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Exotic pet laws by state

"Can I legally own one here?" is the first question with any exotic pet, and the answer changes at every state line. This matrix maps 18 popular exotics across all 50 states. A coloured cell means a state rule or agency page we opened says so: allowed, permit needed, or banned. Find your state, check your animal, then always confirm with your state and city before you buy.

This is a plain-English summary for orientation, not legal advice, and exotic pet law is a moving target: states amend it, and counties and cities (New York City, Washington DC and others) add their own bans on top. A pale "no ban found" cell means only that we found no state-level ban: we have not read every state's rules, and some states work the other way round and allow only the animals on an approved list. It is not a clearance for your address. Always verify with your state wildlife or agriculture agency and local ordinances first.

Allowed (named in the state's rule) No ban found (not a clearance) Permit or conditions Banned Check with the agency
Type a state to highlight its row.
State FerretHedgehogSugar gliderChinchillaDeguGerbilAxolotlLeopard geckoCrested geckoBearded dragonBall pythonCorn snakeGreen iguanaRussian tortoiseRed-eared sliderTarantulaHermit crabPraying mantis
Alabama ------------------
Alaska ✓✓B✓B✓-✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓---
Arizona ------------------
Arkansas ------------------
California BBB✓BBB-----------
Colorado ------------------
Connecticut ------------------
Delaware ------------------
Florida ------------B-P---
Georgia PBP--------?------
Hawaii BBBPBBPBBBBBBPPBB?
Idaho ------------------
Illinois ------------------
Indiana ------------------
Iowa ------------------
Kansas ------------------
Kentucky ------------------
Louisiana ------------------
Maine ?????????????????B
Maryland ------------------
Massachusetts -✓✓✓✓----✓-✓✓-P---
Michigan ------------------
Minnesota ------------------
Mississippi ------------------
Missouri ------------------
Montana ------------------
Nebraska ------------------
Nevada ------------------
New Hampshire ------------------
New Jersey PPPPP✓BPPPPP✓PP---
New Mexico ???????????????---
New York ------------------
North Carolina ------------------
North Dakota ------------------
Ohio ------------------
Oklahoma ------------------
Oregon --------------B---
Pennsylvania -BB---------------
Rhode Island ------------------
South Carolina ------------------
South Dakota ------------------
Tennessee ------------------
Texas ------------------
Utah ------------------
Vermont ------------------
Virginia ------✓-----------
Washington ------------------
West Virginia ------------------
Wisconsin ------------------
Wyoming ------------------

The notable restrictions, species by species

Ferret

Illegal in California and Hawaii. New Jersey requires a possession permit, and Georgia allows only neutered, rabies-vaccinated ferrets. New York City's health code bans them, while Washington DC names ferrets among the pets it allows.

Hedgehog

Banned in California, Georgia, Hawaii and Pennsylvania, and New Jersey requires a permit. New York City's health code bans them, and Washington DC's list of allowed pets does not include them. Alaska and Massachusetts name the African pygmy hedgehog as allowed.

Sugar glider

Banned in California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Alaska. Georgia allows them only with proof that the animal came from a USDA-regulated source, and New Jersey requires a permit. New York City's health code bans them. Massachusetts names the sugar glider as exempt from its permit.

Chinchilla

Widely kept. California's restricted-species rule names domesticated chinchillas as not restricted, and Alaska and Massachusetts list them as allowed. Hawaii puts them on its conditionally approved list, which means an import permit, and New Jersey requires a possession permit.

Degu

Illegal in California (a restricted rodent) and Hawaii, and not on Alaska's list of approved pets, which that state treats as a ban. New Jersey requires a permit. Massachusetts names the degu as exempt from its permit.

Gerbil

A surprise to many: gerbils are banned in California and Hawaii. Alaska's approved list and New Jersey's exempt list both name them.

Axolotl

Illegal in California, whose restricted-species rule lists the genus Ambystoma, and in New Jersey. Hawaii puts the axolotl on its conditionally approved list, which means an import permit. Virginia has allowed them without a permit since August 1, 2021.

Leopard gecko

A very widely kept beginner reptile. Hawaii prohibits geckos, and New Jersey requires a permit for every gecko except the tokay.

Crested gecko

Hawaii prohibits geckos, and New Jersey requires a permit for every gecko except the tokay.

Bearded dragon

Hawaii names bearded dragon lizards among the animals private owners may not have. New Jersey requires a permit. Massachusetts names bearded dragons as exempt from its permit.

Ball python

Hawaii bans all snakes, and New Jersey requires a permit for pythons. New York City's health code bans every member of the python family.

Corn snake

Hawaii bans all snakes, and New Jersey requires a permit for rat snakes. Georgia's rules on native snakes may apply to the corn snake, so check with its agency.

Green iguana

Hawaii does not admit it. Florida put green iguanas on its Prohibited list in 2021: no new pet iguanas, and only animals owned before the rule may be kept, under a no-cost permit. New York City's health code bans the iguana family. New Jersey and Massachusetts name the common iguana as exempt.

Russian tortoise

Hawaii puts Testudo tortoises on its conditionally approved list, which means an import permit, and New Jersey requires a possession permit.

Red-eared slider

Oregon prohibits red-eared sliders outright. Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey require a permit, and Florida restricts them as invasive. Since 1975 it has been illegal in the United States to sell turtles with shells under 4 inches long.

Tarantula

Hawaii does not list tarantulas among the animals it admits. New York City's health code names the tarantula among prohibited animals.

Hermit crab

Widely sold, with one clear exception: Hawaii's prohibited list names the land hermit crab.

Praying mantis

Rules depend on the species and the state. Maine's wildlife agency says the sale of praying mantids is prohibited there. Ask your state agriculture department before buying a non-native species.

Two states stand out. Hawaii admits only animals on its approved lists and names ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, geckos, bearded dragon lizards, hermit crabs and all snakes among those private owners may not have. California restricts whole orders of mammals, which takes in ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, gerbils and degus. Thinking about one of these animals? Read its full care guide first - many are a bigger commitment than they look. Browse the exotic and small-pet profiles, and see how long each lives on the pet lifespan chart.

Maine: Maine works from an allow-list: its wildlife agency says a species that is not on the Unrestricted Species List is automatically prohibited without a permit. We could not read the current list for mammals, reptiles and amphibians, so every cell here says "check".

New Mexico: New Mexico's rule makes it unlawful to bring any live non-domesticated animal into the state without a permit unless the species is in group I of the Game and Fish importation list. We could not open that list, so these cells say "check".

The official state agency is always the authority.

Where each entry comes from

Coloured cells were checked on 10 October 2026 against the rule or agency page listed for that state; the exceptions are named under the list.

Alaska: the Department of Fish and Game says a mammal, bird or reptile that is not on its Clean List may not be imported or kept as a pet, and that it cannot issue a permit for one. Sugar gliders and degus are not on that list.

Hawaii: the state publishes the lists of animals that may come in with a permit. Hedgehogs, sugar gliders, degus, green iguanas and tarantulas are on none of them, and we show them as banned on that basis.

New Jersey: the rule requires a permit for any exotic mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian that is not on its exempt list, so every animal here that is not exempt shows as "permit".

The agency pages for Georgia and Pennsylvania would not open from our location on that date. Those entries, the New Jersey axolotl entry and the Florida red-eared slider entry rest on search excerpts of the agency pages, so treat them with extra care.

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