Exotic pet laws in Pennsylvania

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.10(a)

Woodland box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) | No open season | 0 | 0

Pennsylvania's native box turtle is the woodland box turtle, and the table gives it no open season and a daily and possession limit of zero, so it cannot lawfully be taken here. The other route is closed too: § 79.10(a) makes it unlawful to transport or import into or within Pennsylvania a native species from another jurisdiction, and § 79.10(b) makes it unlawful to receive one, so an out-of-state breeder is not an answer either. A Terrapene that is not Pennsylvania native, such as the ornate box turtle, falls outside Chapter 79 altogether, but the eastern box turtle people usually mean is barred both ways.

Existing owners: A one-time permit under § 79.4 let anyone already holding an animal on January 1, 2007 keep it for the rest of its life, but applications closed on June 30, 2007 and no ongoing permit route replaced it.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 137.1(a)(10), (11), 137.31(a)

It is unlawful for a person to possess live wildlife taken from a wild state within this Commonwealth

The southern flying squirrel is a Pennsylvania native wild mammal, so it is wildlife under 34 Pa.C.S. § 102 and both routes into a home are closed. Taking one here is barred by § 137.31(a), whose only exception is a permit to hold up to five foxes for urine collection. Buying one from out of state is barred by § 137.1(a)(11), which prohibits possessing wildlife captive bred in another state, and § 137.1(a)(10) covers wildlife taken alive from the wild. Unlike the small exotic mammals, this one does not rest on an agency reading of an open-ended definition. A native squirrel is squarely what the Game Code was written for.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

34 Pa.C.S. § 2961

all bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and any crossbreed of these animals which have similar characteristics in appearance or features

No hedgehog appears in the definition, or anything resembling one. The ban is the Game Commission's reading of includes, but is not limited to. House co-sponsorship memo 44994, filed by Rep. David Zimmerman in January 2025 to legalise hedgehogs and sugar gliders, describes it the same way: they are banned through the Commission's regulations and their interpretation of Title 34. Versions of that bill have been introduced every session since 2017 without passing.

How this rule works: The definition names bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and their crossbreeds, and none of the animals in this dataset. The entire prohibition rests on four words earlier in the sentence, includes, but is not limited to, which the Game Commission reads as reaching small exotic mammals. That is an agency interpretation of a definition rather than anything a legislature wrote about these species, which is why bills to reverse it keep being introduced.

Checked against the published text on 4 August 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(9)

The Monk Parakeet, Myiopsitts monachus , sometimes referred to as the Quaker Parakeet or Gray-headed Parakeet.

Named outright, which makes this one of the few Pennsylvania exotic pet answers that needs no interpretation at all: import, possession, sale, offering for sale and release are each unlawful. The scientific name is misspelled in the official text, which prints Myiopsitts for Myiopsitta. This is the only parrot Pennsylvania designates, and the designation is what brings the species inside the Game Code, since 34 Pa.C.S. § 102 otherwise limits wild birds to federally listed migratory birds and game birds.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

34 Pa.C.S. § 2961

all bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and any crossbreed of these animals which have similar characteristics in appearance or features

Same agency interpretation as the hedgehog, and the same pending bill covers both. A marsupial has nothing in common with any animal the definition names.

How this rule works: The definition names bears, coyotes, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, wolves and their crossbreeds, and none of the animals in this dataset. The entire prohibition rests on four words earlier in the sentence, includes, but is not limited to, which the Game Commission reads as reaching small exotic mammals. That is an agency interpretation of a definition rather than anything a legislature wrote about these species, which is why bills to reverse it keep being introduced.

Checked against the published text on 4 August 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(1)

In the family Felidae . Species and subspecies, except species which are commonly called house cats which may be possessed but not released into the wild.

The Felidae line is a whole-family prohibition with one exception, house cats, and a serval is not a house cat. The route out is the exotic wildlife possession permit under 34 Pa.C.S. § 2963 and 58 Pa. Code Ch. 147 Subchapter N, and it is written around facilities rather than pet homes: a separate permit for each animal, and a new applicant must document two years of hands-on work with the species at a recognized or approved facility, with a letter of reference from its owner or manager. The 2005 Joint State Government Commission report on exotic wildlife in Pennsylvania lists the serval among the lesser cats given minimum cage specifications, which confirms the Commission treats it as exotic wildlife rather than leaving it to the catch-all.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.9, 79.10(a)

Native species not listed in this subsection | No closed season | 1 | 1

Corrected from legal. The common garter snake is Pennsylvania native and is not tabled by name, so the catch-all line caps possession at one animal. Two further rules bind that the previous entry missed. § 79.10(a) makes it unlawful to transport or import a native species into Pennsylvania from another jurisdiction, so an out-of-state garter snake is not an option, and § 79.9 bars selling or buying a reptile taken from Pennsylvania and its progeny. The designated color morphs at § 79.12 are the exception, exempt from the possession limit and sellable by registered propagators. Note that two Pennsylvania gartersnakes, the short-headed gartersnake and the eastern ribbonsnake, are tabled separately at zero.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.10(a)

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake ( Heterodon platirhinos ) | No open season | 0 | 0

The condition is which hognose. The eastern hognose is Pennsylvania native, gets no open season and a zero limit, and cannot be imported from another jurisdiction under § 79.10(a), so it can be neither taken nor bought. The western hognose, Heterodon nasicus, which is what the pet trade almost always sells, is not on the Commission's native species list and so falls outside Chapter 79 entirely. Nearly every hognose in a Pennsylvania shop is lawful and the one in the field is not.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.9, 79.10(a)

Native species not listed in this subsection | No closed season | 1 | 1

Note corrected. The one-per-species cap is right, but the previous entry read § 79.4 as a general permit requirement for continued possession regardless of origin. That section is a one-time grandfather permit for animals already held on January 1, 2007, and its application window closed on June 30, 2007. The rules that actually bind a milk snake today are § 79.10(a), which makes importing a native species from another jurisdiction unlawful, and § 79.9, which bars selling or buying a reptile taken from Pennsylvania and its progeny. Designated color morphs are exempt under § 79.12, which is how most captive-bred milk snakes are lawfully sold here.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.5, 79.10(a)

Common snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ) | July 1 to October 31 | 15 | 30

The only turtle in the table with a real open season, and personal possession of up to 30 needs no permit. Three conditions bind. The animal has to be taken in season, taking requires a fishing license, and § 79.5 requires an annual permit before anyone may take, catch, kill or possess snapping turtles for sale, barter or trade. Then § 79.10(a) bars importing a native species from another jurisdiction, so a Pennsylvania snapping turtle has to come from your own lawful take rather than a seller in another state.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code §§ 79.3(h), 79.10(a)

Native species not listed in this subsection | No closed season | 1 | 1

Ambystoma tigrinum sits on the Fish and Boat Commission's own native species list even though it is considered extirpated here, because § 79.1 defines a native species by whether it occurs historically in Pennsylvania rather than whether it still does. It is not tabled by name, so the catch-all line applies and the limit is one animal, and § 79.10(a) bars importing a native species from another jurisdiction. Check what you are actually buying, because most pet-trade tiger salamanders are the barred tiger salamander, Ambystoma mavortium, a western species absent from Pennsylvania's native list and therefore outside Chapter 79.

How this rule works: Official Pennsylvania Code text; the catch-all 'native species not listed' line sets a 1-per-day/1-in-possession limit, and companion §79.4 requires a permit for continued possession regardless of the animal's origin.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(1)

In the family Felidae . Species and subspecies, except species which are commonly called house cats which may be possessed but not released into the wild.

Genuinely unresolved, and the ambiguity is structural. The Bengal is a cross between the domestic cat and the Asian leopard cat, so it sits on both sides of this line at once: the opening sentence of § 137.1(a) prohibits a crossbreed or hybrid of the listed animals which are similar in appearance, while the Felidae line exempts species commonly called house cats. Nothing in the regulation names a filial generation, a percentage of wild ancestry, or the Bengal itself, so an early generation animal and a late generation one get the same silent text. Rendered grey rather than guessed.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(11)

Game or wild held captive . Game or wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

The capybara is named nowhere in Pennsylvania law. What arguably reaches it is this catch-all, which bars possessing wildlife captive bred in another state, read together with 34 Pa.C.S. § 102, where wild animals means every mammal except horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. That is the same reading the Game Commission uses to ban hedgehogs and sugar gliders, and it is an agency interpretation of a definition rather than a rule anyone wrote about this species. Recorded unclear rather than banned because no text names the animal.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(11)

Game or wild held captive . Game or wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

The degu is named nowhere in Pennsylvania law. What arguably reaches it is this catch-all, which bars possessing wildlife captive bred in another state, read together with 34 Pa.C.S. § 102, where wild animals means every mammal except horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. That is the same reading the Game Commission uses to ban hedgehogs and sugar gliders, and it is an agency interpretation of a definition rather than a rule anyone wrote about this species. Recorded unclear rather than banned because no text names the animal.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(2), (11)

In the family Canidae . Species and subspecies of the coyote, the red and gray fox and a full-blooded wolf or crossbreed thereof not licensed by the Department of Agriculture.

The Canidae line is species-specific and reaches only the coyote, the red fox, the gray fox and the wolf. The fennec fox is none of them. What arguably reaches it instead is the catch-all at § 137.1(a)(11) barring possession of wildlife captive bred in another state, since 34 Pa.C.S. § 102 makes every mammal but livestock a wild animal. Same agency interpretation that bans hedgehogs and sugar gliders, and no Pennsylvania text names the fennec fox, so this is recorded unclear rather than banned.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.

58 Pa. Code § 137.1(a)(11)

Game or wild held captive . Game or wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

The prairie dog is named nowhere in Pennsylvania law. What arguably reaches it is this catch-all, which bars possessing wildlife captive bred in another state, read together with 34 Pa.C.S. § 102, where wild animals means every mammal except horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. That is the same reading the Game Commission uses to ban hedgehogs and sugar gliders, and it is an agency interpretation of a definition rather than a rule anyone wrote about this species. Recorded unclear rather than banned because no text names the animal.

How this rule works: The Game Commission's actual prohibited list, and the document most Pennsylvania exotic pet questions turn on rather than the § 2961 definition. Eleven categories, of which three matter most here: all Felidae except house cats, the monk parakeet by name, and a catch-all barring possession of any wildlife held in captivity or captive bred in another state or nation.

Checked against the published text on 5 September 2026.