Exotic pet laws in Oregon

ORS 609.305(5); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1); OAR 635-056-0060(4)

(5) Any member of the order Crocodylia.

Every crocodilian is an exotic animal, and ODFW's own rule says so, adding that releasing one is unlawful. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0460(1), (3); 0470; ORS 609.305

Black bears, cougars, bobcats, and wolves, acquired by transfer or new acquisition as part of an existing permit or new holding application after January 20, 2017, shall only be held at AZA accredited facilities or as approved by the Department in Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment or Wildlife Sanctuary facilities.

ORS 609.305 reaches "Any bear, except the black bear", which hands the black bear to ODFW, and ODFW's holding rule confines any black bear acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. Pets held on that date were grandfathered on application.

Existing owners: An animal legally held as a pet on January 20, 2017, with a Wildlife Holding Permit applied for by January 21, 2018, may be kept for its life under OAR 635-044-0470. It may not be bred, and may be transferred only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

ORS 609.305; ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

Any nonwolf member of the family Canidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Canis familiaris (domestic dog)

Same answer as the fennec fox. The arctic fox is a non-indigenous canid, so it is an exotic animal on its family membership alone, and the Agriculture permit window closed in 2010 and never reopened.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(B)(iv)

(iv) Asian Small-clawed Otter | Mustelidae | Lutrinae Aonyx cinerea (also classified as Aonyx cinereus);

Oregon prohibits this otter by name, under both spellings of its binomial. OAR 635-056-0150 lets someone who held one before it was listed keep it for life, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon. 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: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0460(1), (3); 0470

Black bears, cougars, bobcats, and wolves, acquired by transfer or new acquisition as part of an existing permit or new holding application after January 20, 2017, shall only be held at AZA accredited facilities or as approved by the Department in Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment or Wildlife Sanctuary facilities.

The bobcat is native, so ORS 609.305, which reaches only non-indigenous cats, does not apply, and ODFW's holding rule does. Since January 20, 2017, a new bobcat goes only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility, and pets held on that date were grandfathered on application. 0460(5) also makes the owner prove that a claimed bobcat hybrid is one, or it is regulated as a bobcat.

Existing owners: An animal legally held as a pet on January 20, 2017, with a Wildlife Holding Permit applied for by January 21, 2018, may be kept for its life under OAR 635-044-0470. It may not be bred, and may be transferred only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

ORS 609.305; ORS 609.351(1); OAR 635-044-0430(1)(a)

Any member of the family Felidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Felis catus (domestic cat)

Banned on either reading of its status here. Treated as non-indigenous, it is an exotic animal under ORS 609.305 with the permit window closed since 2010, the serval's position. Treated as an Oregon native, it is federally threatened, and OAR 635-044-0430(1)(a) makes it unlawful to hold any federally listed species without specific authorization.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(2); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(2) Any nonhuman primate;

Every nonhuman primate is an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(J)(vii)

Capybara — Hydrochaeridae — Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris;

Named to the species on the prohibited list. This entry previously read as unrestricted because rodents are outside the Agriculture exotic animal definition, which is true and beside the point: the ODFW nonnative wildlife rules are what decide a rodent in Oregon, and they name this one. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(2); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(2) Any nonhuman primate;

Every nonhuman primate is an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0460(1), (3), (4)(b); 0470

Black bears, cougars, bobcats, and wolves, acquired by transfer or new acquisition as part of an existing permit or new holding application after January 20, 2017, shall only be held at AZA accredited facilities or as approved by the Department in Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment or Wildlife Sanctuary facilities.

The cougar is indigenous to Oregon, so ORS 609.305's exotic cat clause does not reach it and ODFW's native wildlife holding rule does. 0460 names the cougar, bars taking one from the wild, and confines any cougar acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. Pets held on that date were grandfathered on application. 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: An animal legally held as a pet on January 20, 2017, with a Wildlife Holding Permit applied for by January 21, 2018, may be kept for its life under OAR 635-044-0470. It may not be bred, and may be transferred only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(J)(xxi)

(xxi) Eastern gray squirrel ... Sciuridae ... Sciurus carolinensis;

Named to the species on the prohibited list, beside the eastern fox squirrel. The eastern gray squirrel is introduced in Oregon rather than native, which is why the nonnative wildlife rules answer it. 0050(2) allows a prohibited species permit on facility, security and veterinary standards, but it is written for zoos, universities and similar holders. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305; ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

Any nonwolf member of the family Canidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Canis familiaris (domestic dog)

Oregon writes its canid clause the same way as its cat clause, by family with one species excepted, so the fennec fox is an exotic animal on its family membership alone. Most states that ban a serval leave a fennec fox alone, because their cat rules are drawn by family and their canid rules by species; Oregon draws both by family, which is why the two land together here. The permit window closed in 2010 and was never reopened. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(J)(xviii)

Southern flying squirrel — Sciuridae — Glaucomys volans;

Oregon names Glaucomys volans specifically, and separately prohibits the giant flying squirrels of the genus Petaurista. Oregon has its own native flying squirrel, the northern, which is why the prohibition is written to the southern species: this is a rule about keeping a nonnative congener out rather than about the pet trade as such. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(1); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(1) Any member of the family Felidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Felis catus (domestic cat);

The lion is a felid not indigenous to Oregon, so an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a lion unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(J)(xvii)

Prairie dogs — Sciuridae — Cynomys All species and hybrids;

Prohibited at genus level, not merely unlisted. This entry previously read as unrestricted on the strength of the Agriculture exotic animal statute, which covers cats, primates, canids, bears and crocodilians and never reaches a rodent. The statute is the wrong law for this question: ODFW runs the nonnative wildlife lists, and the prairie dog is on the ban list alongside the capybara, the marmots and the southern flying squirrel. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(B)(i); OAR 635-044-0440(12)

(i) Wild canids | Canidae | All native species. However, fox (Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are exempt from this prohibition if when part of a commercial fur farming operation or for wildlife rehabilitation purposes by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator;

The red fox is a native canid on Oregon's prohibited list, and its only exemptions are a commercial fur farm licensed by the Department of Agriculture and a licensed rehabilitator. Neither is a pet route.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(d)(A)(x)

Pond slider — Emydidae — Pseudemys and Trachemys All species and hybrids;

Both genera are prohibited outright, and the same species is excepted by name from the Emydidae clearance on the noncontrolled list, so Oregon says it twice. This is among the firmest positions any state on this map takes on the red-eared slider: not a license, not an invasive-species labeling rule, a flat bar on possession, import, purchase, sale, exchange and transport. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(2); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(2) Any nonhuman primate;

Every nonhuman primate is an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well. Lemur catta is on CITES Appendix I, which bars commercial international trade, so a pet lemur here can only come from captive breeding inside the country, and the whole family Lemuridae is listed endangered under the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 17.11).

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305; ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

Any member of the family Felidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Felis catus (domestic cat)

The serval is caught by two words and a family name, the same way a lion is. What makes this a ban rather than a permit regime is ORS 609.351, which opened the application window for 90 days after January 1, 2010, and never reopened it: there is no route to a new permit for a new animal, only a lifetime allowance for animals that were already here and papered in time. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(d)(A)(ii)

Snapping turtle — Chelydridae — All species and hybrids;

The whole family is prohibited, so the alligator snapping turtle goes with the common one. Chelydridae appears nowhere on the noncontrolled list, which clears eight other turtle families. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(5); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1); OAR 635-056-0060(4)

(5) Any member of the order Crocodylia.

Every crocodilian is an exotic animal, and ODFW's own rule says so, adding that releasing one is unlawful. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(2); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(2) Any nonhuman primate;

Every nonhuman primate is an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

ORS 609.305(1); ORS 609.341(1); ORS 609.351(1)

(1) Any member of the family Felidae not indigenous to Oregon, except the species Felis catus (domestic cat);

The tiger is a felid not indigenous to Oregon, so an exotic animal. ORS 609.341(1) bars keeping an exotic animal without a Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or under ORS 609.351, whose application window closed 90 days after that date and never reopened, so there is no route for a new animal. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance as well. Federally, the Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 (16 U.S.C. § 3372(e)) bars any person outside a licensed exhibitor, sanctuary or state institution from breeding or possessing a tiger unless the animal was born before December 20, 2022, and registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, so no new pet is lawful anywhere in the country whatever the state rule says.

Existing owners: A State Department of Agriculture permit issued before January 1, 2010, or issued within a year of that date on proof the animal was already held. Applications closed 90 days after January 1, 2010, breeding a permitted animal is barred, and possession ends 30 days after a permit lapses.

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

How this rule works: A five-line closed definition run by the Department of Agriculture: non-indigenous Felidae except Felis catus, non-human primates, non-wolf non-indigenous Canidae except the domestic dog, bears other than the black bear, and Crocodylia. § 609.341 bars keeping one without a permit and § 609.351 shut the application window, which was 90 days after January 1, 2010, or one year for an animal already held then. There is no hybrid clause anywhere in it. This statute answers cats, canids and crocodilians only; every other animal on this map is decided by the ODFW rules in OAR 635-056.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(d)(A)(i)

Tiger salamander — Ambystomatidae — Ambystoma tigrinum All nonnative sub-species;

Prohibited by name, and the reason is next door: eastern Oregon has its own tiger salamander population, and the rule bars the nonnative subspecies that would hybridize with it. Oregon lists nineteen caudates as prohibited and four as noncontrolled, and the axolotl is on the short list while this species is on the long one. OAR 635-056-0150 allows someone who held the animal before the commission listed it to keep it for its life, on proof of lawful prior possession, with no transfer, sale or transport inside Oregon and no release. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(a)(F)

(F) Order Didelphimorphia: Virginia opossum ... Didelphidae ... Didelphis virginiana.

Named to the species on the prohibited list. The opossum is introduced in Oregon, not native, and only the short-tailed opossums of Monodelphis are on the noncontrolled list. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-049-0015(1)(a), 0025(1); 635-044-0450(5)(b)

(a) To hold Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti), Sika deer (Cervus nippon), Muntjac deer (Muntiacus sp.), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) or black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), a Type 1 license is required.

Oregon runs captive deer through ODFW's cervid chapter rather than its pet rules: no cervid may be held except under a department cervid license, and the white-tailed deer takes a Type 1 license. 0025(1) makes it unlawful to import any live cervid, so the animal must already be in Oregon, and a deer born in the wild is a wild cervid that may not be held. Licensed holders must have every captive cervid that dies at six months or older tested for chronic wasting disease under 0065. The chapter does not say whether new Type 1 licenses are issued to private keepers.

How this rule works: ODFW's captive cervid chapter. 635-049-0015(1) says cervids may not be held except under a department cervid license; a Type 1 license covers the two elk subspecies, sika, muntjac, white-tailed and black-tailed deer, a Type 2 license fallow deer and reindeer, and no other cervid may be held. 0025(1) makes it unlawful to import live cervids, and 0065 sets the chronic wasting disease testing duty for every captive cervid that dies at six months or older.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0060(4)(c)(F)

Kingsnakes and gopher (bull) snakes -- Colubridae -- Individuals of Lampropeltis getula, L. zonata and Pituophis catenifer that are morphologically distinct from native species.

Oregon clears these snakes individual by individual rather than by species, and the test is appearance: an animal must be morphologically distinct from the native species, which in practice means a recognizable color or pattern morph rather than a wild-type-looking snake. Wild-caught, native-looking kingsnakes and their offspring are not covered. The entry is also written under the older taxonomy in which the California kingsnake was Lampropeltis getula californiae; it has since been raised to L. californiae, which Oregon does not name, so the animal depends on being read as part of L. getula. Two layers of imprecision on one line. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The allow-list. Wildlife on it may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported without an ODFW permit. It is long and written to genus or family with named exceptions, and it uses the taxonomy current when each entry was added rather than the current one.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0060(4)(c)(G) to (K); 0050(1)(d)(C)(iii), (iv); 0130(1)

(G) Egyptian cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja haje; (H) Black & white cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja melanoleuca; (I) Indian cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja naja; (J) Red spitting cobra -- Elapidae -- Naja pallida; (K) King cobra -- Elapidae -- Ophiophagus hannah;

Oregon answers cobras one species at a time. Four Naja species and the king cobra are noncontrolled, so they need no ODFW permit at all; the black-necked spitting cobra and the Cape cobra are prohibited; and any other cobra is unlisted, which OAR 635-056-0130(1) treats as barred. Whether a cobra is lawful depends entirely on which species it is. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well. 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: The allow-list. Wildlife on it may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported without an ODFW permit. It is long and written to genus or family with named exceptions, and it uses the taxonomy current when each entry was added rather than the current one.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 603-052-1320(1), (3), (7)

Invertebrate species listed as approved may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in Oregon without a permit from the Department. This applies only to stock collected within the continental United States. ... Emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator (education, pet). ... Live invertebrates not on the list of approved invertebrates in any life stage may not be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in the state unless a permit is first obtained from the Department.

Oregon runs two closed lists, and this animal is on the second one. ORS 496.004(19) defines wildlife as fish, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, feral swine, wild birds and wild mammals, so a terrestrial arthropod is outside the Fish and Wildlife rules entirely; the Department of Agriculture picks it up instead under its plant pest authority. Named to the species and marked for pet use, in a scorpion section that runs to more than a dozen entries including the fat-tailed scorpions and the deathstalker. The condition is a real one and easy to miss: the clearance applies only to stock collected within the continental United States, so an animal imported from abroad needs a Department permit even though the species is approved. Nothing on this list is unregulated; an invertebrate absent from it may not be possessed at all without a permit. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: Oregon's second closed list, run by the Department of Agriculture and covering terrestrial invertebrates, which the Fish and Wildlife rules never reach. Subsection (3) bars possessing any live invertebrate not on the list without a Department permit, and subsection (1) limits the clearance to stock collected within the continental United States. The list is long and written to species with the intended use in brackets, and most pet-trade arachnids, myriapods and roaches are on it. It does not apply to marine or aquatic invertebrates.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0060(4)(c)(C)

Milk, Pine, Corn, Rat, Garter snakes -- Colubridae -- All nonnative species of Milk, Pine, Corn, Rat, Garter;

The clearance is written for nonnative garter snakes only, and the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, is an Oregon native. So which animal it is decides the answer: a nonnative Thamnophis is cleared outright, and an Oregon one is not covered by this entry at all. Native wildlife falls outside this division, which by its own title governs nonnative wildlife, and lands instead under the ODFW protected wildlife and holding rules in OAR 635 division 44. Note also that the entry has been rewritten since it was last read here; it previously carved out Boiga irregularis, Lampropeltis getula, L. zonata and Pituophis catenifer, and now reads as a positive list of the five snake kinds. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The allow-list. Wildlife on it may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged or transported without an ODFW permit. It is long and written to genus or family with named exceptions, and it uses the taxonomy current when each entry was added rather than the current one.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 603-052-1320(1), (3), (7)

Invertebrate species listed as approved may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in Oregon without a permit from the Department. This applies only to stock collected within the continental United States. ... Giant African millipede, Archispirostreptus gigas (education, pet). ... Live invertebrates not on the list of approved invertebrates in any life stage may not be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in the state unless a permit is first obtained from the Department.

Oregon runs two closed lists, and this animal is on the second one. ORS 496.004(19) defines wildlife as fish, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, feral swine, wild birds and wild mammals, so a terrestrial arthropod is outside the Fish and Wildlife rules entirely; the Department of Agriculture picks it up instead under its plant pest authority. Named to the species and marked for pet use, alongside five other millipedes. Oregon is one of the few states that answers this animal by name in either direction. The condition is a real one and easy to miss: the clearance applies only to stock collected within the continental United States, so an animal imported from abroad needs a Department permit even though the species is approved. Nothing on this list is unregulated; an invertebrate absent from it may not be possessed at all without a permit. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: Oregon's second closed list, run by the Department of Agriculture and covering terrestrial invertebrates, which the Fish and Wildlife rules never reach. Subsection (3) bars possessing any live invertebrate not on the list without a Department permit, and subsection (1) limits the clearance to stock collected within the continental United States. The list is long and written to species with the intended use in brackets, and most pet-trade arachnids, myriapods and roaches are on it. It does not apply to marine or aquatic invertebrates.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 603-052-1320(1), (3), (7)

Invertebrate species listed as approved may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in Oregon without a permit from the Department. This applies only to stock collected within the continental United States. ... Madagascar hissing cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa (education, pet). ... Live invertebrates not on the list of approved invertebrates in any life stage may not be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in the state unless a permit is first obtained from the Department.

Oregon runs two closed lists, and this animal is on the second one. ORS 496.004(19) defines wildlife as fish, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, feral swine, wild birds and wild mammals, so a terrestrial arthropod is outside the Fish and Wildlife rules entirely; the Department of Agriculture picks it up instead under its plant pest authority. Named to the species and marked for pet use, in a roach section of nearly twenty entries that separates the hissing cockroaches from the pest species listed for education and research only. The condition is a real one and easy to miss: the clearance applies only to stock collected within the continental United States, so an animal imported from abroad needs a Department permit even though the species is approved. Nothing on this list is unregulated; an invertebrate absent from it may not be possessed at all without a permit. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: Oregon's second closed list, run by the Department of Agriculture and covering terrestrial invertebrates, which the Fish and Wildlife rules never reach. Subsection (3) bars possessing any live invertebrate not on the list without a Department permit, and subsection (1) limits the clearance to stock collected within the continental United States. The list is long and written to species with the intended use in brackets, and most pet-trade arachnids, myriapods and roaches are on it. It does not apply to marine or aquatic invertebrates.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0050(1)(d)(C)(ix); 0060(4)(c)(P); 635-044-0440

(ix) Rattlesnakes ... Viperidae ... All nonnative species and hybrids except Crotalus aquilus, C. basiliscus, C. durissus, C. intermedius, C. polystictus, C. pusillus, C. tortugensis, C. triseriatus, C. unicolor, and C. vegrandis;

Oregon splits the genus by species. Every nonnative rattlesnake is prohibited except ten Mexican, Central and South American species, which the noncontrolled list at 0060(4)(c)(P) names one by one and which need no ODFW permit. So a western diamondback is barred and a Mexican west coast rattlesnake (C. basiliscus) is not. Oregon's own western rattlesnake is native wildlife, which OAR 635-044-0440 bars capturing from the wild or holding except under the listed holding, scientific, rehabilitation and similar permits. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: The ban list, and the one to check before assuming a common pet is fine in Oregon. It reaches the prairie dog, the capybara, the southern flying squirrel, the tiger salamander, the snapping turtle and the whole of Trachemys, all of which are ordinary pet-trade animals elsewhere on this map.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 603-052-1320(1), (3), (7)

Invertebrate species listed as approved may be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in Oregon without a permit from the Department. This applies only to stock collected within the continental United States. ... Tarantulas, Family Theraphosidae (education, pet). ... Live invertebrates not on the list of approved invertebrates in any life stage may not be imported, possessed, sold, purchased, exchanged, transported, or released in the state unless a permit is first obtained from the Department.

Oregon runs two closed lists, and this animal is on the second one. ORS 496.004(19) defines wildlife as fish, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, feral swine, wild birds and wild mammals, so a terrestrial arthropod is outside the Fish and Wildlife rules entirely; the Department of Agriculture picks it up instead under its plant pest authority. Cleared at family level and marked for pet use, so no species question arises. The asterisked stock restriction on the two entries below it, the wolf spider and the orb weaver, which may come only from Pacific Northwest stock, does not apply to the tarantulas. The condition is a real one and easy to miss: the clearance applies only to stock collected within the continental United States, so an animal imported from abroad needs a Department permit even though the species is approved. Nothing on this list is unregulated; an invertebrate absent from it may not be possessed at all without a permit. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: Oregon's second closed list, run by the Department of Agriculture and covering terrestrial invertebrates, which the Fish and Wildlife rules never reach. Subsection (3) bars possessing any live invertebrate not on the list without a Department permit, and subsection (1) limits the clearance to stock collected within the continental United States. The list is long and written to species with the intended use in brackets, and most pet-trade arachnids, myriapods and roaches are on it. It does not apply to marine or aquatic invertebrates.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0460(5); 0470(3)

The burden of proof of the hybridity of a bobcat-cross or wolf-cross animal is the responsibility of the animal owner. A wolf is considered "pure-bred" when the animal's genetic and phenotypic makeup does not include any genetic material or characteristics of a domestic dog or other canine. ... Lack of sufficient proof of hybridity as determined by the Department will genetically classify the animal as a bobcat or wolf requiring a Wildlife Holding Permit or Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary Permit and regulation under the conditions of these rules

Oregon regulates the pure-bred wolf, defined as an animal with no dog genetics or characteristics at all, and since 0470(3) no new private permit for one is issued. A wolfdog is outside that, but only if the owner can prove it: pedigree and breeding records, acquisition records and sworn statements, with Department genetic testing possible. An animal the owner cannot prove is a hybrid is classified as a wolf, which no new private keeper may hold. Cities and counties regulate dogs and exotic animals on top.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

OAR 635-056-0130(1); OAR 635-056-0020(14)

For species that are not listed in these rules, no person may possess, import, purchase, sell, exchange, or offer to purchase, sell or exchange the species in Oregon.

Oregon appears to have exempted the wrong hamster. The not-wild list at OAR 635-056-0020(14) reads "Common Hamster — Cricetus cricetus", which is the European common hamster, a large wild burrowing rodent nobody keeps as a pet. The pet-shop animal is the Syrian or golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, and that binomial appears nowhere in the division: not on the not-wild list, not on the noncontrolled list, which clears the dwarf hamsters of the genus Phodopus, and not on the prohibited list, which names Calomyscus and Cricetulus. An unlisted mammal is not unregulated in Oregon; OAR 635-056-0130(1) bars possessing it. Read literally, the commonest small pet in the country cannot be kept here. Recorded unclear rather than banned because the exemption plainly means to reach the pet hamster and attaches the wrong name to it, and because pet hamsters are sold openly in Oregon. It is the clearest drafting slip found on this map, and the fix is one binomial. Oregon cities and counties may prohibit exotic animals by ordinance on top of state law, so check the municipality as well.

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

How this rule works: Subsection (1) is what makes Oregon a closed-list state: for species not listed in the rules, no person may possess, import, purchase, sell or exchange the species. An animal that is simply absent from all three lists is barred, not unregulated, and the only routes are a petition to the commission or a request to the director to classify it as Noncontrolled.

Checked against the published text on October 1, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0450(3), 0460(1), (4), (6)(a); 0470(4)

Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Wildlife Sanctuary Permit is required to hold species listed in 635-044-0460 and 635-044-0480.

Oregon's raccoon rule reads two ways. 0460(1) says raccoons in captivity require "a Wildlife Holding or Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Wildlife Sanctuary Permit", 0460(6)(a) caps a Wildlife Holding Permit at two raccoons, and 0460(4) requires the animal to come from an out-of-state USDA breeder, which reads as a live route for an individual. Against that, 0450(3) says an exhibitor or sanctuary permit is required to hold any 0460 species, 0470 is headed as the grandfathering of raccoons "legally held as pets" on January 20, 2017, and 0460(4)(d) and 0470(4) bar offering a raccoon for sale as a household pet in Oregon under ORS 498.029. A pet raccoon acquired since 2017 sits between those texts. A wild-caught one is barred by 0460(4)(b).

Existing owners: An animal legally held as a pet on January 20, 2017, with a Wildlife Holding Permit applied for by January 21, 2018, may be kept for its life under OAR 635-044-0470. It may not be bred, and may be transferred only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.

OAR 635-044-0450(3), 0460(1), (4), (6)(b); 0470(4)

Black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks held in captivity require a Wildlife Holding or Wildlife Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Wildlife Sanctuary Permit and associated fees paid for those species held.

The rule covers "Skunk (Mephitis spp.)" by genus and reads two ways, as the raccoon does. 0460(1) lists a Wildlife Holding Permit among the permits that cover a skunk and 0460(6)(b) writes sterilization conditions for held skunks, while 0450(3) says an exhibitor or sanctuary permit is required for any 0460 species, 0470 frames pets as grandfathered from January 20, 2017, and ORS 498.029 as cited in 0460(4)(d) bars offering a skunk for sale as a household pet in Oregon. Any skunk held must come from an out-of-state USDA breeder.

Existing owners: An animal legally held as a pet on January 20, 2017, with a Wildlife Holding Permit applied for by January 21, 2018, may be kept for its life under OAR 635-044-0470. It may not be bred, and may be transferred only to an AZA, exhibitor or sanctuary facility.

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

How this rule works: The ODFW division that answers Oregon's native carnivores, which neither ORS 609.305 nor division 56 reaches. 0460 requires a Wildlife Holding, Exhibitor/Animal Entertainment Industry or Sanctuary permit for black bears, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons and skunks, sourced from an out-of-state USDA breeder, and 0460(3) confines black bears, cougars, bobcats and wolves acquired after January 20, 2017, to AZA, exhibitor and sanctuary facilities. 0470 grandfathers pets legally held on January 20, 2017, whose owners applied by January 21, 2018. 0460(5) puts the burden of proving a wolf-cross or bobcat-cross is a hybrid on the owner. 0430(1)(a) protects every federally listed species. 0430, 0440, 0450 and 0470 are at the same address with their own rule numbers.

Checked against the published text on October 8, 2026.