Trapping Laws in Massachusetts: Licenses, Legal Traps, Seasons, and Penalties
October 19, 2026
Trapping laws in Massachusetts are among the strictest in the country, and the main reason is a 1996 ballot question that banned most of the traps trappers use elsewhere. If you are used to setting foothold traps or snares in other states, those tools are illegal here for recreational use.
This article walks you through the licensing steps, open seasons, allowed trap types, check times, land-access rules, sealing and selling requirements, and the penalties you face if you break the rules. Always confirm details against the current MassWildlife guide before you set a single trap, since regulations are set annually.
Pro Tip: MassWildlife publishes its annual guide each year, and guides for the next calendar year are available around December 1. Check the notes on that page for corrections, because the printed 2026 guide has already needed at least one update for deer seasons.
Is Trapping Legal in Massachusetts
Yes, trapping is legal in Massachusetts, but only with a narrow set of tools. The Wildlife Protection Act, passed as a ballot initiative, is the reason. According to the MSPCA, the Wildlife Protection Act received 64% of the statewide vote in 1996 and the recreational use of body-gripping traps has been prohibited since.
The law lives in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 131, Section 80A. It bars anyone from using, setting, placing, maintaining, manufacturing, or possessing a trap to capture furbearing mammals, except common mouse and rat traps, nets, and box or cage type traps.
The state did not ban all lethal trapping. In 2000, the legislature amended the law, and the MSPCA notes that current law restricts recreational use but permits regulated use where animals present a verified risk. In practice, that means box and cage traps for most people, with emergency exceptions for beaver and muskrat problems.
For a wider look at what else is regulated in the field, see our overview of hunting laws in Massachusetts.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Massachusetts
You need a trapping license before you set a trap on any land. According to Mass.gov, a trapping license is required for everyone age 12 and older. If you want to trap on someone else’s land, you also need a Trap Registration Number.
New trappers complete the state’s Trapper Education Course. Professionals who handle nuisance wildlife for hire follow a longer path: once applicants pass the Trapper Education Course, they buy a trapping license, pass a written exam covering biology, handling, capture techniques, welfare, diseases, and parasites, and also hold a separate PAC (Problem Animal Control) license.
| Requirement | Who Needs It |
|---|---|
| Trapping license | Anyone age 12 or older who traps |
| Trap Registration Number | Anyone setting traps on another person’s land |
| Trapper Education Course | First-time license applicants |
| PAC license | Anyone doing paid nuisance wildlife control |
Landowners get a limited break. Under the beaver guidance from MassWildlife, you need a valid trapping license to remove beavers on your own property unless your land is principally used for agriculture.
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Massachusetts
Seasons are set by species and published each year, so treat any date here as a starting point. Under 321 CMR 3.02(5), raccoon, opossum, and skunk may be taken by trapping statewide from November 1 to the last day of February.
Species with sealing requirements include beaver, bobcat, fisher, mink, river otter, coyote, and fox. Season dates for those animals vary, and some species are limited by wildlife management zone, so pull the current guide for exact dates and zones.
Protected species are off limits. According to a summary of MassWildlife rules, endangered or threatened species may only be trapped or removed under specific circumstances with proper permits.
Important Note: Relocating a trapped animal is not a legal workaround. Massachusetts prohibits trapping an animal and releasing it somewhere else, and MassWildlife says moving wildlife is ineffective because the animal may return or cause problems elsewhere.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Massachusetts
The legal list is short, and it is the part of the law that surprises out-of-state trappers most. Allowed devices are common mouse and rat traps, nets, and box or cage traps. The statute defines a box or cage trap as one that confines the whole animal without grasping any part of it, and it names the Hancock and Bailey live traps for beavers as examples.
Prohibited devices include:
- Steel-jaw leghold traps
- Padded leghold traps
- Snares
- Deadfalls
- Colony traps that catch several mammals at once
- Body-gripping traps such as Conibear traps (outside the emergency exception)
The exception is narrow. Conibear traps are permitted for beaver and muskrat to resolve immediate threats to human health and safety under a valid emergency permit, issued by municipal boards of health under Section 80A.
Those emergency permits are short. By statute, the director or health department issues a permit lasting no more than ten days, and an extension can run up to 30 days if the threat persists. Threats can include beaver or muskrat occupancy of a public water supply or flooding of septic systems and well fields.
Trap Check Requirements in Massachusetts
Plan your trapline around a daily schedule. A widely cited summary of the state’s rules says traps must be checked at least once every 24 hours, and that trapped animals must be promptly and humanely euthanized.
Drowning is not an acceptable method of dispatch. The MSPCA points out that drowning is explicitly prohibited as a method of killing animals in Massachusetts.
If a trap goes missing, you have a deadline. A trapper must report a lost or stolen trap in writing to the Office of Law Enforcement within 48 hours, or remain responsible for how it is used.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Massachusetts
Landowners and tenants have more room than visitors do. Under Chapter 131, Section 37, an owner or tenant may take a damaging mammal by means other than poison or snare, as long as federal law is not violated. Animals killed this way must be reported within 24 hours.
Trapping on someone else’s property requires permission and a registered trap. State law says no one may place or tend a trap on another person’s land unless it is registered, and the beaver guidance adds that you need a license, registered traps, and permission to access the property.
A few other places are restricted or closed:
- Wildlife sanctuaries, where Chapter 131, Section 10 addresses hunting and trapping
- Private posted land, covered by Section 36
- State parks, which have their own rules under 302 CMR 12.11
- Areas near roads and homes, since firearm and hunting limits apply within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling
If you live near neighbors with pets, you may also want to read our pages on a neighbor’s cat in your yard and a neighbor’s dog on your property, since non-target catches are a real concern with any set.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Massachusetts
Several furbearers must be sealed by the state before the pelt moves on. The rules in 321 CMR 3.02(5) say coyote and fox must be sealed within 48 hours of the kill, while beaver, bobcat, fisher, mink, and river otter must be sealed within four working days after the season closes for that species.
The seal stays on the pelt until it is dressed, tanned, or prepared for mounting. Selling raw pelts of regulated species also requires an official tag, seal, or stamp from the state of origin, regardless of where the animal was taken.
Reporting is not limited to licensed trappers. Property owners who take animals under Section 37 must file a written report by January 31 each year covering the number and kinds of mammals and birds taken during the previous 12 months.
Animals killed by vehicles are a separate question, and our page on roadkill laws in Massachusetts covers what you can and cannot keep.
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Massachusetts
Penalties combine fines, possible jail time, and loss of equipment. A legal summary of Chapter 131, Section 90 reports that a violation may be punished by a fine between $200 and $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both. Confirm the current amounts in the statute, since fines can change.
On conviction, the state can take your gear and your catch. Under the chapter, any net, snare, trap, jacklight, or similar device used in a violation, plus any animal taken illegally, is forfeited to the commonwealth.
Repeat violations of Section 80A carry a license consequence. A person convicted of a second violation must surrender their trapping license to an enforcement officer.
If your goal is simply to deal with a nuisance animal, a licensed professional or a box trap is usually the safer route. Related rules on keeping animals and fencing are covered in our guides to livestock fence laws and backyard chicken laws in Massachusetts, which often come up when predators are the problem.
Important Note: This article is general information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact MassWildlife or the Massachusetts Environmental Police, or talk to a Massachusetts attorney.