Can You Own a Boa Constrictor in Vermont? What State and Federal Law Require

Vermont doesn’t put boa constrictors on a banned-species list, which surprises plenty of first-time reptile keepers who assume any snake capable of reaching six feet or more must be off-limits somewhere in New England. Whether you can own a boa constrictor in Vermont comes down to a permit system rather than an outright prohibition, and that distinction matters if you’re planning to bring one home. Federal law treats this species differently than several of its snake relatives, too, which adds a layer most pet stores never explain.

Here’s what Vermont’s Fish & Wildlife Department actually requires, where federal restrictions apply and where they don’t, and what can happen if you skip the paperwork.

Is It Legal to Own a Boa Constrictor in Vermont

Yes, you can legally own a boa constrictor in Vermont, but not without clearing a state permit first. The Boa constrictor is a heavy-bodied, non-venomous snake native to Central and South America, and it’s one of the more commonly kept large constrictors in the U.S. pet trade. You can read more about its behavior and care needs on this boa constrictor species profile before deciding if it fits your household.

FindLaw’s overview of exotic animal statutes notes a detail that trips up a lot of Vermont residents: in Vermont, you’ll need a permit to own an anaconda but not to keep a pet alligator. Boa constrictors fall under that same permit-first category as other large constrictors, which puts them in a very different legal bucket than, say, a corn snake or a leopard gecko. If you’re weighing other exotic species against a boa, Vermont’s broader exotic pet rules lay out how the state sorts animals into permitted, unrestricted, and effectively-denied categories.

Pro Tip: Before buying a boa constrictor, check Vermont’s Unrestricted Wild Animals list first. If the species isn’t on it, assume you need a permit rather than assuming it’s automatically banned.

Federal Restrictions on Boa Constrictors

At the federal level, the Lacey Act gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authority to label certain species “injurious wildlife,” which blocks interstate transport and import without a federal permit. Boa constrictors were actually part of an early push to get that label. In 2010, the Service proposed adding the Indian (including Burmese) python, reticulated python, Northern African python, Southern African python, boa constrictor, yellow anaconda, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act.

That proposal didn’t move forward all at once. On January 23, 2012, the Service published a final rule to list Burmese (and Indian) pythons, Northern African pythons, Southern African pythons, and yellow anacondas as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act. The boa constrictor wasn’t part of that batch. The remaining five species, including the boa constrictor, were not listed at that time and remained under consideration for listing.

A second round followed a few years later, and it still left the boa constrictor out. The reticulated python, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda were included in this ruling, but the boa constrictor was also considered for listing as an injurious species but was not included in this ruling. Federal regulators specifically addressed why in the final rule under a section covering the withdrawal of the boa from consideration, opting instead to let the pet industry coordinate with states and the Service to voluntarily address prevention of boa constrictor releases as an alternative to federal restrictions.

Practically, that means a boa constrictor doesn’t carry the same federal baggage as a Burmese python (Python bivittatus) or a green anaconda. You can legally transport a boa across state lines without a federal injurious-wildlife permit, something that isn’t true for the eight species that eventually did make the list. The table below sums up where things stand.

Species	Federal Lacey Act Status	Year Listed
Burmese python	Injurious wildlife	2012
Northern African python	Injurious wildlife	2012
Southern African python	Injurious wildlife	2012
Yellow anaconda	Injurious wildlife	2012
Reticulated python	Injurious wildlife	2015
Green anaconda	Injurious wildlife	2015
DeSchauensee’s anaconda	Injurious wildlife	2015
Beni anaconda	Injurious wildlife	2015
Boa constrictor	Not listed; withdrawn from consideration	N/A

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s own account of the injurious wildlife list confirms that the Service took advantage of the opportunity to proactively list three other species of large foreign constrictors in 2012, and four more in 2015, with the boa remaining outside both rounds. If you want to see the full record of how the proposal evolved, the 2010 proposed rule and the later Federal Register notices lay out the reasoning in detail.

Vermont’s Laws on Owning a Boa Constrictor

Vermont’s exotic pet framework runs through 10 V.S.A. § 4709. According to the Animal Legal & Historical Center’s summary of the statute, a person may not bring into the state or possess any live wild bird or animal of any kind, unless the person obtains from the commissioner a permit to do so. That baseline rule covers reptiles specifically, since the law prohibits bringing into, transporting into, transporting within, or possessing in the state any live wild bird or animal, including reptiles, amphibians, or feral swine, without authorization from the Commissioner.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department frames this as a screening step rather than a ban. State law requires anyone wishing to purchase, possess, import, sell, exhibit or breed a pet or animal in Vermont to first determine if a permit is required. There’s a carve-out, though: species on Vermont’s Unrestricted Wild Animals list don’t need this permit at all. The state’s own reference material on exotic species notes that large constrictor snakes like anacondas need permits, though alligators curiously appear on the unrestricted list, and boa constrictors sit in that same permit-required category as other large constrictors rather than on the unrestricted side.

The reasoning behind this framework mirrors why Vermont regulates a lot of non-native wildlife closely. The collection, movement, and sale of animals around the globe have resulted in serious impacts to wildlife populations through disease introduction and competition with native species, and many wild animals are dangerous and can threaten human health and safety. If you’re curious how this same conservation logic plays out for species that are actually native to the state, Vermont’s list of endangered animals shows the flip side of the same regulatory philosophy.

Permits and Requirements for Boa Constrictor Ownership in Vermont

Getting a boa constrictor legally into your home in Vermont means applying for an Importation and Possession Permit through the Commissioner of Fish & Wildlife. A few specifics worth knowing before you start the paperwork:

• Application fee: Applicants shall pay a permit fee of $100.00.
• Commissioner review: The importation permit may be granted under rules, requirements, or conditions that the Commissioner shall prescribe and only after the Commissioner has made such investigation and inspection of the birds or animals as the Commissioner may deem necessary.
• Ongoing compliance: Permits are tied to the specific animal and conditions set at approval, not a blanket license to acquire more animals of the same species later.

This isn’t unique to boa constrictors. Vermont applies a similar case-by-case permitting approach to other animals that fall outside the traditional dog-and-cat category, including goat ownership and hedgehog ownership, where local zoning and state permit rules intersect. It’s also worth comparing how the state handles other wildlife that people occasionally try to keep as pets, such as the permit process covered in this guide on raccoon ownership in Vermont, since the underlying statute (10 V.S.A. § 4709) is the same one governing your boa constrictor application.

Requirement	Detail
Governing statute	10 V.S.A. § 4709
Issuing agency	Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, Office of the Commissioner
Application fee	$100.00
Review process	Commissioner investigation and inspection as deemed necessary
Species exemption	None for boa constrictors; not on the Unrestricted Wild Animals list

Pro Tip: Apply for your permit before you purchase or transport a boa constrictor into Vermont, not after. The Commissioner’s inspection process is meant to happen ahead of possession, not as an afterthought.

Local Ordinances That May Apply in Vermont

State approval doesn’t always settle the matter. State law represents only part of Vermont’s exotic pet regulatory landscape, and municipalities can impose additional restrictions beyond state requirements, creating a patchwork of local regulations that prospective exotic pet owners must navigate. That’s not a hypothetical concern, either.

The city of Burlington has considered implementing a comprehensive exotic animal ban that would prohibit ownership of virtually all non-traditional pets. The draft ordinance, cited by advocacy groups opposing it, would have covered a lot more than large constrictor snakes. As one United States Association of Reptile Keepers alert on the Burlington proposal pointed out, the ordinance defines “exotic animal” broadly and prohibits the offer for sale, sale, purchase, possession, or public display of any exotic animal within the corporate limits of the city. Boa constrictors, as non-domestic reptiles, would fall squarely under that kind of ban if it passed.

Even proposals like this typically include a grandfather clause. Any exotic animal possessed on the date of the ordinance’s enactment would be exempted from the possession prohibition upon registration with the Board of Health, though the exemption applies only to the individual animal registered and not to any animal of the same species acquired afterward. That’s a pattern worth remembering if you’re relocating to Vermont with a boa already in tow, since the rules for a snake you already own can differ from the rules for one you plan to buy after moving.

Vermont’s other municipal patterns give a sense of how far local ordinances can reach beyond state minimums. Towns already regulate animals through measures like leash laws and, in some cases, breed-specific rules similar to the ones covered in this breakdown of pit bull laws in Vermont. Before you assume a state permit is the last word, call your town clerk or city ordinance office and ask directly about exotic reptile possession.

Important Note: Local ordinance proposals change over time, and a rule under discussion in one legislative session may be amended, narrowed, or dropped before enactment. Confirm current municipal code directly with your town or city clerk rather than relying on news coverage of a draft proposal.

Penalties for Illegally Owning a Boa Constrictor in Vermont

Skipping the permit process carries real consequences beyond a simple warning. Under 10 V.S.A. § 4709, the Department may dispose of unlawfully possessed or imported wildlife as it may judge best, and the state may collect treble damages from the violator for all expenses incurred. In plain terms, that means Vermont can seize an unpermitted boa constrictor and bill the owner three times the cost of handling the case.

Liability doesn’t stop at the wildlife statute, either. If an unpermitted or improperly secured boa constrictor injures someone, the owner could face civil liability similar to the framework used in Vermont’s dog bite laws, where an owner’s legal exposure often depends on whether the animal was lawfully and securely kept. Carrying liability insurance is also a good idea for owners in case such animals injure others, according to FindLaw’s overview of exotic animal statutes.

It’s also worth remembering that exotic pet law isn’t static. State laws are frequently changing in response to concerns for public safety and animal well-being, so it’s worth double-checking for any new or proposed state or local legislation before you commit to bringing a boa constrictor into your Vermont home. This article is intended as general legal information, not legal advice, so if you’re facing a specific permit denial, seizure, or liability question, a Vermont-licensed attorney can advise on your exact situation.