⚖️ Where Are Snakes Legal? A State-by-State Guide

Snakes are amazing pets — but they're not legal everywhere. Here's where snakes are banned or restricted in the US, Canada, and around the world. Laws change and cities add their own rules, so always confirm with your state, province, and city before bringing one home.

US states with bans or restrictions

• Hawaii — Banned. Hawaii's islands evolved with no native snakes, so any snake is treated as a serious invasive threat to native birds and wildlife. The state agriculture department warns that illegal possession can bring fines up to $200,000 and up to three years in prison, and its amnesty program lets owners surrender an illegal animal with no penalty before an investigation starts. See the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture & Biosecurity.
• Georgia — Corn snakes banned as pets. Georgia doesn't allow listed native species to be kept as pets "regardless of origin or morphology," and its list includes corn snakes (captive-bred color morphs too), the native kingsnakes (eastern, black, mole, and scarlet), eastern and southern hognose snakes, rat snakes, milk snakes, pine snakes, and garter snakes. Venomous snakes are on its list of regulated wild animals that need a state license. Non-native pets such as ball pythons aren't on these lists. See Georgia DNR.
• New Jersey — Permit needed for most snakes. New Jersey requires a state possession permit for pythons (ball pythons included), rat snakes, kingsnakes, racers, and boas other than the boa constrictor. Corn snakes are a state-endangered species, so only certain listed color morphs may be kept or sold. See NJ Fish & Wildlife (N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.3).
• Delaware — Permit needed for all exotic snakes. Delaware requires a $25 exotic animal permit, good for three years, for any non-native snake, ball pythons included; its list of exempt pets has no snakes on it. Native snakes can be permitted only if they're captive-bred with a non-native color variation. Some counties go further: unincorporated Kent County bans boas, pythons, and venomous snakes, and New Castle County bars them on residential lots under one acre. See the Delaware Dept. of Agriculture.
• Florida — Large constrictors banned. Burmese (Indian), reticulated, Northern and Southern African, amethystine, and scrub pythons and all four anacondas are on Florida's Prohibited list; only people who held a reptile-of-concern license for one before July 1, 2010 may keep it. Venomous snakes need an FWC venomous reptile license. Common pets like corn snakes and ball pythons aren't on the Prohibited list. See the FWC Prohibited Species List.
• New York — Big constrictors and venomous banned. New York State law treats all venomous snakes and the Burmese, Indian, reticulated, African rock, and amethystine pythons and green and yellow anacondas as wild animals that can't be kept as pets (Environmental Conservation Law §11-0103). New York City goes further: its Health Code (§161.01) bans every boa and python — ball pythons and boa constrictors included — plus venomous and rear-fanged venomous snakes. Non-venomous colubrids like corn snakes and kingsnakes are allowed. See NY ECL §11-0103 and the NYC Health Code.
• Alabama — Native kingsnakes need a permit. Alabama protects its native kingsnakes (eastern, scarlet, and the other native Lampropeltis), pine snakes, eastern indigo snakes, and southern hognose snakes: you need a state permit to keep, sell, or breed one (Ala. Admin. Code r. 220-2-.92). Alabama also bans non-native venomous snakes (hognose snakes excepted) and every snake the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service lists as injurious, such as Burmese and reticulated pythons and anacondas (r. 220-2-.26). Corn snakes and ball pythons aren't on either list.
• Ohio — Permit for venomous and giant snakes. Ohio's Dangerous Wild Animal Act makes vipers, cobras and other elapids, boomslangs, twig snakes, and listed anacondas and pythons 12 feet or longer "restricted snakes," which need a state restricted snake possession permit. See Ohio Rev. Code §935.01.
• Texas — Permit for venomous and giant snakes. Texas requires a Controlled Exotic Snake Permit to keep any non-native venomous snake or an African rock, Asiatic rock (Indian), Burmese, reticulated, or Southern African python or a green anaconda. Corn snakes, kingsnakes, and ball pythons aren't covered. See Texas Parks & Wildlife.
• Massachusetts — Permit for venomous and giant snakes. Massachusetts lets you keep most boas and pythons and common colubrids (corn snakes, kingsnakes, milk snakes) without a permit, but venomous snakes, African rock pythons, reticulated pythons, and anacondas need a MassWildlife permit. See 321 CMR 9.01.
• Louisiana — Permit for venomous and giant snakes. Louisiana requires a state permit to keep any constrictor over 8 feet long (the law names species such as Burmese, reticulated, and African rock pythons, boa constrictors, and anacondas) and any venomous snake. A venomous-snake permit also needs at least 500 hours of documented experience. See the LA Wildlife & Fisheries restricted snake rules (R.S. 56:632.5.1; LAC 76:XV.101).

Other countries with bans or restrictions

• New Zealand — All snakes banned. New Zealand has no native land snakes, and snakes are prohibited new organisms under its Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, so they can't be imported or kept, and any snake sighting should be reported. See the NZ EPA.
• Iceland — Snakes banned as pets. Iceland bans animal imports unless they're specifically allowed, and its pet-import regulation (No. 935/2004) covers only rabbits, small rodents, cage birds, and aquarium animals — no reptiles. See Regulation 935/2004.
• Singapore — All snakes banned. Singapore's Animal & Veterinary Service allows only a short list of reptiles as pets, and lists all species of snakes as not approved. See the AVS pet list.

Snakes by US state

Find your state below. "No statewide ban" is not the same as "allowed where you live" — cities, counties, landlords and HOAs add their own rules on top of state law, and those are what catch most families out. Where a state is restricted, the reason is in the list above.

The real restrictions: venomous snakes and big constrictors

In most of the US, the question isn't "are snakes legal?" but "which snakes?" Common pet snakes are widely allowed (Georgia, New Jersey, and Delaware are the big exceptions above); the tighter rules focus on two groups:

• Large constrictors. Eight big constrictors — including the Burmese python, reticulated python, and green anaconda — are listed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as "injurious wildlife." That bans importing them into the US and shipping them between the mainland and Hawaii, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or the US territories (50 CFR 16.15, listed in 2012 and 2015). Since a 2017 federal appeals court ruling (USARK v. Zinke), it doesn't stop people owning them or moving them between mainland states — state law decides that. Florida, New York, and Alabama go further and ban keeping them as pets (Florida FWC). The everyday pet boa constrictor is not on the federal list.
• Venomous snakes. Many states ban private venomous-snake keeping or allow it only with a special license. New York bans them as pets and Alabama bans non-native ones, Georgia regulates them as wild animals that need a state license, and Florida, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Louisiana require a permit. Louisiana's venomous permit also needs at least 500 hours of documented experience.

What about California? California is strict on exotics, but it does not ban common pet snakes — ball pythons, corn snakes, kingsnakes, and boa constrictors are all legal statewide. Its restricted-species list (Cal. Code Regs. Title 14 §671) covers cobras and other elapids, vipers, non-native pit vipers, boomslangs, twig snakes, and water snakes. Native snakes follow separate rules: you can't keep one taken from the wild, but captive-bred California kingsnakes and gophersnakes from a permitted breeder are allowed — keep the bill of sale (§43).

Snakes in Canada

Canada has no national pet-snake law — it's a patchwork of provincial rules and, mostly, city bylaws. Many cities ban venomous snakes and constrictors over a set length. Toronto, for instance, bans all snakes that grow longer than 3 metres (about 10 feet) and all venomous snakes, so corn snakes and ball pythons are fine but big constrictors aren't (City of Toronto). Always check your own municipality.

Sources and when we checked them

We checked each rule on this page against the official source below on October 20, 2026. Laws change; if a source has been updated since, it wins.

• Federal: 50 CFR 16.15 (constrictors listed 2012 and 2015); USARK v. Zinke, D.C. Cir. 2017.
• Hawaii: Dept. of Agriculture & Biosecurity penalties and amnesty pages.
• Georgia: DNR legal-pets list.
• New Jersey: N.J.A.C. 7:25-4.3; Fish & Wildlife permit list (2021).
• Delaware: Dept. of Agriculture exotic-animal page and exempt list (3 Del. C. §7201).
• Florida: FWC Prohibited Species List (rule changes approved Feb. 25, 2021).
• New York: ECL §11-0103; NYC Health Code §161.01.
• Alabama: Ala. Admin. Code r. 220-2-.26 and 220-2-.92 (both amended effective Oct. 15, 2026).
• Louisiana: R.S. 56:632.5.1; LAC 76:XV.101 (LDWF restricted snake rules).
• Ohio: Rev. Code §935.01. Texas: TPWD Controlled Exotic Snake Permit. Massachusetts: 321 CMR 9.01.
• California: 14 CCR §§671, 43. Toronto: Animals Bylaw, ch. 349. Singapore: AVS pet list. Iceland: Regulation 935/2004. New Zealand: HSNO Act.

Everywhere else

In places not listed above, snakes are generally legal to keep as pets — but counties and cities sometimes add their own restrictions, and a few places require permits. A quick call to local animal control (or a search for "snake laws" plus your city) is always worth it before you fall in love with one.

How to check the rules where you live

1. Check your state or province first — that's the list above. Laws change, so confirm with the official wildlife or agriculture department.
2. Then check your city or county. Local governments often add their own pet rules on top of state law, even where snakes are legal statewide.
3. Ask about permits. Some places allow snakes only with a permit or license — a quick call to local animal control will tell you.
4. Renters and HOAs: your lease or homeowners' association can restrict pets that your state actually allows.

When in doubt, confirm before you bring one home — it's far easier than having to rehome a pet later.

Legal where you live? Next steps

• Read the snake care guide: the real costs, the daily care and the honest downsides.
• See the snake setup checklist: setup usually runs $150–$900 up front.
• Take the "Am I ready?" check before you commit.

❓ Common questions about snake laws