A Wild Animal as a Pet
ORC 935.02 — lions, bears, alligators and monkeys, off limits since January 1, 2014
No person may possess a dangerous wild animal on or after January 1, 2014, and no person may acquire, buy, sell, trade or transfer one, outside the permits and exceptions the chapter sets out.
Who handles this in Ohio: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Ohio directory.
- Hyenas, lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards, snow and clouded leopards included.
- Cheetahs, lynxes, cougars, caracals and servals. A savannah cat, a serval crossed with a house cat, is not on the list.
- Gray wolves, though not wolf hybrids, and African wild dogs.
- Bears, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses and Cape buffaloes.
- Komodo dragons, alligators, crocodiles, gharials, and caimans other than dwarf caimans.
- Monkeys and apes, which the chapter calls nonhuman primates, other than lemurs.
Big and venomous snakes need a permit. A restricted snake is one of eight constrictors, anacondas and pythons among them, at twelve feet or longer, or any snake in the viper, cobra and mamba, or burrowing asp families, or a boomslang or twig snake. These are not banned outright. A person who acquires one to keep, rather than to breed or sell, must get a restricted snake possession permit from the director of agriculture not later than 120 days after acquiring it.
People who already had a dangerous wild animal when the chapter took effect had to register it within sixty days and have a microchip implanted, and to keep it past January 1, 2014 they needed a wildlife shelter permit or a wildlife propagation permit.
The chapter does not apply to accredited zoos licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act, research facilities, circuses, wildlife sanctuaries, a veterinarian giving temporary care, or someone who lives outside Ohio and is passing through, keeps the animal caged out of public reach, does not exhibit it, and stays not more than forty eight hours unless the animal is getting veterinary care.
Anyone lawfully holding one may not sell it at auction, remove its microchip, release it into the wild, let it roam off the property, or remove its teeth or claws unless a veterinarian finds it medically necessary, and must post warning signs on its cage, at each entrance to the property, and on any vehicle carrying it.
| What happened | What it is |
|---|---|
| What happenedBreaking the chapter's other rules, keeping one without a permit among them | What it isMisdemeanor of the first degree, and a felony of the fifth degree each time after |
| What happenedKnowingly releasing one into the wild | What it isFelony of the fifth degree |
Only the legislature can add species to these lists, on the director of agriculture's recommendation. Whether a particular animal is covered, or a permit can still be had, is a question for the Ohio Department of Agriculture or a licensed Ohio attorney.
Sources for this section (8)
- ORC 935.02 — Possession of a dangerous wild animal prohibited
- ORC 935.01 — Dangerous wild animals and restricted snakes, definitions
- ORC 935.08 — Restricted snake possession permit
- ORC 935.04 — Registration of dangerous wild animals held when the chapter took effect
- ORC 935.03 — Exceptions to the dangerous wild animal prohibition
- ORC 935.18 — Sale, release, roaming and signs for dangerous wild animals and restricted snakes
- ORC 935.99 — Criminal penalties under the dangerous wild animal chapter
- ORC 935.011 — Only the General Assembly adds species to the lists
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Ohio attorney.