Exotic pet laws in Montana

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(b)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (b) Alligatoridae family;

The whole alligator family is prohibited, and Crocodylidae separately at (h).

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 50-23-101(4), 50-23-102; § 87-5-705(1)

"Wild animal" means a skunk, fox, raccoon, or bat.

Banned twice. The arctic fox is a "fox" under the rabies law, which bars possessing one outside a fur farm, a no-contact zoo exhibit or research, and it is non-native exotic wildlife appearing on none of Montana's white-list classifications, the same ground that bans the fennec.

Existing owners: Held for at least 6 months before January 1, 1982.

How this rule works: Defines "wild animal" for this part as a skunk, fox, raccoon or bat and bars possessing one except in a fur-bearing enterprise, a zoo exhibit with no public contact, or research, or if held for 6 months before January 1, 1982. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1); ARM 12.6.2205, 12.6.2208, 12.6.2215

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

Not native, so exotic wildlife, and no otter appears on any of the three lists. Under Montana's white list that means no rule allows it. CITES Appendix I since 2019 is a separate bar on commercial international trade.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

12.6.2215(6)(j)

Indian python (including the Burmese python) – Python molurus;

Named in the parenthesis, so there is no argument about the split of Python molurus and Python bivittatus. The reticulated python, African rock python, amethystine python and green anaconda are prohibited alongside it.

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

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(4)(g); MCA § 87-5-705(1)

(4) The following mammals are classified as prohibited species: ... (g) Cebidae family (new world primates);

Capuchins belong to Cebidae, which Montana lists as a prohibited family, so no permit route exists for a private keeper.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(g)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (g) Cobras (all species in family Elapidae);

Cobras are named on the prohibited list, as are mambas, kraits and coral snakes, all by the family Elapidae. The king cobra and the Asian Naja species are on CITES Appendix II, which governs import and export, not keeping.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(4)(f); MCA § 87-5-705(1)

(4) The following mammals are classified as prohibited species: ... (f) Callitrichidae Family (Marmosets and Tamarins);

Marmosets are named in the Callitrichidae entry on the prohibited list, so no permit route exists for a private keeper.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1)

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

No canid appears on the noncontrolled, controlled or prohibited list, so there is no rule allowing it. ARM 12.6.2225(4)(a) confirms the direction of travel: exotic wildlife may not be imported unless it has been classified.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

12.6.2215(4)(q); 12.6.2201(7)

The following mammals are classified as prohibited species: ... (q) Southern flying squirrel - Glaucomys volans

Named outright by binomial, as Oregon also does. ARM 12.6.2201(7) defines a prohibited species as one that "may not be possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, or transported in Montana, except as provided in 87-5-709, MCA, or this subchapter", and 87-5-709 is the exception for zoos, research and rehabilitation rather than for pets. The company it keeps on that list is telling: the Virginia opossum, the short-tailed opossum, the brush-tailed possum, nutria and the African soft fur rat, all animals Montana treats as escape and establishment risks rather than as dangerous ones. Montana has its own flying squirrel, the northern, and the prohibition is written for the southern species alone.

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

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1)

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

Montana defines wildlife to end with the phrase or other wild animal, which reaches an invertebrate, and it runs a white list rather than a black list. The statutory noncontrolled list has no myriapod, and the commission's rule at ARM 12.6.2205 clears two scorpions and one hermit crab and nothing else. Absence is the answer here, and the answer is no.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(i)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (i) Green Anaconda - Eunectes marinus;

Named on the prohibited list, misspelled marinus for murinus, which overrides the statute's general clearance of nonvenomous Boidae. 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: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1); ARM 12.6.2205, 12.6.2208, 12.6.2215

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

Same reasoning as the fennec fox. The kinkajou is not native, so it is exotic wildlife, and it appears on none of the noncontrolled, controlled or prohibited lists. Montana runs a white list, so an unlisted exotic has no rule allowing it.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1); § 87-5-702(12)(a)

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

Montana is a white list and an insect is inside it. § 87-5-702(12)(a) defines wildlife as "any wild mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusk, crustacean, or other wild animal", and the catch-all reaches an arthropod; § 87-5-702(3) makes anything not native to Montana exotic wildlife; and § 87-5-705(1) then bars possessing it unless a law or commission rule allows it. Nothing does. The statutory noncontrolled list at § 87-5-706 runs birds, gallinaceous birds, fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, caecilians and salamanders and contains no invertebrate. ARM 12.6.2205 clears two scorpions and a hermit crab and no insect, ARM 12.6.2208 classifies one shrimp as controlled, and ARM 12.6.2215 prohibits a crayfish and three mollusks. So the cockroach falls where the tarantula and the giant millipede already sit on this map, banned by absence. Montana is the state where clearing the emperor scorpion by name and stopping there decides every other arthropod.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 50-23-101(4), 50-23-102

A person may not possess a wild animal unless the person possessed it for at least 6 months prior to January 1, 1982, or it is used in a fur-bearing enterprise, contained in a zoological exhibition in a manner that it may not come in physical contact with members of the public, or acquired by an educational institution for scientific research.

Montana's rabies law defines "wild animal" as "a skunk, fox, raccoon, or bat" and bars possessing one. The exceptions are a fur farm, a zoo exhibit with no public contact and research, none of which is a pet, plus a grandfather clause that ran out in 1982. Because the raccoon is native, the exotic wildlife white list does not reach it; this older Title 50 ban is what does.

Existing owners: Held for at least 6 months before January 1, 1982.

How this rule works: Defines "wild animal" for this part as a skunk, fox, raccoon or bat and bars possessing one except in a fur-bearing enterprise, a zoo exhibit with no public contact, or research, or if held for 6 months before January 1, 1982. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

MCA §§ 50-23-101(4), 50-23-102

"Wild animal" means a skunk, fox, raccoon, or bat.

"Fox" in the rabies law has no species qualifier, and § 50-23-102 bars possessing one outside a fur farm, a no-contact zoo exhibit or research. The red fox is native, so the exotic wildlife white list that bans the fennec does not apply; the rabies law does the work instead.

Existing owners: Held for at least 6 months before January 1, 1982.

How this rule works: Defines "wild animal" for this part as a skunk, fox, raccoon or bat and bars possessing one except in a fur-bearing enterprise, a zoo exhibit with no public contact, or research, or if held for 6 months before January 1, 1982. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

12.6.2215(6)(n)

Red-eared slider – Trachemys scripta elegans;

On Montana's prohibited species list, so it may not be possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported in the state.

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

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(o)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (o) Reticulated python - Python reticulatus.

Named on the prohibited list beside the Indian and Burmese, African rock and amethystine pythons, which overrides the statute's general clearance of nonvenomous Pythonidae. 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: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA § 87-5-705(1); ARM 12.6.2205, 12.6.2208, 12.6.2215

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule;

Montana is a white list. The lemur is on none of its three lists, noncontrolled, controlled or prohibited, and no statute allows it, so § 87-5-705(1) bars possessing one. Lemurs are not among the primate families the prohibited list names; absence alone is the bar. 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: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(b)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (b) Alligatoridae family;

Caimans belong to Alligatoridae, which Montana prohibits as a family.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(4)(g); MCA § 87-5-705(1)

(4) The following mammals are classified as prohibited species: ... (g) Cebidae family (new world primates);

Squirrel monkeys are New World primates in Cebidae as the rule uses it, and the entry's own gloss, "new world primates", reaches them on any taxonomy, so no permit route exists for a private keeper.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 50-23-101(4), 50-23-102

"Wild animal" means a skunk, fox, raccoon, or bat.

The skunk is the first animal the rabies law names, and § 50-23-102 bars possessing one outside a fur farm, a no-contact zoo exhibit or research. Descenting does not change the species, and the 1982 grandfather date means no pet route is left.

Existing owners: Held for at least 6 months before January 1, 1982.

How this rule works: Defines "wild animal" for this part as a skunk, fox, raccoon or bat and bars possessing one except in a fur-bearing enterprise, a zoo exhibit with no public contact, or research, or if held for 6 months before January 1, 1982. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1)

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

Not by name, but by omission. The arachnid entry at ARM 12.6.2205(3) clears two scorpions and no spiders, and under the white list an unclassified exotic species is not permitted. Montana is the one state where the emperor scorpion is expressly cleared and the tarantula is not.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(4)(s)

(4) The following mammals are classified as prohibited species: ... (s) Virginia opossum - Didelphis virginiana.

Named on the prohibited list by binomial, beside the short-tailed opossum.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 87-5-705(1); ARM 12.6.2205, 12.6.2208, 12.6.2215

A person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless: (a) the importation, possession, or sale of the exotic wildlife is allowed by law or commission rule

No procyonid appears on any of Montana's three exotic wildlife lists, and the white list means an unclassified exotic is not allowed. ARM 12.6.2225(4)(a), which the fennec cell cites, bars importing one until it is classified.

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

How this rule works: Montana runs a white list, which is unusual. § 87-5-705(1) says a person may not import, possess or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or commission rule, so an animal that appears on none of the three lists is not permitted rather than unregulated. § 87-5-706 is the statutory noncontrolled list and § 87-5-702 puts rodents, cats, dogs and Eurasian ferrets outside the scheme as domestic animals.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-406(1), 87-4-407(1)

(1) A person may not operate an alternative livestock ranch in this state without having first obtained an alternative livestock ranch license from the department prior to November 7, 2000. A person may not apply for or be granted a license after that date.

A privately owned white-tailed deer is "alternative livestock" under § 87-4-406(1), which may be kept only on a licensed alternative livestock ranch, and Initiative 143 closed licensing on November 7, 2000.

Existing owners: Alternative livestock ranches licensed before November 7, 2000, may keep and renew their licenses, which are not transferable.

How this rule works: § 87-4-406(1) makes a privately owned white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and other native ungulates alternative livestock and sends black bears and mountain lions to Part 8. § 87-4-407(1), from Initiative 143, bars operating an alternative livestock ranch without a license obtained before November 7, 2000, and bars any license after that date.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803(2)(b), 87-4-804(4), (6)

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

Montana writes a permit for keeping bears privately: a wild animal menagerie is defined by use "other than public exhibition", the application asks only for the site, species, caging and proof the applicant is responsible, and the department must inspect before issuing. It is capped at 10 animals, which must come captive bred from a licensed zoo, menagerie, fur farm or similar source; a black bear may not be captured from the wild for it.

How this rule works: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-406(1), 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803(2)(b), 87-4-804(1), (4), (6)

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

The menagerie definition names cougars and pumas, and § 87-4-406(1) says the mountain lion "must be regulated pursuant to Title 87, chapter 4, part 8". Montana writes a permit for keeping large cats privately: a wild animal menagerie is defined by use "other than public exhibition", the application asks for the site, species, caging and proof the applicant is responsible, and the department must inspect before issuing. It is capped at 10 animals, which must come captive bred from a licensed zoo, menagerie, fur farm or similar source. A cougar may not be captured from the wild for it. 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.

How this rule works: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803(2)(b), 87-4-804(4), (6); § 87-5-705(1)

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

The menagerie definition names lions. Montana writes a permit for keeping large cats privately: a wild animal menagerie is defined by use "other than public exhibition", the application asks for the site, species, caging and proof the applicant is responsible, and the department must inspect before issuing. It is capped at 10 animals, which must come captive bred from a licensed zoo, menagerie, fur farm or similar source, the black bear's position. The exotic wildlife white list in § 87-5-705(1) allows possession that is "allowed by law", and Part 8 is the law that allows this. 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.

How this rule works: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803(2)(b), 87-4-804(4), (6); § 87-5-705(1)

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

The menagerie definition names tigers. Montana writes a permit for keeping large cats privately: a wild animal menagerie is defined by use "other than public exhibition", the application asks for the site, species, caging and proof the applicant is responsible, and the department must inspect before issuing. It is capped at 10 animals, which must come captive bred from a licensed zoo, menagerie, fur farm or similar source, the black bear's position. The exotic wildlife white list in § 87-5-705(1) allows possession that is "allowed by law", and Part 8 is the law that allows this. 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: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803, 87-4-804(4), (6)

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

The bobcat is native, so the exotic wildlife white list does not reach it, and it is not one of the four animals in the rabies law. What arguably does is the wild animal menagerie permit, which licenses private keeping of "large cats". The list of examples runs down to the ocelot, a cat no bigger than a bobcat, but does not name the bobcat, so whether a bobcat needs that permit, or falls outside Part 8 altogether, is not settled by the text. If it is covered, the permit allows up to 10 animals bought captive bred from a licensed source.

How this rule works: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 87-5-706(1)

all nonnative tropical and subtropical species of turtles with a carapace or shell length of more than 4 inches and not on the controlled or prohibited lists in the families: ... (v) Emydidae (pond turtles)

Box turtles are Emydidae, so the family is cleared, but every category on this list is gated on being tropical and subtropical, and both the eastern and the ornate box turtle are temperate North American animals. The qualifier looks deliberate, since a temperate species could survive a Montana release in a way a tropical one could not. Ask Fish, Wildlife and Parks before buying.

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

How this rule works: The statutory pet list: tropical and subtropical nonvenomous snakes, lizards, turtles over 4 inches, salamanders and named bird families that may be kept without a permit, but never released.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA §§ 87-4-801(3), 87-4-803, 87-4-804

"Wild animal menagerie" means any place where one or more bears or large cats, including cougars, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, pumas, cheetahs, ocelots, and hybrids of those large cats are kept in captivity for use other than public exhibition.

Same position as the bobcat: native, so outside the exotic white list, and not named among the "large cats" a wild animal menagerie permit covers, although the list reaches the smaller ocelot. The lynx is also federally threatened in the lower 48, which bars taking one from the wild and requires a federal permit to move one across state lines in commerce.

How this rule works: § 87-4-801(3) defines a wild animal menagerie as bears or large cats kept "for use other than public exhibition"; § 87-4-803 sets the permit, § 87-4-804 bars capture from the wild for it and caps it at 10 animals. Cached as MT-mt-rabies-and-menagerie.txt.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

§ 87-5-702(2)

"Domestic animal" means an animal that, through long association with humans, has been bred to a degree that has resulted in genetic changes... The term includes livestock, as defined in 81-2-702, dogs, cats, rodents, Eurasian ferrets, and poultry.

The word rodents is written flatly into the domestic animal definition, which would put every rodent outside the exotic wildlife scheme. The substance of the definition is about animals bred into domestication, which a capybara plainly is not. Nothing classifies it either way.

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

How this rule works: Defines domestic animal, which expressly includes dogs, cats, rodents, Eurasian ferrets and poultry, and exotic wildlife as a wildlife species not native to Montana.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

MCA § 87-5-702(2), (3), (12)(b); § 87-5-705(1)

(2) "Domestic animal" means an animal that, through long association with humans, has been bred to a degree that has resulted in genetic changes affecting color, temperament, conformation, or other attributes of the species to an extent that makes the animal unique and distinguishable from wild individuals of the species and that is readily controllable if accidentally released into the wild. The term includes livestock, as defined in 81-2-702, dogs, cats, rodents, Eurasian ferrets, and poultry.

The eastern gray squirrel is on none of Montana's three exotic lists, which would make it barred under the white list, but the domestic animal definition says "The term includes ... rodents", and domestic animals are not wildlife. Whether that word reaches a wild-type tree squirrel, or only rodents bred to the definition's standard, is the same open question as the prairie dog and capybara. The southern flying squirrel, by contrast, is named on the prohibited list.

How this rule works: Defines domestic animal, which expressly includes dogs, cats, rodents, Eurasian ferrets and poultry, and exotic wildlife as a wildlife species not native to Montana.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

§ 87-5-702(3)

"Exotic wildlife" means a wildlife species that is not native to Montana.

Both the black-tailed and white-tailed prairie dog are native, so the exotic wildlife white list does not apply, and Montana's only prairie dog rules are the translocation program at ARM 12.9.1001 through 12.9.1035, which governs moving whole colonies between wild sites under department approval and plague monitoring. Nothing there addresses keeping one as a pet in either direction.

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

How this rule works: Defines domestic animal, which expressly includes dogs, cats, rodents, Eurasian ferrets and poultry, and exotic wildlife as a wildlife species not native to Montana.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ARM 12.6.2215(6)(m); MCA §§ 87-5-702(3), 87-5-705(1)

(6) The following reptiles are classified as prohibited: ... (m) Pit vipers and true vipers (all species in family Viperidae except species indigenous to Montana);

Every rattlesnake not native to Montana is a prohibited pit viper. The rule carves out the species indigenous to Montana, which as native wildlife are outside the exotic wildlife scheme altogether, and no Montana rule read here says whether or how a native rattlesnake may be kept. Recorded unclear rather than legal for that reason.

How this rule works: 12.6.2205 is the noncontrolled list, 12.6.2208 the controlled list, 12.6.2215 the prohibited list. The noncontrolled definition at 12.6.2201(8) expressly preserves county and city ordinances.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.