Can you own a monkey in Nebraska? Sometimes, but the path is narrow. Nebraska has no statewide ban on every primate species, yet three separate layers of law decide whether you can actually keep one: a city ordinance in Omaha or Lincoln will stop you outright, federal rules prohibit importing a monkey as a pet, and the state’s Captive Wildlife Permit system was built around native wildlife rather than primates. Legal ownership generally means living outside the two big cities, buying from a domestic breeder, and getting the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to agree your species qualifies.
Omaha and Lincoln Ban Primates Outright
If you live in Nebraska’s two largest cities, the question is already answered. Omaha’s Municipal Code bans keeping any wild or exotic animal within city limits and names non-human primates first on the prohibited list, specifically calling out monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, baboons, and lemurs. There is no permit holder exception.1City of Omaha. Omaha Municipal Code Chapter 6 – Animals
Lincoln takes the same approach. Its animal control code classifies all members of the order Primates as wild animals and prohibits keeping, maintaining, or possessing them inside city limits.2Lincoln Municipal Code. Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 6.04 – Animal Control Regulations, Generally – Section 6.04.020 Unusual and Wild Animals Prohibited A state-issued permit does not override a local ban. Violating one of these ordinances typically means impoundment of the animal and municipal fines.
Residents of smaller cities and unincorporated areas aren’t automatically clear. Many Nebraska municipalities pattern their codes on Omaha’s or Lincoln’s, so check with your local animal control or city clerk before you commit to anything.
Some Primates Are Off-Limits Everywhere in the State
Even in a town with no local primate ban, certain species cannot be privately owned. Nebraska’s Nongame Endangered Species Conservation Act prohibits possessing, transporting, or selling any wildlife designated as endangered or threatened, and Section 37-477 extends the state’s permit requirement to those listings.3Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 37-477 – Certain Animals Kept in Captivity; Permit Required; Exceptions; Rules and Regulations Many primates carry federal endangered or threatened status, which pulls them into this prohibition. Great apes — chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans — fall squarely in. The only entities that can legally hold endangered primates are accredited zoos, government wildlife facilities, and qualifying research institutions.
The State Permit Question
Nebraska starts from the premise that you cannot keep wild mammals in captivity without a permit. Section 37-477 makes it illegal to hold any wild mammal, wild bird, nongame wildlife in need of conservation, or any endangered or threatened species without authorization under Section 37-478 or 37-479.3Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 37-477 – Certain Animals Kept in Captivity; Permit Required; Exceptions; Rules and Regulations
The permit for personal possession is the Captive Wildlife Permit under Section 37-479. It allows a person to purchase, possess, breed, or sell captive wild mammals and birds, costs no more than $30 per year, expires every December 31, and requires an annual report to the Game and Parks Commission by January 15. Permit holders cannot take animals from the wild in Nebraska and must acquire them from the Commission or from someone authorized to breed and sell wildlife.4Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes 37-479 – Captive Wildlife Permit; Issuance; Fee; Prohibited Acts; Violation; Penalty
Here is the complication for anyone wanting a monkey. The Commission’s administrative regulations list specific species eligible for the Captive Wildlife Permit, and that list consists almost entirely of native Nebraska wildlife. Primates do not appear on it. That doesn’t automatically mean the answer is no, but it means a prospective owner has to contact the Game and Parks Commission directly to find out whether a permit can be issued for the particular species they have in mind. Don’t assume; ask.
Where the Monkey Has to Come From
Federal law closes off most of the ways people imagine acquiring an exotic pet. Clear the state and local gates and you still have to clear these.
You Cannot Import One
The CDC has banned importing non-human primates as pets since 1975. Under 42 CFR 71.53, monkeys and apes may enter the United States only for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bringing a Nonhuman Primate into the U.S. The ban is absolute. You cannot bring a monkey into the country as a pet even if you owned it before leaving the United States. Anyone caught importing a primate for personal use must export it, have it destroyed, or donate it to a qualifying institution, all at the importer’s expense.6eCFR. 42 CFR 71.53 – Nonhuman Primates
The practical effect: every monkey legally kept as a pet in the United States was either born domestically or was here before the ban. In Nebraska, that means sourcing from a USDA-licensed domestic breeder.
You Cannot Buy One in a Looser State and Drive It Home
The Lacey Act prohibits transporting wildlife across state lines when the animal was acquired in violation of any state law.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Lacey Act If a monkey was obtained illegally in another state, or if possessing it in Nebraska would violate state law, moving it across the border is a separate federal offense.
Pet Owners Don’t Need a USDA License
A common misconception is that USDA licenses every primate owner. The Animal Welfare Act covers dealers, exhibitors, transporters, and research facilities. A person keeping a monkey purely as a personal pet is not under USDA licensing jurisdiction.8Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Apply for an Animal Welfare License or Registration Breed, sell, or exhibit your primate for compensation, though, and you’ll need one.
What Ownership Actually Looks Like
Nebraska’s administrative regulations under Title 163, Chapter 4 require that any wild mammal held in captivity be confined in a way reasonably designed to prevent escape and provided with humane treatment. Rather than listing cage dimensions species by species, the regulations reference the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service standards. The Commission will provide the relevant sections to permit applicants on request, and failure to maintain conditions can mean suspension or revocation of the permit.
Primates need much more than the minimum. Most species require substantial vertical climbing space, environmental enrichment, specialized diets, and often the company of other primates to avoid psychological distress. Finding a Nebraska veterinarian with primate experience is difficult, and routine care runs well above what a dog or cat costs.
Insurance is a separate gap. Standard homeowners and renters policies almost universally exclude exotic animals, so a bite or an escape that damages property would likely come out of your own pocket. Specialty exotic pet liability policies exist, but they carry higher premiums and often require proof of adequate enclosures and permits. Nebraska does not appear to require a specific liability amount or bond for Captive Wildlife Permit holders at the state level, which doesn’t reduce your exposure, only your paperwork.
What Happens If You Skip the Rules
Possessing wildlife without a valid permit violates Section 37-477, and violations of the Game and Parks Commission’s wildlife statutes can bring misdemeanor charges and fines. The exact penalty depends on how the specific violation is classified under Nebraska’s misdemeanor scheme.9Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 28-106 – Misdemeanors; Classification of Penalties; Sentences; Where Served The Commission can also seize the animal.
Local ordinance violations add municipal fines and typically trigger immediate impoundment. Federal violations under the Lacey Act or the CDC import rules carry their own penalties, including forced export or destruction of the animal at the owner’s expense.6eCFR. 42 CFR 71.53 – Nonhuman Primates The layers stack. A single illegal primate can draw state, local, and federal enforcement at the same time.