Armadillos are not protected in Florida. The nine-banded armadillo is classified as a non-protected species, so it can be taken year-round with no bag limit, no closed season, and no permit for property owners dealing with damage.1eRegulations. Florida 2025-2026 Hunting Regulations A few specific rules govern how a trapped armadillo must be handled, and keeping one alive in captivity requires a permit, but the animal itself has no legal shield.
Why Armadillos Have No Protection
The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species in Florida, and it isn’t native. Populations arrived from the southwestern United States, some as early as the 1920s, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission now considers the species “naturalized,” meaning it has established self-sustaining populations across most of the state.2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Land Mammals – Armadillo
Because armadillos are neither native nor listed among Florida’s protected species, they get none of the protections that apply to black bears, deer, or migratory birds. Florida’s hunting regulations group them with house sparrows, common starlings, Norway rats, and house mice as non-protected species that may be taken throughout the year.1eRegulations. Florida 2025-2026 Hunting Regulations The nuisance wildlife rule in Florida Administrative Code 68A-9.010 also does not exclude armadillos from nuisance take.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 68A-9.010 – Taking Nuisance Wildlife
What You Can Do on Your Property
Property owners and wildlife trappers do not need to notify the FWC or obtain authorization to take armadillos from private property. Under 68A-9.010, an animal qualifies as nuisance wildlife when it causes or is about to cause property damage, threatens public safety, or creates an annoyance within, under, or upon a building. Armadillo rooting and burrowing meets that threshold for most homeowners.4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FAQs: Nuisance Wildlife
You can live-trap or humanely destroy a nuisance armadillo without a special permit, and you can authorize someone else to do it for you.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 68A-9.010 – Taking Nuisance Wildlife Firearms are legal, and armadillos are specifically exempt from Florida’s Gun and Light at Night Permit, so shooting them at night with artificial light does not require that permit.5Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Gun and Light Permit Local ordinances often restrict firearm discharge in residential areas, though, so check your county or city rules first.
Trapping is the other main option. The FWC notes that armadillos are difficult to catch with live traps.2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Land Mammals – Armadillo The FWC does not license nuisance wildlife control operators, but commercial removal services operate throughout Florida and handle armadillo jobs regularly.6Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Registration
Rules for Handling a Trapped Armadillo
This is where the regulations get specific. If you live-trap an armadillo, you must deal with it within 24 hours of capture or of inspecting the trap.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 68A-9.010 – Taking Nuisance Wildlife You have three choices:
- Euthanize the animal by a method that meets the standards of the American Veterinary Medical Association or the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians.
- Release it on-site where you caught it.
- Release it on a property of at least 40 contiguous acres in the same county as the capture, with written permission from that landowner.
The FWC cautions that relocating wildlife is seldom biologically sound and the animal often does not survive.2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Land Mammals – Armadillo If you accidentally catch a non-target animal like a raccoon or opossum, you must release it immediately at the capture site.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 68A-9.010 – Taking Nuisance Wildlife
Can You Keep an Armadillo as a Pet
Florida allows it, but with conditions. Armadillos fall into the Class III wildlife category, which covers non-domesticated animals not classified under the more restrictive Class I, Class II, Conditional, or Prohibited designations.7Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Class III Wildlife A permit is required to possess one, and the FWC’s caging standards in Florida Administrative Code 68A-6.0128 require enough space and substrate depth for digging, since burrowing is central to armadillo behavior.8Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Captive Wildlife Rules and Regulations
Possessing an armadillo without the required permit is a noncriminal infraction carrying a civil penalty of $50 for a first offense and $250 for a repeat offense, plus the permit fee. Failing to pay the fine or appear in court within 30 days escalates the violation to a second-degree misdemeanor.9The 2025 Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes 379.4015 – Penalties for Violations Relating to Captive Wildlife
Health Risks to Know Before You Handle One
The most significant risk is Hansen’s disease, commonly known as leprosy. The nine-banded armadillo is the only known nonhuman reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes it. A CDC study of leprosy patients in the southeastern United States found that 42 percent were infected with strains genetically linked to armadillos.10Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zoonotic Leprosy in the Southeastern United States
The overall risk stays low because leprosy is rare and not highly communicable, and interspecies transfer appears to be inefficient. The greatest exposure comes from direct contact with armadillo flesh, particularly for people who hunt or prepare them as food. The bacteria can also be shed into the environment through bodily secretions and may survive outside the animal for months.10Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zoonotic Leprosy in the Southeastern United States
Armadillos can also carry leptospirosis, spread through contaminated urine, soil, or water, and salmonella, spread through fecal contact. Both can cause serious illness in humans and pets. Wear gloves when handling armadillos or cleaning up after them, avoid bare-skin contact, and wash thoroughly afterward.