Exotic pet laws in Ohio
Ohio bans none of the 52 animals on this list outright, but 2 of them need a permit before the animal arrives.
Read against the published rules, entries verified 4 August to 5 September 2026. Every entry below quotes the statute or regulation it comes from and carries the date it was last checked.
What Ohio restricts
3 of 52, strictest first. Open one for the rule it comes from.
Flying squirrelPermit required
R.C. Chapter 1531 (game quadrupeds)
Ohio classifies the flying squirrel as a game quadruped; no person may take, possess, buy, sell, or transport native wildlife without a permit from the Division of Wildlife. The permits confirmed in the sources reviewed were rehabilitation-oriented; a personal-pet pathway was not confirmed.
How this rule works: Ohio's Division of Wildlife chapter, which defines game quadrupeds (including the flying squirrel) and requires a permit to possess native wildlife.
Checked against the published text on 27 August 2026.
ServalPermit required
Servals, excluding hybrids with domestic cats commonly known as savannah cats
The serval itself is a dangerous wild animal; savannah cat hybrids are expressly carved out.
Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.
How this rule works: Two enumerated lists. Dangerous wild animals need an Ohio Department of Agriculture wildlife shelter permit; anything on neither list needs no state permit. Restricted snakes are constrictors of 12 feet or more plus venomous families.
Checked against the published text on 4 August 2026.
Burmese pythonConditions apply
§ 935.01(L)(1)
"Restricted snake" means any of the following: (1) All of the following constricting snakes that are twelve feet or longer: ... (e) Burmese pythons
Ohio is one of the few states to draw the line by length rather than by species. A Burmese python under twelve feet is not a restricted snake and needs nothing; at twelve feet it becomes one, and the keeper needs a restricted snake permit, liability insurance and caging that meets the rules. Since a healthy Burmese passes twelve feet in a few years, this is a deadline rather than an exemption.
Cities and counties here can prohibit what state law permits, so check your local ordinance too.
How this rule works: Two enumerated lists. Dangerous wild animals need an Ohio Department of Agriculture wildlife shelter permit; anything on neither list needs no state permit. Restricted snakes are constrictors of 12 feet or more plus venomous families.
Checked against the published text on 5 August 2026.
No restriction found in Ohio
49 of 52. Each was read against the same body of law as the entries above and nothing in it reaches them. Local ordinances and tenancy terms still apply and are not on this map.
- Ackie monitor
- African grey parrot
- Argentine black and white tegu
- Axolotl
- Ball python
- Bearded dragon
- Bengal cat
- Blue-tongue skink
- Boa constrictor
- Box turtle
- California kingsnake
- Capybara
- Chinchilla
- Cockatoo
- Corn snake
- Crested gecko
- Degu
- Emperor scorpion
- Fennec fox
- Ferret
- Garter snake
- Gerbil
- Giant African millipede
- Green anole
- Green iguana
- Guinea pig
- Hamster
- Hedgehog
- Hognose snake
- Jackson's chameleon
- Leopard gecko
- Madagascar hissing cockroach
- Milk snake
- Nile monitor
- Prairie dog
- Quaker parakeet
- Rabbit
- Red-eared slider
- Red-footed tortoise
- Rosy boa
- Russian tortoise
- Savannah monitor
- Snapping turtle
- Sugar glider
- Sulcata tortoise
- Tarantula
- Tiger salamander
- Tokay gecko
- Veiled chameleon
Cite this page
Every entry here is quoted from the statute or regulation it comes from, with the date it was last read against the published text.
Before you rely on this
This page covers state law only. Cities and counties routinely prohibit what Ohio allows, and a lease or HOA agreement can bar an animal that every level of government permits. Check all three, and check them in that order, because the one most likely to stop you is the one closest to your front door.