Can You Own a Coyote in Washington? What the Law Actually Says
August 29, 2026
If you’ve watched a coyote trot through a Seattle greenbelt or a Spokane backyard and wondered whether you could legally raise one as a pet, the short answer is no. Washington law closes off private coyote ownership through several overlapping statutes, not just one simple rule.
Understanding why matters, especially if you’re weighing a hand-raised pup, a rescue situation, or just curious about the legal boundaries around wildlife in your state. Below, you’ll find exactly how Washington classifies coyotes, who is allowed to hold one under narrow exceptions, and what happens if someone tries to keep one anyway.
Is It Legal to Own a Coyote in Washington
Private coyote ownership is illegal in Washington under state law, full stop. It is illegal in Washington to own animals that pose a risk of rabies infection, and this includes bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes. That prohibition alone would be enough to block private ownership, but it isn’t the only barrier.
The specific rule codifying this is WAC 246-100-197, titled “Rabies – Measures to prevent human disease,” and beyond the rabies-based prohibition, it is also illegal to possess wild animals in Washington, with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife serving as the relevant authority on that separate law. In other words, even if the rabies rule didn’t exist, the state’s general wild animal law would still stand in the way.
Bringing a coyote into the state doesn’t work as a loophole, either. Except for bona fide public or private zoological parks, persons and entities are prohibited from importing a coyote into Washington state without a permit from the Department of Agriculture and written permission from the Department of Health. For a closer look at the animal itself, including its range and behavior across the state, you can check out this coyote species profile.
How Washington Classifies Coyotes Under Wildlife Law
Washington doesn’t treat coyotes as livestock, game, or standard wildlife in a single tidy category. Instead, several statutes stack on top of each other, and each one adds its own restriction.
Washington state does not classify coyotes as game animals, but a state license is required to hunt or trap them under RCW 77.32.010. That license requirement exists for hunting and trapping purposes, not for keeping a coyote alive as a pet, and the two should not be confused.
Important Note: Sources describe coyote classification slightly differently. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife states coyotes are not classified as game animals despite the licensing requirement, while other secondary sources describe coyotes as “small game.” Either way, a valid license is required to hunt or trap them, and none of these classifications create a path to private ownership.
Property owners do have one narrow, license-free exception tied to hunting rather than ownership. The owner, the owner’s immediate family, employee, or a tenant of real property may kill or trap a coyote on that property if it is damaging crops or domestic animals under RCW 77.36.030, and a license is not required in such cases, though there may be local restrictions such as firearm use. This is a defensive measure against property damage, not a mechanism for acquiring or keeping a coyote.
Trapping methods are also restricted regardless of intent. It is unlawful to use a steel-jawed leghold trap, neck snare, or other body-gripping trap to capture any mammal under RCW 77.15.194. If you want the full breakdown of when and how coyotes can be legally hunted or trapped in the state, this guide to Washington’s coyote hunting laws covers season dates, license types, and property-damage exceptions in detail.
The same layered approach applies to other native species that fall under Washington’s wild animal law, including reptiles and amphibians such as the state’s native salamanders, which cannot be taken from the wild and kept as pets either.
| Law | Citation | What It Restricts for Coyotes |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies rule | WAC 246-100-197 | Bans ownership and import due to rabies risk |
| Wild animal law | WDFW authority / RCW Title 77 | Bans general possession of wild-caught native species |
| Import/entry rule | WAC 16-54-180 | Requires vet certificate and entry permit for any legal import |
| Hunting/trapping license law | RCW 77.32.010 | Requires license to hunt or trap, unrelated to ownership |
Permits and Licensing Requirements for Coyote Ownership in Washington
Because coyotes sit on a prohibited list rather than an unregulated one, the state’s usual permit process for exotic animals doesn’t open a door for private residents. This ban applies regardless of whether the animal was captive-bred. A hand-raised coyote pup carries the same legal status as one taken from the wild.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture, which enforces the illegal animals list alongside the Department of Health and WDFW, states this plainly. Coyotes fall under the category where it is illegal to possess wild animals, and for questions concerning that wild animal law, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is the relevant authority.
Only a handful of institutional categories qualify for any exemption at all, and private citizens are not among them:
- Accredited zoos and zoological parks — permitted under the same import exception that covers coyote entry into the state
- Licensed research facilities — operating under entry permits and veterinary certification requirements
- Wildlife rehabilitation permit holders — authorized only for temporary care with the goal of eventual release, not long-term ownership
| Entity Type | Legal Basis | Typical Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Zoos and zoological parks | Dept. of Agriculture entry permit + Dept. of Health approval | Veterinary certificate, facility inspection |
| Research facilities | WAC 16-54-180 entry permit | Certificate of veterinary inspection, brucellosis testing |
| Wildlife rehabilitators | WDFW rehabilitation permit | Temporary care only, release required |
| Private individuals | None available | Not an eligible category under current law |
Pro Tip: If what draws you to a coyote is the look of a wild canine companion, a legal alternative exists. Pet wolfdogs are legal in Washington, and you do not need a permit to keep a wolfdog as a pet in Washington State. Browsing established dog breeds popular in Washington can also help if you want a companion with similar energy and instincts without the legal risk.
Enclosure and Care Requirements in Washington
Since private ownership isn’t on the table, enclosure standards only come into play for the institutions that qualify for a permit. Local jurisdictions layer their own facility rules on top of the state framework for those limited cases.
A permit to own and maintain any wild or exotic animal is issued only if it can be demonstrated that public safety is not at risk and proper animal enclosures exist to ensure the public’s safety, and facilities and enclosures for wild or exotic animals are subject to inspection at any time upon at least 24 hours’ notice. That standard applies to the zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities that legally hold coyotes, not to backyard setups.
Institutions bringing a coyote into the state also face health screening requirements before the animal ever arrives. Wild and exotic animals entering Washington state must be accompanied by an entry permit. Depending on the animal’s age and category, negative serologic testing for brucellosis must be conducted within thirty days before entering Washington state for certain captive wild or exotic animals over a specified age.
For anyone who simply lives near coyote habitat rather than seeking to house one, WDFW’s guidance runs the opposite direction. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife encourages practices like good fencing, keeping pets indoors from dusk to dawn, and preventing garbage scavenging to reduce conflict with the wild coyote population already living in the area. If you’re curious about what naturally keeps coyote numbers in check in the wild, this breakdown of what animals eat coyotes covers the predators and pressures that shape their populations without any human intervention.
Local Laws and HOA Restrictions That May Apply in Washington
Even in the rare case where an institution qualifies for a state exemption, city and county codes can add another layer entirely. Bellingham’s municipal code spells this out by name rather than by category.
No person shall be permitted to own, harbor, or maintain any lion, tiger, bear, gorilla, lynx, cougar, jaguar or venomous snake, coyote, or any other native species to Washington except as licensed under state law. Because state law doesn’t license private coyote ownership in the first place, this local rule functions as a second, redundant ban for residents rather than an opening.
Where a legitimate permit does exist, cities can still charge their own fees on top of state requirements. The annual permit fee to own or maintain any wild or exotic animal is $20.00 for each approved location, regardless of the number of wild animals held there. Other jurisdictions build out their own separate frameworks; Spokane County, for example, maintains its own exotic animal code with additional local requirements beyond what the state imposes.
Homeowners associations add a further wrinkle that has nothing to do with state or county law. Most HOA covenants restrict “wild,” “non-domesticated,” or “exotic” animals outright, and that restriction applies even in the hypothetical scenario where someone somehow secured a state and county permit. It’s worth checking your specific covenant language before assuming any exemption carries over to a private neighborhood.
Washington’s layered permitting approach isn’t unique to coyotes. Native raptors like the state’s hawks, eagles, and owls fall under similarly overlapping state and federal protections that block private possession without a specialized rehabilitation or research permit.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Coyote in Washington
Washington’s wild animal statutes create more than one penalty track, and which one applies depends on how the violation is charged. Unauthorized possession is treated seriously across the board.
A violation of the wild animal possession rule is a misdemeanor punishable under RCW 77.15.750, the state’s unlawful use of a department permit penalty. Separately, unlawful hunting of wild animals in the second degree is a misdemeanor, while unlawful hunting of wild animals in the first degree is a gross misdemeanor depending on the scale of the violation.
Courts can also tack on financial penalties beyond the base charge. A criminal wildlife penalty assessment must be paid to the clerk of the court and distributed monthly to the state treasurer for deposit in the fish and wildlife enforcement reward account. These assessments are imposed in addition to, not instead of, any underlying fine or sentence.
Some violations carry far steeper consequences. A violation involving the unlawful releasing, planting, possessing, or placing of wildlife classified as deleterious exotic wildlife is a class C felony. Coyotes are regulated under the rabies and wild animal statutes rather than the deleterious exotic wildlife list, so most illegal coyote possession cases would fall under the misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor tracks rather than this felony provision, though the exact charge depends on the specific facts and how the case is filed.
Enforcement isn’t theoretical. There were no documented coyote attacks on humans in Washington state until 2006, when Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officers euthanized two coyotes in Bellevue after two young children were bitten while their parents were nearby. That case involved wild coyotes habituated by feeding rather than illegal pets, but it shows how quickly WDFW will act once a coyote becomes a public safety concern, whether it was fed, tamed, or informally “kept” by someone nearby.
Legal Disclaimer: This article summarizes publicly available Washington statutes and regulations for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Wildlife law changes, and local ordinances vary by county and city, so confirm current requirements with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, or a licensed attorney before making any decisions involving wildlife possession.
If you’re weighing whether any wild species is right for your household, it’s worth starting with what’s actually permitted rather than what seems appealing. Washington’s rabies rule, wild animal law, and local ordinances all point the same direction on coyotes: private ownership isn’t a legal option, no matter how the animal was raised or acquired.