805(30), and furbearers count as game mammals under (33), so it is outside the take-five allowance for natives. The Wildlife Hobby Permit is the pet route: one game mammal bought from a Missouri wildlife breeder, kept but not bred or sold.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.250, 9.354(1), 9.420(1), 9.223(2)

Class III wildlife may be propagated, bought, sold, reared, or held in captivity by the holder of the appropriate Class III Wildlife Breeder Permit only at the specific location identified on the permit.

Every cervid is Class III wildlife, and the white-tailed deer is on the approved list, so holding one needs a Class III wildlife breeder permit, which requires passing a written examination and comes with movement and disease rules. The Wildlife Hobby Permit excludes hoofed mammals, the deer is a game mammal outside the take-five allowance, and 9.223(2) bars importing a live white-tailed deer.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long, in any place other than a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific, or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

Not banned, and the American alligator is not native to Missouri, so it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The statute does not define a dangerous reptile, so whether a small one must be registered is not settled, but one over eight feet plainly must be registered with the county law enforcement agency.

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 578.023(1)

any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long... unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

A large female Boa constrictor can pass eight feet, which brings the registration duty into play. A smaller animal does not.

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 578.023(1)

any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long, in any place other than a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific, or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

Not banned, but an adult Burmese python comfortably passes eight feet, at which point it must be registered with the county law enforcement agency. There is no state permit and no fee, just the registration.

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-9.230

A maximum of five (5) specimens of any native wildlife not listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4) or 3 CSR 10-9.240, except endangered species, bats, dusty hog-nosed snake, Kirtland's snake, western fox snake, and alligator snapping turtles, may be taken and possessed alive by a resident of Missouri without permit, but these animals shall not be bought or sold.

The southern flying squirrel is a Missouri native, common in forested areas statewide on the Department of Conservation's own account, so it is Class I wildlife rather than a cleared non-native mammal. Five may be taken and possessed alive by a resident without permit or fee, never bought or sold and never shipped out of the state. It is not a game mammal under 3 CSR 10-20.805(33), which names black bears, cottontail rabbit, deer, elk, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, groundhog, jackrabbit, swamp rabbit and furbearers, so the Wildlife Hobby Permit allowance for one purchased game mammal does not reach it either. Note the animal it is nearest to on that list: the fox and gray squirrels are game mammals and Glaucomys is not, which is what leaves this cell resting on the take-five rule alone.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 578.023(1)

any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long, in any place other than a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific, or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

Not banned, and as a non-native reptile it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). Once a green anaconda passes eight feet it must be registered with the county law enforcement agency, the Burmese python's position. 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: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(1)(A); 3 CSR 10-9.230

A maximum of five (5) specimens of any native wildlife not listed in 3 CSR 10-4.110(4) or 3 CSR 10-9.240, except endangered species, bats, dusty hog-nosed snake, Kirtland's snake, western fox snake, and alligator snapping turtles, may be taken and possessed alive by a resident of Missouri without permit, but these animals shall not be bought or sold.

The Department of Conservation gives the eastern milksnake, Lampropeltis triangulum, a statewide Missouri distribution, so the non-native clearance at 3 CSR 10-9.110(2) does not reach it and it is Class I wildlife under 3 CSR 10-9.230, which covers nonvenomous reptiles native to Missouri. A Missouri resident may take and hold five alive with no permit and no fee, which is the condition recorded here; those animals may not be bought or sold and may not be transported out of the state. Buying one is the harder half: 3 CSR 10-9.353(2) lets a Class I breeder sell "only to the holder of the appropriate permit, where required", and the Wildlife Hobby Permit is no help because it covers game birds plus one purchased game mammal, and 3 CSR 10-20.805(33) defines game mammals as a closed list with no reptile in it.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 578.023(1)

any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long, in any place other than a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific, or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

Not banned, and as a non-native reptile it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). Once a reticulated python passes eight feet it must be registered with the county law enforcement agency, the Burmese python's position. 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: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 578.023(1); 3 CSR 10-9.110(2)

any deadly, dangerous, or poisonous reptile, or any deadly or dangerous reptile over eight feet long, in any place other than a properly maintained zoological park, circus, scientific, or educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital, or animal refuge, unless he or she has registered such animals with the local law enforcement agency in the county in which the animal is kept

Not banned, and the spectacled caiman is not native to Missouri, so it needs no Wildlife Code permit under 3 CSR 10-9.110(2). The statute does not define a dangerous reptile, so whether a small one must be registered is not settled, but one over eight feet plainly must be registered with the county law enforcement agency.

How this rule works: Missouri does not ban these animals. It requires that they be registered with the local law enforcement agency in the county where they are kept. Failure to register is the offense.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-9.223(2)

(2) Live white-tailed deer, white-tailed deer-hybrids, mule deer, mule deer-hybrids, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes may not be imported into this state.

Two Missouri rules point different ways. 9.110(2) clears non-native mammals to be bought, sold and possessed without permit, which reaches the arctic fox. 9.223(2) bars importing live "foxes" with no species or nativity limit. Read together, an arctic fox bred in Missouri may be kept, and whether one may be brought in from another state turns on whether the import bar means Missouri's own foxes or any fox. It is not on the § 578.023 registration list.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-9.223(2); RSMo § 578.023

(2) Live white-tailed deer, white-tailed deer-hybrids, mule deer, mule deer-hybrids, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes may not be imported into this state.

Two Missouri rules point different ways. 9.110(2) clears mammals not native to Missouri to be bought, sold and possessed without permit, which reaches the fennec. 9.223(2) bars importing live "foxes" with no species or nativity limit. Read together, a fennec bred in Missouri may be kept, and whether one may be brought in from another state turns on whether the import bar means Missouri's own foxes or any fox. The dangerous wild animal registration at § 578.023 names the wolf and the coyote and no fox.

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

3 CSR 10-9.110(2); 3 CSR 10-4.110(1); RSMo § 578.023(1)

(2) Except for federally-designated endangered species and species listed in 3 CSR 10-4.117 and 3 CSR 10-9.240, the following may be bought, sold, possessed, transported, and exhibited without permit: ... amphibians, reptiles, and mammals not native to Missouri except those mammals located in a licensed big game hunting preserve;

Missouri's free pass for non-native mammals carves out federally designated endangered species. 50 CFR 17.11 lists the lion in two parts, Panthera leo leo as endangered and Panthera leo melanochaita as threatened, and the rule does not say how a lion of unrecorded subspecies is treated, so whether a given lion falls inside the carve-out is not settled. If it does, 3 CSR 10-4.110(1) bars possession except as the rules permit; if not, the lion needs no Wildlife Code permit and only the county registration § 578.023 requires. 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.

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

How this rule works: Class I is native Missouri mammals, reptiles and amphibians plus birds native to the continental United States. Class II is the venomous natives, mountain lion, wolf and black bear. Class III is cervids. An animal that is none of these is outside the Wildlife Code entirely.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.