Can You Own a Raccoon in Maryland? Laws, Permits, and Penalties

No, you cannot own a raccoon as a pet in Maryland. Maryland Criminal Law § 10-621 makes it a misdemeanor to possess, import, sell, breed, trade, or exchange a live raccoon, with fines up to $1,000 for individuals and up to $10,000 for organizations.¹ The statute allows a short list of exemptions, but none of them cover keeping one at home as a companion.

What the Law Bans and Who Is Exempt

Section 10-621 reaches almost every way a person could end up with a raccoon in their house. Possession, importation, sale, breeding, trading, and bartering are all prohibited, and raccoons sit on the list alongside foxes, skunks, and bears.¹

The exemptions are narrow and professional:

Holders of a valid Maryland Department of Natural Resources license or permit for the species.
Research facilities licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act.
USDA Class C Exhibitor’s License holders whose primary function is public display.
501(c)(3) nonprofit sanctuaries for abused, neglected, or displaced wildlife that do not deal in the animals commercially.
Licensed Maryland veterinarians treating the animal in the normal course of practice.
Non-Maryland residents passing through the state for 10 days or fewer while traveling between locations outside Maryland.
Animal control and law enforcement officers acting under state or local authority.

Every one of these serves a professional, institutional, or public-safety purpose. There is no “pet” category and no path to create one.¹

Why a DNR Permit Won’t Get You a Pet Raccoon

The DNR exemption is the one people latch onto, but the department issues wildlife permits for specific professional work: rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. The most common route for lawful raccoon possession is a wildlife rehabilitator permit. Applicants have to show training in capturing, handling, and caring for wildlife, and they must have facilities sized and designed for the species in captivity. DNR decides which species a permit holder can keep and how many, and continuing education is required to maintain the permit.²

Raccoons add another layer because the state classifies them as a rabies vector species. Rehabilitation can only occur under specific procedures and guidelines for handling that category of animal.³ To ask about permit options, the Wildlife and Heritage Service can be reached at 410-260-8540 or wildlifepermits.dnr@maryland.gov.

The Rabies Problem

Maryland’s caution about raccoons tracks a specific public-health fact: there is no USDA-approved rabies vaccine for raccoons. The vaccines used for dogs and cats have not been certified for use in them, so even a vaccinated raccoon would not be considered immunized under the law. If the animal bit someone, health authorities would have no approved protocol to point to. That gap sits behind the rehabilitation restrictions and the ban on private possession.³

What To Do With a Raccoon on Your Property

Trapping one does not create a right to keep it. For raccoons captured under a wildlife damage control permit, Maryland regulations allow three outcomes: release at the capture site, humane killing, or — if the animal is an orphaned, healthy, dependent juvenile — transport to a licensed rabies vector species rehabilitator.⁴ Keeping the animal is not on the list. Releasing it somewhere else is not allowed either; release happens on site or not at all.

Penalties

Illegal possession is a misdemeanor. Individuals face fines of up to $1,000, and non-individuals such as businesses or organizations face up to $10,000. Officials can seize the animal immediately when there is probable cause to believe possession violates the statute, or when the animal poses a risk to public health or safety.¹ A conviction also leaves a criminal record.

Bringing One in From Another State

Buying a raccoon legally elsewhere does not solve the Maryland problem, and it opens a federal one. The Lacey Act bars transporting wildlife taken, possessed, or sold in violation of state law. If the raccoon’s origin state restricted the sale, or if Maryland’s possession ban applies on arrival, moving the animal across state lines creates federal liability.⁵ Lacey Act penalties can run well past Maryland’s state fines: criminal violations involving wildlife valued above $350 can carry up to five years in prison and fines of $250,000 for individuals, and civil penalties can reach $10,000. The “due care” standard means not knowing the raccoon was illegally obtained is not a defense when a reasonable person would have checked.

Insurance Will Not Catch You

If a raccoon kept at home injures someone, standard homeowners insurance will almost certainly deny the claim. These policies routinely exclude liability for exotic or wild animals, and keeping an animal that is illegal under state law can void coverage altogether. Specialty exotic animal liability policies exist, but they generally require that the animal be legal to own where you live. Given the rabies concerns, the medical and legal cost from a single bite can far exceed any state fine.

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 10-621 – Import, Offer for Sale, Trade, Barter, Possess, Breed, or Exchange Certain Live Animals Prohibited
2
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife Rehabilitator Permit/License
3
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 08.03.12.19 – Restrictions on Species
4
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 08.03.15.24 – Disposition of Trapped Wildlife
5
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Lacey Act