States
Exotic pet laws for each US state — legal, permit, and banned species with statute citations.
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Exotic Pets Legal in California: The Full Banned & Legal List (2026)
California is the strictest US state for exotic pets: a statute-cited list of what is banned and what is legal under 14 CCR § 671 — ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, gerbils and axolotls out; guinea pigs, chinchillas, most snakes and parrots in.
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Exotic Pets Legal in Texas: The Full Permit, Registration & Ban List (2026)
Which exotic pets are legal in Texas, which need a permit, and which are effectively banned. Statute-cited: dangerous wild animals (HSC ch. 822), the rabies quarantine (25 TAC 169.34), and controlled snakes (PW Code 43.851).
The record
- 275
- entries published from primary sources
- 113
- legal without a state permit
- 44
- permit or licence required
- 108
- no lawful route to keep one
- 10
- unclear — sources conflict or could not be read
- 796
- not checked yet
Coverage by jurisdiction
How many of the animals in the record we have read for each state, and which way each one came out. A short row means we have not read that state yet — never that it has no rule.
| Jurisdiction | Read | Legal | Permit | Banned | Unclear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18/21 | Guinea pig, Chinchilla, Domestic rabbit | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk, Sugar glider, Fennec fox, Capybara, Prairie dog, Gerbil, Degu, Axolotl, Monk parakeet, Snapping turtle, Exotic venomous snakes | ||
| Texas | 12/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey, Sugar glider, Fennec fox, Capybara, Kinkajou, Axolotl | Bear | Raccoon, Skunk, Coyote | |
| Alabama | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon | Monkey, Skunk | |
| Alaska | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Arizona | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Arkansas | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Raccoon | Monkey | Skunk | |
| Colorado | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Connecticut | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Delaware | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Skunk | Raccoon | |
| District of Columbia | 5/21 | Ferret | Hedgehog, Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Florida | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Georgia | 5/21 | Ferret | Monkey | Hedgehog, Raccoon, Skunk | |
| Hawaii | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | |||
| Idaho | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Illinois | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon | Monkey, Skunk | |
| Indiana | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Iowa | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon | Skunk | |
| Kansas | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Kentucky | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Skunk | Monkey, Raccoon | |
| Louisiana | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Skunk | Monkey, Raccoon | |
| Maine | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Maryland | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Massachusetts | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | |
| Michigan | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Skunk | Raccoon | |
| Minnesota | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Mississippi | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | |
| Missouri | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon | Skunk | |
| Montana | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Nebraska | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon | Skunk | Monkey |
| Nevada | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| New Hampshire | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| New Jersey | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | |||
| New Mexico | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Skunk | Monkey, Raccoon | |
| New York | 5/21 | Ferret | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | Hedgehog | |
| North Carolina | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon | Skunk | |
| North Dakota | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | |
| Ohio | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon, Skunk | Monkey | |
| Oklahoma | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Oregon | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Pennsylvania | 5/21 | Ferret | Skunk | Hedgehog, Monkey, Raccoon | |
| Rhode Island | 5/21 | Hedgehog | Ferret | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | |
| South Carolina | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey, Skunk | Raccoon | ||
| South Dakota | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Skunk | Raccoon | Monkey | |
| Tennessee | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Utah | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon | Skunk | Monkey |
| Vermont | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon, Skunk | Monkey | |
| Virginia | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Washington | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| West Virginia | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Monkey, Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Wisconsin | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog, Monkey | Raccoon, Skunk | ||
| Wyoming | 5/21 | Ferret, Hedgehog | Raccoon, Skunk | Monkey |
Counted against 21 animals in the record.