What Animals Are Illegal to Own in Maryland?

The animals illegal to own in Maryland fall into a defined list under Criminal Law § 10-621: bears; foxes, skunks, and raccoons; alligators, crocodiles, and caimans; any wild cat and any hybrid cat over 30 pounds; any wild canid and any wolf-dog hybrid; all nonhuman primates; and venomous snakes from four specific families. Separate laws add most wild birds, state and federally listed endangered species, and certain invasive fish. Local counties can go further.

The Banned List Under Maryland’s Dangerous Animal Statute

Criminal Law § 10-621 makes it illegal to import, possess, breed, sell, or trade any live animal in these categories:

Fox, skunk, raccoon, or bear
Caiman, alligator, or crocodile
Any member of the cat family other than a domestic cat
Cat-domestic hybrids weighing over 30 pounds
Any member of the dog family other than a domestic dog
Dog-wolf hybrids (any cross between a domestic dog and a wild canid)
Nonhuman primates, including lemurs, monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, marmosets, lorises, and tamarins
Venomous snakes in the families Hydrophidae (sea snakes), Elapidae (cobras, mambas, coral snakes), Viperidae (vipers), and Crotalidae (rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths)

The wild cat ban sweeps in lions, tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, cougars, and every other non-domestic feline. The wild dog ban covers wolves, coyotes, wild foxes, African wild dogs, and similar canids. The primate ban applies to all nonhuman primates, not only the species named in the statute.¹

Skunks, raccoons, and foxes come up often because people occasionally find orphaned wildlife and try to raise it. Keeping any of them as a pet is illegal regardless of how you acquired the animal.

The four snake families listed cover most medically significant venomous snakes worldwide. Non-venomous snakes are not on the § 10-621 list, and neither are venomous lizards like Gila monsters and beaded lizards, poison dart frogs, tarantulas, or scorpions. That doesn’t automatically make every one of those legal in your specific jurisdiction, but they are not what the state statute prohibits.¹

Hybrid Cats and Wolf-Dogs

Hybrid cats are treated differently from wolf-dogs. A cat-domestic hybrid is banned only if it weighs over 30 pounds. A 12-pound Bengal is legal under state law; an early-generation Savannah cat that exceeds 30 pounds is not.¹

Wolf-dog hybrids get no such leniency. Any cross between a domestic dog and a member of the wild dog family is banned, regardless of generation or the percentage of wolf ancestry. This catches people off-guard because wolf-dogs are legal in many other states and openly advertised online. In Maryland, possessing one is a misdemeanor.¹

Wild Birds and Endangered Species

Section 10-621 is not the only law that can make an animal illegal to own. Maryland’s Natural Resources Code § 10-401 prohibits possessing any wild bird within the state other than unprotected birds and game birds taken during open season. Raptors like eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons, along with songbirds and other native species, cannot be kept without specific authorization. The only route to legally possess a raptor is a falconry permit, which requires training, testing, and facility inspections.²

Maryland’s Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act, in Natural Resources Title 10, Subtitle 2A, separately protects state-listed endangered and threatened species from being collected, possessed, or harmed. A violation carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both.³

Invasive Fish

Some fish are illegal to keep alive under federal law, which applies in Maryland just like anywhere else. Snakeheads, established as a breeding population in Maryland’s waterways, are classified as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act, and the entire family Channidae (genera Channa and Parachanna) cannot be transported alive across state lines. The federal injurious species list also covers walking catfish, silver carp, bighead carp, black carp, zebra mussels, Nile perch, wels catfish, and common yabbies. Live specimens and viable eggs of these species are prohibited except under federal permit.⁴

Piranhas are not on the federal injurious list but are restricted through Maryland’s separate fisheries rules.

What You Can Still Legally Own

The statute targets specific categories, so plenty of non-traditional pets fall outside it. Hedgehogs, sugar gliders, chinchillas, pot-bellied pigs, and capybaras are legal. Non-venomous reptiles like ball pythons, corn snakes, iguanas, bearded dragons, and leopard geckos are legal. Tarantulas and axolotls are legal. Ferrets, banned in some states, are fine in Maryland because they don’t belong to any prohibited family. Captive-bred exotic birds not covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act or state wildlife law, including parrots, macaws, and cockatoos, are sold openly.

The consistent distinction is between captive-bred exotic species, usually fine, and wild-caught native species, almost always illegal.

Local Ordinances Can Be Stricter

State law explicitly allows counties and municipalities to adopt animal restrictions tougher than the state’s. Baltimore bans all cat-domestic hybrids regardless of weight, overriding the 30-pound threshold. Prince George’s County requires licensing for wild and exotic animals and prohibits keeping them without authorization.¹

Before acquiring anything unusual, check your county and municipal codes on top of state law. A call to your local animal control office is the most reliable way to confirm a specific species is permitted where you live.

Penalties

A violation of § 10-621 is a misdemeanor. An individual faces a fine of up to $1,000. A business or other non-individual entity faces up to $10,000.¹

Endangered species violations under Natural Resources § 10-2A-07 carry a fine of up to $1,000 plus up to one year in jail. If the animal is also covered by the federal Endangered Species Act or the Lacey Act, federal penalties are much heavier. A Lacey Act felony conviction can bring fines up to $250,000 for an individual and up to five years in prison, along with forfeiture of vehicles, aircraft, or equipment used in the offense. Even a misdemeanor Lacey Act violation carries fines up to $100,000 and up to one year of imprisonment.³

Section 10-621 does allow narrow exceptions, but none of them cover private pet ownership. They apply to DNR permit holders, USDA Class C exhibitors (with a June 30, 2014 cutoff for acquiring primates, bears, and big cats), qualifying 501(c)(3) sanctuaries, and law enforcement acting in the course of their duties.¹

If You Already Own a Prohibited Animal

Doing nothing is the worst option. The Department of Natural Resources has historically offered amnesty periods for certain illegally held wildlife. For captive deer, DNR gave owners a 90-day window to find suitable out-of-state placement with no citations issued during the amnesty; if placement failed, DNR sought consent to humanely euthanize and test the animal for disease. Release into the wild was never an option because of health risks to wild populations.

For other prohibited species, the Wildlife and Heritage Service at 410-260-8559 is the starting point. Reaching out proactively is far better than being discovered during an investigation. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators, accredited zoos, and nonprofit sanctuaries qualifying under § 10-621 may be able to accept a surrendered animal, though placement depends on the species and available space. If the animal is also federally protected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may need to be involved.

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law Section 10-621 – Import, Offer, or Transfer of Dangerous Animal
2
Justia. Maryland Code Natural Resources 10-401
3
Justia. Maryland Statutes – Natural Resources – Title 10 – Wildlife
4
eCFR. Part 16 – Injurious Wildlife