Can You Own a Chimpanzee in Montana? What State and Federal Law Say

If you have ever pictured a chimpanzee lounging on your couch or riding shotgun in your truck, Montana law has a firm answer for you: it will not happen legally. Owning a chimpanzee in Montana is prohibited for private citizens under state wildlife regulations, and there is no grandfather clause, no special permit, and no loophole that gets you around it. Before you go any further down that road, here is what state and federal law actually say about keeping one of these animals as a pet.

This matters more than it might seem. A widely covered case out of Connecticut showed just how dangerous these animals can become in a home setting, and lawmakers have referenced it while pushing for stronger federal rules. As one advocacy group described it, “a Connecticut woman suffered severe facial injuries after she was attacked by a 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, who was kept in her friend’s home.” That single incident still shapes how both state and federal regulators talk about primate ownership today.

Is It Legal to Own a Chimpanzee in Montana

No. Montana classifies chimpanzees as a “prohibited species” under state regulation, and that classification leaves almost no room for private ownership. According to a detailed legal analysis from the Animal Legal & Historical Center, “Since ape families are defined as ‘prohibited species’ under ARM 12.6.2215, a permit is issued only to select categories. No private possession permits are allowed under this rule.”

What makes Montana’s stance notably strict compared to some other states is the absence of any exception for animals people already owned before the rule existed. The same legal review notes that “Montana law does not appear to offer a permit exception for this form of possession under any circumstance. There is not even a grandfather provision for possible ownership that might have pre-dated the statute.” Contrast that with a state like Alaska, where “you may possess a chimpanzee if you owned it before 1/31/2010 and obtained a permit before 7/1/2010.” Montana offers no equivalent window, past or present.

If you are researching exotic pet ownership more broadly, you might also want to see how the state treats other restricted wildlife, such as its rules on raccoon ownership in Montana, which follows a similarly cautious regulatory approach.

What Federal Law Currently Says About Primate Ownership

You might assume there is a federal law that already settles this, but there is not one in force yet. As the Animal Welfare Institute explains, “Aside from the ban on importing primates for the pet trade, there are no federal laws governing the sale or keeping of primates as pets.” Primates used in labs or by licensed exhibitors get some protection, but “Primates used in research or held by dealers and exhibitors are provided protection under the Animal Welfare Act, but this does not extend to those in private homes.”

That gap is exactly what the Captive Primate Safety Act is meant to close. Reintroduced in the 119th Congress, the bill would “prohibit the private ownership and interstate or foreign commerce of nonhuman primates for the cruel ‘pet’ trade.” The bill text itself would amend the Lacey Act so that it becomes “unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, or in a manner substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce, any prohibited wildlife species or prohibited primate species.”

Congress has moved on similar legislation before. Congressman Mike Quigley, the bill’s lead sponsor, points to his earlier success with a related law: “Signed into law in 2022, Quigley’s Big Cat Public Safety Act banned the private ownership and breeding of big cats including lions, tigers, and pumas.” He is now pushing for the same outcome for primates, noting that “the bipartisan Captive Primate Safety Act will ban private ownership of non-human primates like chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs.”

There is also a separate federal layer worth understanding: the Endangered Species Act. Wildlife advocates point out that recent progress on chimpanzee protections came “from the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act to the ending of the split listing for chimpanzees in the Endangered Species Act.” Before that change, wild chimpanzees were listed as endangered while captive ones were not, which created inconsistent protections. That distinction now matters less for interstate sale and transport, since captive chimpanzees carry the same federal protections as wild ones.

Important Note: The Captive Primate Safety Act has been introduced in Congress multiple times without passing. Until it becomes law, primate ownership rules are set almost entirely at the state level, which is where Montana’s ban carries the most weight.

Montana’s Laws on Owning a Chimpanzee

Montana’s exotic wildlife statute, found in Title 87 of the Montana Code Annotated, is blunt about the baseline rule. Legal analysts summarize it this way: “Section 87-5-705 clearly states that a person may not import into the state, possess, or sell any exotic wildlife unless it is allowed by law or rule and the person has obtained a permit.” For most controlled species, that permit is at least theoretically available. For chimpanzees and the rest of the great ape family, it is not, since the regulation defines them as prohibited outright.

The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) sits alongside gorillas, orangutans, and bonobos on Montana’s prohibited exotic species list, a roster that a local radio outlet reported includes “37 species, including alligators and chimpanzees, due to safety and ecosystem concerns.” The same coverage is direct about primates specifically: “All types of primates are off-limits here… Either way, they’re banned.”

This ban connects to Montana’s broader wildlife framework, too. If you have looked into the state’s endangered species protections in Montana, you already know the state leans heavily on federal endangered species listings for non-native animals, since “Although the general thrust of Montana’s law is geared towards native species, all Great Apes are covered by reference to the federal endangered species list. In fact, Montana only lists three native species on its state list.” That cross-reference is part of why chimpanzees get treated so strictly even though they have never lived in the wild anywhere near Montana.

Permits and Requirements for Chimpanzee Ownership in Montana

So who, if anyone, can legally hold a chimpanzee in Montana? Not private individuals, but the door is not completely shut for institutions. State regulation carves out exceptions for organizations with the facilities and oversight to handle great apes responsibly. As one legal summary puts it, “Both traditional and roadside zoos are allowed to possess apes even though apes are defined as a ‘prohibited species’ by state regulation. Roadside and accredited zoos are excepted from that subchapter of regulations that otherwise prohibits possession of apes.”

Beyond zoos, Montana’s rules list several other categories that can qualify for a permit, including “accredited zoos, state-licensed roadside zoos, businesses under certain circumstances, certain educational or scientific institutions, certain non-profits, rescue organizations and other uses not relevant here.” Even rescue-style facilities face limits on how long they can hold an animal, since “the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks may issue a permit for possession of a prohibited species to a rescue facility for exotic wildlife with either national or state agency affiliation engaged in temporary housing of exotic wildlife for the purpose of rescue for relocation.”

Applicant Type	Can Possess a Chimpanzee?	Governing Rule
Private individual	No, under any circumstance	ARM 12.6.2215
Accredited zoo	Yes, with permit	ARM 12.6.2220
Licensed roadside zoo	Yes, with permit	ARM 12.6.2220
Research or educational institution	Yes, with permit	ARM 12.6.2220
Rescue or sanctuary facility	Temporary only, for relocation	ARM 12.6.2220(h)

For eligible institutions, the application process runs through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and asks for specifics on facility location, containment, and intended use. The official application requires applicants to “provide the physical address and description (latitude/longitude) of the facility where the controlled exotic” species will be kept, along with certification that the applicant understands the relevant sections of Montana Codes Annotated. Fee structures for related menagerie-style permits are modest but strictly enforced, with “the annual permit fee for five or less animals is $10. The annual permit fee for more than five animals is $25.”

If you are curious how Montana handles permit paperwork for other regulated activities, the process shares some structure with the state’s beekeeping registration requirements in Montana, though the standards for housing a great ape are, understandably, in a different category altogether.

Local Laws That May Apply in Montana

Because chimpanzees are already banned at the state level, city and county ordinances rarely need to add anything extra for private residents. But local rules still matter if you are dealing with any borderline exotic species, or if you are trying to establish a permitted facility. As one wildlife-focused resource puts it, “just because an animal is legal to own in the state, it doesn’t mean the city you live in allows it. Many local cities and counties have their own restrictions on which animals are legal to keep, and which are not.”

That guidance carries real weight for anyone weighing zoning, business licensing, or facility permits tied to an accredited zoo or educational institution. Local health and safety departments, building codes, and animal control ordinances can all layer on top of state wildlife rules. It is worth checking with your county before assuming state approval is the only box you need to check, similar to how Montana’s goat ownership laws can vary by municipality even when state agricultural rules stay consistent statewide.

Pro Tip: If you are involved with an accredited sanctuary, zoo, or research facility that might legitimately qualify for a permit, contact Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks directly before applying. State-level exceptions are narrow, and local zoning requirements can add another layer of approval you will need well before construction or intake begins.

Penalties for Illegally Owning a Chimpanzee in Montana

Getting caught with a prohibited species in Montana is not a slap-on-the-wrist situation. The state’s exotic wildlife statutes carry real criminal exposure, and the official permit paperwork itself warns applicants that “any false statement herin may subject me to the criminal penalties of MCA 87-5-721.” That same statute underpins enforcement against anyone possessing a prohibited species without authorization in the first place.

Beyond fines, confiscation is the near-certain outcome once wildlife officials become aware of an illegally held animal. Local reporting on the state’s prohibited species list notes that “the exotic critter that you bought on the internet (or on a trip to Mexico), will almost certainly be confiscated if wildlife officials discover your contraband animal.” For an animal the size and strength of an adult chimpanzee, confiscation also typically means a scramble to find an accredited sanctuary willing to take on a full-grown primate that was never socialized with other chimpanzees, a problem that has fueled the rise of dedicated rescue facilities across the country.

There is also a liability dimension that goes beyond regulatory fines. A chimpanzee capable of causing serious injury raises the same kind of civil exposure questions covered in Montana’s rules on what happens if a dog bites someone in Montana, except the potential severity with a primate that can weigh well over 100 pounds is far greater. Combine criminal penalties, confiscation, and personal injury liability, and the legal risk of trying to keep a chimpanzee in Montana outweighs any appeal the idea might have.

If you came across this because you are generally interested in what wildlife you can legally interact with in Montana, it is worth branching out to related topics like the state’s hunting laws or its rules on roadkill possession, both of which fall under the same Fish, Wildlife and Parks authority that enforces the prohibited species list. The short version for chimpanzees specifically, though, does not change: state law closes the door on private ownership, and no pending federal legislation has changed that math yet.