What animals are illegal to own in Pennsylvania?

Matt Benedetto
·4 min read

(WHTM) – Most people will have dogs and cats as pets, but others want snakes, spiders, or turtles as pets. So what animals are illegal to own in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania laws on exotic pets can be complicated and confusing and include some animals you may believe are legal to have.

According to Pennsylvania code § 137.1, “It is unlawful for a person to import, possess, sell, offer for sale or release within this Commonwealth the following wild animals or wild birds or the eggs of the birds or a crossbreed or hybrid of the wild animals or wild birds, which are similar in appearance.”

Did you know Pennsylvania is home to the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States?

The following are banned from owning (notes if the animal is legal with a permit):

Monkeys (Legal with permit)

Portrait of monkey. Close-up monkey have a rest. Fooling around. Eating bananas. Thailand
Portrait of monkey. Close-up monkey have a rest. Fooling around. Eating bananas. Thailand

Skunks (Legal with approval from PA Game Commission)

Bats (Legal with permit)

Bears (Legal with permit)

Wild American Black Bear Cub in Ontario, Canada.
Wild American Black Bear Cub in Ontario, Canada.

Bobcats (Legal with permit)

BOBCAT (FELIS RUFUS) ON SNOWY GROUND. UINTA NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH. H
BOBCAT (FELIS RUFUS) ON SNOWY GROUND. UINTA NATIONAL FOREST, UTAH. H

Foxes (All species legal with permit)

This is a portrait taken of a red fox kit in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
This is a portrait taken of a red fox kit in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

Coyotes (Legal with permit)

Canada, North America
Canada, North America

Lions (Legal with permit)

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Tigers (Legal with permit)

A young Siberian tiger posing on the top of a big rock
A young Siberian tiger posing on the top of a big rock

Leopards (Legal with permit)

Cheetahs (Legal with permit)

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Cheetah using termite mound as a vantage point. Can reach top speeds of up to 120 km/hr over short distances. Endangered species. Dist. Africa & Middle East.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Cheetah using termite mound as a vantage point. Can reach top speeds of up to 120 km/hr over short distances. Endangered species. Dist. Africa & Middle East.

Cougars (Legal with permit)

Cougar rescued as a cub in Cornville, Arizona. Living happily at Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona
Cougar rescued as a cub in Cornville, Arizona. Living happily at Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona

Porcupines (Legal with permit)

Quilly Bob Thorton, a male porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) from Triple D Game Farm in Kallispell, Montana. Photographed in southern Utah.
Quilly Bob Thorton, a male porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) from Triple D Game Farm in Kallispell, Montana. Photographed in southern Utah.

Lynx (Legal with permit)

Bobcat, Felis rufus, Uinta National Forest, Utah, USA
Bobcat, Felis rufus, Uinta National Forest, Utah, USA

Hedgehogs (Legal with permit)

Hedgehog sitting on green grass.
Hedgehog sitting on green grass.

Squirrels

Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis) eating nut.
Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis) eating nut.

Chipmunks

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus). Spend winter sleeping in burrow well stocked with seeds and nuts. Do not hibernate like ground squirrels. Michigan
Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus). Spend winter sleeping in burrow well stocked with seeds and nuts. Do not hibernate like ground squirrels. Michigan

Sugar Gliders

A very cute sugar glider
A very cute sugar glider

Game birds (wild turkeys, crows, ruffed grouse, etc.)

Raccoons (Legal with approval from PA Game Commission)

Shot of this Raccoon taken at North Lake in GG Park.
Shot of this Raccoon taken at North Lake in GG Park.

Opossums (Legal with approval from PA Game Commission)

An Opossum mom was walking under the hedges with her brood.
An Opossum mom was walking under the hedges with her brood.

Minks (Legal with approval from PA Game Commission)

A cute but fierce little mink on a frozen river in the boreal forest near Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan, in Prince Albert National Park.
A cute but fierce little mink on a frozen river in the boreal forest near Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan, in Prince Albert National Park.

Muskrat

Muskrat eating grass taken in southern MN in the wild
Muskrat eating grass taken in southern MN in the wild

Monk Parakeet

Serval (Legal with permit)

Serval portrait (Felis (Leptailurus) serval). Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Sep 2011.
Serval portrait (Felis (Leptailurus) serval). Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Sep 2011.

Otters (Legal with permit)

Wolves

After eating a deer, a gray wolf pauses with piece of hair from the deer stuck on its nose. This wolf is one of the captive wolves located in the Carlo Avery Wolf Colony.
After eating a deer, a gray wolf pauses with piece of hair from the deer stuck on its nose. This wolf is one of the captive wolves located in the Carlo Avery Wolf Colony.

Endangered Animals

In 2017, House Bill 1273 was introduced by Rep. David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster and Berks) which if passed would make owning hedgehogs and sugar gliders legal. In 2018, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives rejected the bill in a 120-71 vote.

Although, those who wish to own exotic pets can receive a permit to do so. According to PA code § 2963, “Authorization.–The commission may issue permits to persons to possess exotic wildlife which shall authorize the holder to purchase, receive or possess exotic wildlife from any lawful source from within or without this Commonwealth.”

Multiple bills in Pennsylvania would restrict, ban firearms

The penalty for not gaining a permit and “owning” an exotic pet is the following:

  • A violation of this section relating to permits is a summary offense of the third degree.

  • Any other violation of this section is a summary offense of the fifth degree.

  • Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense, but under no circumstances shall the accumulated penalty for purposes of a field receipt exceed $300. There shall be no limit on any accumulated penalty a court may assess.

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To get information on how to get a permit to own an exotic pet in Pennsylvania, call the Pennsylvania Game Commission Special Permits Enforcement Division at 717-783-8164.

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