The following is an excerpt of Arizona’s exotic animal regulations. This is not the complete regulation and should not be considered as such. The purpose of providing you, the reader, with this information is to encourage you to contact state authorities in Arizona with any further questions you might have. We are unable to provide any legal advice regarding Arizona’s laws (or the laws of any other state). Below the regulations we have included the contact information for the Arizona Game & Fish Department who we believe is the agency best suited to assist regarding these regulations. Please note also that the information provided is in good faith and is accurate to the best of our knowledge however we DO NOT guarantee or make claims about the accuracy of the information.

Related code and regulations

TITLE 12. NATURAL RESOURCES (Game & Fish)

R12-4-401. Live Wildlife Definitions

19. “Native” means wildlife or offspring of wildlife that occurred naturally within the present boundaries of Arizona before European settlement.

20. “Nonnative” means wildlife or its off-spring that did not occur naturally within the present boundaries of Arizona before European settlement.

24. “Restricted live wildlife” means wildlife that cannot be imported, exported, or possessed without a special license or lawful exemption. Restricted live wildlife are listed in R12-4-406.

R12-4-405. Importing, Purchasing, and Transporting Live Wildlife Without an Arizona
License or Permit

A. An individual may import mammals, birds, and reptiles not listed in R12-4-406 without a license or permit from the Department if the animals are lawfully possessed under a
valid license, permit, or other form of authorization from another state, the United States, another country, or are possessed under a lawful exemption.

R12-4-406. Restricted Live Wildlife

I. Reptiles listed below are restricted live wildlife as defined in R12-4-401.

1. All species of the order Crocodylia. Common names include: gavials, caimans, crocodiles, and alligators;

2. The following species of the order Testudines. Common names include: turtles and tortoises;

a. All species of the family Chelydridae. Common name: snapping turtles; and b. All species of the genus Gopherus.
Common name: gopher tortoises, including the desert tortoise; and

3. All species of the following families or genera of the order Squamata.

a. The family Helodermatidae. Common names include: Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard;

b. The family Elapidae. Common names include: cobras, mambas, coral snakes, kraits, and Australian elapids;

c. The family Hydrophiidae. Common name: sea snakes;

d. The family Viperidae. Common names include: true vipers and pit vipers,
including rattlesnakes;

e. The family Atractaspidae. Common name: burrowing asps; and

f. The following species and genera of the family Colubridae:

i. Dispholidus typus. Common name: boomslang;

ii. Thelotornis kirtlandii. Common names include: bird snake or twig snake;

iii. Rhabdophis. Common name: keelback; and

iv. Boiga irregularis. Common name: brown tree snake.

Contact

Arizona Game & Fish Department
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000
(602)942-3000

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