Snake Removal Laws in Kansas: Permits, Protected Species, and Penalties

Snake removal laws in Kansas catch a lot of homeowners off guard. Most people assume that any snake in the yard is fair game to trap, relocate, or kill on sight, but Kansas treats nearly every native snake as protected wildlife, and a well-meaning removal attempt can put you on the wrong side of a wildlife violation.

The rules change depending on the species, whether the snake is venomous, and whether you hold a hunting license or a specialty permit. A prairie rattlesnake found in a pasture west of U.S. Highway 283 falls under different rules than a timber rattlesnake found in eastern woodlands, and non-native venomous snakes kept as pets fall under an entirely separate statute.

Here is what Kansas law actually allows before you reach for a snake hook, a shovel, or the phone number of a wildlife removal company.

Is It Legal to Remove or Relocate a Snake Yourself in Kansas

In most cases, no — not without a license or permit. Kansas law protects snakes, and you should obtain a collecting permit from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks before attempting to catch and keep a snake. That protection applies broadly across the state’s native species, not just to rare or endangered ones.

Taking any reptile in Kansas, including for removal from your property, generally falls under the same licensing structure as hunting. A hunting license is required to take amphibians and reptiles. That requirement applies whether you plan to release the snake elsewhere, keep it, or dispatch it.

Before you attempt a DIY relocation, it helps to know exactly what you are dealing with. Kansas hosts dozens of native species, and correctly identifying the types of snakes in Kansas on your property is the first step toward handling the situation lawfully.

Pro Tip: If you are unsure whether a snake on your property is a protected species, do not touch or move it. Contact your regional Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks office first.

Protected Snake Species in Kansas

Kansas’s protections run through a specific piece of legislation. State and federally listed species are protected in Kansas as designated by the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1975. Regulations under that act require the department to issue special action permits for activities that affect species listed as threatened and endangered in Kansas.

The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is one of the clearest examples of a fully protected species. Timber rattlesnakes are classified as a species in need of conservation and are protected from any form of take in Kansas. That means no collecting, no killing, and no relocating without department authorization, even if one turns up near a home in the eastern part of the state.

A lesser-known protected species is the New Mexico threadsnake, a small, secretive burrower. These snakes are restricted to the southern row of counties along the Kansas-Oklahoma border. They are protected by the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act and the administrative regulations that apply to it. Kansas is also home to federally protected populations of the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake, a species that receives federal protection alongside its state-level status, so it cannot be legally killed or removed without proper authorization.

Species	Protection Status	Removal or Take Allowed
Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)	Species in need of conservation	No, protected from any take
New Mexico threadsnake	Nongame and Endangered Species Act	No, permit required for any impact
Eastern massasauga rattlesnake	Federally protected	No, protected regardless of location
Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis viridis)	Regulated, not protected	Yes, with a license or commercial permit

According to a pocket guide produced in cooperation with the state wildlife agency, Kansas is home to 42 species of snakes, and the overwhelming majority of them are nonvenomous and legally protected as nongame wildlife. You can review the full list of the state’s snake species and identification resources from Kansas State University’s wildlife extension program, or check the department’s own threatened and endangered species listing before assuming any snake is fair game.

Permit Requirements for Snake Removal in Kansas

Kansas layers several permit types depending on what you are trying to do with a snake. For basic possession, a collecting permit from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is required before catching and keeping a snake, and for general take of reptiles and amphibians, you will need a valid Kansas hunting license.

Professionals who remove snakes commercially operate under a different framework. A person holding a valid wildlife control permit, along with anyone assisting under that permittee’s direct supervision, is authorized to take, transport, release, and euthanize wildlife subject to restrictions written into the permit itself. This is the same permit structure that governs the state’s Nuisance Wildlife Damage Control program.

Commercial rattlesnake harvesting has its own dedicated permit. A commercial prairie rattlesnake special event permit is required to take prairie rattlesnakes on a commercial basis, including at rattlesnake roundups. As of March 2024, reporting indicated that people wishing to hunt prairie rattlesnakes without an existing hunting license must purchase a $22.50 permit, though you should confirm current fees directly with the department before planning a hunt.

Pro Tip: Call the KDWP Fisheries and Wildlife Division before attempting removal on your own. A short phone call can confirm which permit, if any, applies to your specific situation.

When You Can Legally Kill a Snake in Kansas

Kansas does not ban killing snakes outright, but it ties the act directly to licensing and species. Killing snakes is legal in Kansas, but you must have a hunting license to do so. Without one, even killing a common nonvenomous snake on your own property can expose you to a wildlife violation.

Species matters just as much as licensing. The only rattlesnake that is legal to kill in Kansas is the prairie rattlesnake. Every other rattlesnake species found in the state, including the timber rattlesnake discussed above, remains off-limits to killing under any circumstance tied to its conservation status.

Snake Type	Can You Kill It?	Condition
Prairie rattlesnake	Yes	Valid hunting license or commercial permit
Timber rattlesnake	No	Fully protected, no take of any kind
Most nonvenomous native snakes	Yes, with a license	Hunting license required to take reptiles
Threatened or endangered species	No	Requires a special action permit for any impact

Kansas also regulates the methods used to take any wildlife, not just the species. State statute addresses unlawful methods of taking wildlife, and violating those method restrictions carries its own penalties separate from species-specific rules.

Rules for Venomous Snake Removal in Kansas

Native venomous snakes and non-native venomous snakes fall under two completely different legal frameworks in Kansas. Native species like the prairie rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, copperhead, and cottonmouth are governed by the hunting license and take rules already covered above.

Non-native venomous snakes are treated as an entirely different category of animal. Kansas’s dangerous regulated animals act defines a dangerous regulated animal to include lions, tigers, bears, and all non-native, venomous snakes. Except as specifically provided in the statute, it is unlawful for a person to possess, slaughter, sell, purchase, or otherwise acquire a dangerous regulated animal without proper registration.

For the one native rattlesnake species that can be legally taken, method restrictions still apply. Prairie rattlesnakes may only be taken by hand, snake hook, or snake catcher tongs. No other rattlesnake species may be taken commercially in Kansas. Commercial harvesters also face strict volume limits: a permittee may not harvest more than 10 prairie rattlesnakes per day or possess more than 20 prairie rattlesnakes, or parts of more than 20, at any time.

Geography restricts this activity further. Commercial prairie rattlesnake harvesting is only open in the portion of Kansas west of U.S. Highway 283, and Morton County is closed to commercial harvest entirely. You can review the full regulation through Kansas’s commercial prairie rattlesnake harvest rules or check the department’s reptile and amphibian hunting regulations before attempting any venomous snake removal yourself.

Important Note: Removing a venomous snake, native or not, carries real physical risk in addition to legal risk. When in doubt, this is one situation where hiring a professional makes sense regardless of what the law technically allows you to do yourself.

Hiring a Licensed Wildlife Removal Operator in Kansas

For most homeowners, working with a permitted professional is the simplest way to stay compliant. Kansas’s Nuisance Wildlife Damage Control program is governed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and is designed to connect citizens with someone knowledgeable in nuisance wildlife control.

Becoming a permitted operator is not automatic. Anyone interested in becoming a Nuisance Wildlife Damage Control permittee must first take the department-issued NWDC exam. Once licensed, operators carry ongoing obligations. Permit holders must keep a daily record of animal control activity, and that documentation has to be available for inspection by the department at any time, which gives homeowners a way to verify that an operator is actually in good standing.

Expect to pay for the service. There may be a fee charged by permittees for nuisance wildlife control work, and rates vary by operator and region. For a broader view of how this compares to permit systems elsewhere, the state’s nuisance wildlife laws in Kansas guide covers the full permit framework in more depth.

If you’re weighing whether Kansas’s approach is stricter or looser than other states, it can help to see how the rules differ elsewhere. Compare Kansas’s system against wildlife removal laws in Arkansas, wildlife removal laws in California, wildlife removal laws in Minnesota, or wildlife removal laws in Arizona to get a sense of how much variation exists state to state.

Penalties for Illegally Killing or Relocating a Snake in Kansas

Kansas enforces wildlife violations through a specific chapter of state statute. That chapter covers a range of offenses, including unlawful acts related to licenses and permits, unlawful taking or dealing in wildlife, unlawful methods of taking wildlife, and unlawful possession of wildlife, each carrying its own penalty structure. Anyone convicted of violating the unlawful-methods statute is subject to the penalties prescribed under K.S.A. 32-1031.

The consequences extend well past a simple fine. Whether you are a property owner who trapped a snake without authorization or a professional who failed to follow permit conditions, the consequences can include fines, jail time, and permanent loss of your ability to hunt or operate in the state. Kansas takes wildlife violations seriously, and the penalty structure escalates quickly with repeat offenses.

Licensed operators face additional professional risk. Failure to comply with wildlife laws or regulations can result in fines or the suspension of a wildlife control permit, which effectively ends an operator’s ability to legally work in the field until reinstated. You can review the underlying statutes directly through the Kansas dangerous regulated animals act or the state’s official wildlife statutes for the full penalty framework.

Important Note: This article summarizes publicly available Kansas wildlife statutes and regulations for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Snake identification and permit requirements can change, so confirm current rules with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks or a licensed attorney before taking action on your property.

The safest approach in Kansas is almost always the same: identify the species first, check whether it is protected, and confirm whether your situation requires a hunting license, a collecting permit, or a call to a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator. Skipping that step is what turns a routine backyard snake encounter into a wildlife violation.