Can You Own a Coyote in New Hampshire? What State Law Actually Says
August 15, 2026
If you have ever watched a coyote trot across a New Hampshire field at dusk and wondered whether you could raise one like a dog, the short answer is no. Owning a coyote in New Hampshire runs into a wall of state wildlife rules before you even get to the practical challenges of caring for a wild predator. Coyotes here are not simply unregulated wildlife; they sit on a specific list that limits who can legally hold one and for what purpose.
This guide walks through how New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Department treats coyotes under the law, what permits exist (and who actually qualifies for them), what care standards apply to the few facilities allowed to keep one, and what happens if someone tries to keep a coyote without authorization.
Pro Tip: If you found an injured or orphaned coyote pup, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator instead of taking it home. Rehabilitators hold specific state authorization that private citizens cannot obtain.
Is It Legal to Own a Coyote in New Hampshire
Private coyote ownership is not legal in New Hampshire. According to Exotic Pet Wonderland’s research on the state’s exotic pet rules, pet coyotes are not legal in New Hampshire and you cannot keep a coyote as a pet in the state. That same restriction extends to coydogs, the coyote-dog hybrids some people mistakenly assume fall into a legal gray area.
The prohibition traces back to how the state treats wildlife importation and possession generally. Under New Hampshire’s fish and game statutes, no person shall import, possess, sell, exhibit, or release any live marine species or wildlife, or the eggs or progeny thereof, without first obtaining a permit from the executive director except as otherwise permitted. Coyotes fall squarely within that framework, and as you will see in the next section, they carry an additional classification that makes ordinary pet ownership essentially unreachable.
If you are weighing this question against other wild mammals native to the state, it helps to see how New Hampshire treats a similarly common backyard visitor. The state’s approach to raccoon ownership follows the same restrictive pattern, which tells you this is not a coyote-specific quirk but a broader wildlife policy.
How New Hampshire Classifies Coyotes Under Wildlife Law
New Hampshire’s eastern coyote (Canis latrans) wears two hats under state law: it is both a furbearer species with an open hunting and trapping season, and a “controlled species” under the state’s wildlife possession rules. Those two classifications sound contradictory, but they are not. The hunting and trapping rules govern taking a coyote from the wild, while the controlled species designation governs keeping one alive in captivity.
New Hampshire Fish and Game describes eastern coyotes as adaptive, intelligent animals that have expanded into the region only since the mid-1900s, moving in from the Midwest through Canada. According to the department’s eastern coyote species profile, eastern coyotes typically weigh 30-50 pounds and are 48-60 inches long, with long legs, thick fur, a pointy snout, and a drooping bushy black-tipped tail. Genetic research the department cites attributes their larger size to interbreeding with Eastern Canadian wolves rather than domestic dogs, despite the “coydog” nickname.
Under the state’s administrative rules on wildlife possession, coyotes appear on the controlled species list alongside animals like bears, cougars, and large primates. According to the Animal Legal & Historical Center’s summary of New Hampshire’s possession rules, Table 800.2 lists the controlled species, which include many wild turtles and salamanders, alligators, crocodiles, badgers, bears, cougars, coyotes, elephants, kangaroos, big cats, and large primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas. Controlled status means possession requires a specific permit rather than being freely allowed, which sets up the licensing hurdles covered next. If you’re curious how coyotes fit into the wider predator-prey picture in the state, the piece on what animals eat coyotes rounds out the ecological context.
Permits and Licensing Requirements for Coyote Ownership in New Hampshire
New Hampshire does have a permitting pathway for controlled wildlife, but it was not built for hobbyists. According to Citizens Count’s overview of New Hampshire’s exotic pet permit system, animals on the controlled list can be owned or sold only by individuals with a permit from the Fish and Game Department, and permits are issued at the discretion of the executive director, who considers whether the animal would pose a threat to other wildlife, the public, or the state’s ecosystem if released. That discretionary standard gives the department broad room to deny applications for a predator species like a coyote.
The practical barrier becomes clearer when you look at the department’s own permit application guidance. The New Hampshire Fish and Game license forms page describes the Possession of Live Wildlife Permit but adds a blunt qualifier: the Possession of Live Wildlife Permit Application is for possessing allowed live wildlife, and no mammal wildlife possession is permitted. In other words, the standard possession permit that covers many controlled species simply does not extend to mammals, which rules out the most common path someone might try for a pet coyote.
A handful of narrow exemptions exist, but none function as a “pet coyote” loophole:
- Wildlife rehabilitators – licensed under separate rules to temporarily care for injured or orphaned native wildlife before release
- Propagation permits – for entities raising or breeding wildlife commercially, not private companionship
- Scientific permits – issued under RSA 214:29 for research purposes, exempting holders from Chapter 800 provisions
- Wolf hybrid owners – a specific statutory carve-out under RSA 466-A that does not apply to coyotes
Anyone assembling an application also needs to clear a health documentation hurdle. Per the Animal Legal & Historical Center’s summary of Chapter Fis 800, applications for a permit to possess must be submitted no less than 30 days in advance of the requested possession date, and health certificates must meet standards set by the USDA. That timeline and paperwork are designed for zoos, universities, and accredited facilities rather than someone hoping to raise a coyote pup at home. For comparison, animals that New Hampshire does allow with more accessible permitting, like backyard goat ownership, follow a far simpler licensing track precisely because they are not classified as controlled wildlife.
| Pathway | Who Qualifies | Covers Coyotes as Pets? |
|---|---|---|
| Possession of Live Wildlife Permit | General applicants for allowed species | No – mammal possession excluded |
| Propagation Permit | Commercial breeders/facilities | Not for companionship purposes |
| Scientific Permit (RSA 214:29) | Researchers | No – research use only |
| Wildlife Rehabilitator License | Licensed rehabbers | No – temporary care until release |
| Hunting/Trapping License | Licensed hunters/trappers | No – governs taking, not keeping |
Enclosure and Care Requirements in New Hampshire
Because private ownership is not a realistic option, New Hampshire’s enclosure and care standards for coyotes apply almost exclusively to the licensed institutions that qualify under the exemptions above, such as accredited zoos, universities, and wildlife rehabilitation centers. These facilities operate under far stricter oversight than a home fence line would provide.
Any permitted facility must meet federal health documentation standards before an animal ever arrives on site. As noted in the state’s Chapter Fis 800 rules, health certificates shall meet standards set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture pursuant to 9 CFR, 2.78 and/or the New Hampshire department of agriculture. That requirement reflects the same USDA framework that governs professional exhibitors nationwide, not backyard enclosures.
Permits issued under this chapter also come with built-in limits that keep facilities accountable. Terms include:
- Annual expiration on December 31, requiring renewal each year
- Location-specific validity, meaning the permit applies only to the facility named in the application
- Non-transferability, so a permit cannot be sold or passed to another party
Important Note: Because coyotes are excluded from the standard mammal possession permit, there is effectively no state-sanctioned enclosure standard written for private individuals. Any care requirements that do exist apply to institutional permit holders, not hobbyists.
Anyone weighing whether a large predator could realistically be contained in a home setting should also consider the animal’s natural behavior. The dangerous animals in New Hampshire overview covers how wide-ranging and food-motivated coyotes are in the wild, traits that do not disappear in captivity.
Local Laws and HOA Restrictions That May Apply in New Hampshire
Even in the unlikely event someone secured state authorization through an institutional exemption, local rules add another layer of restriction. Towns and cities across New Hampshire maintain their own animal control ordinances, and many address exotic or wild animal keeping separately from standard pet rules covering dogs and cats.
Homeowners associations complicate the picture further for anyone in a planned community. HOA covenants frequently restrict “non-domestic,” “wild,” or “exotic” animals outright, language broad enough to cover a coyote regardless of state permit status. These private agreements operate independently of Fish and Game rules, so clearing a state hurdle does not clear a neighborhood one. The same layered approach shows up in disputes over more common animals, as the guide to neighbor animal laws in New Hampshire illustrates for domestic pets crossing property lines.
Municipal nuisance ordinances also matter here. A coyote that howls, digs, or ranges into neighboring yards can trigger nuisance complaints separate from any wildlife-specific violation, giving local animal control officers an independent basis to act. Anyone researching how New Hampshire towns handle wildlife encountered on local roads or property may also find the roadkill laws in New Hampshire page useful for understanding how the state separates local enforcement from Fish and Game jurisdiction.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Coyote in New Hampshire
New Hampshire treats unauthorized wildlife possession as a real enforcement priority, not a paperwork technicality. The core statute governing import and possession, RSA 207:14, carries penalties well beyond a simple citation. According to a legal summary of the fish and game statute, the executive director may impose a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 for each violation of this section, with the moneys received deposited in the fish and game fund. That figure applies per violation, so possessing a coyote without authorization is treated as a serious infraction rather than a minor fine.
Beyond the civil penalty, violations of the import and possession statute also carry criminal exposure. As the statutory summary of RSA 207 notes, any person who violates this section or any rule adopted under it shall be guilty of a violation and guilty of an additional violation for each marine species or wildlife possessed contrary to the provisions. That “per animal” structure means a single unauthorized coyote already counts as a separate offense, and multiple animals compound the exposure.
Enforcement does not stop at fines. New Hampshire law also allows wildlife seized in violation of possession rules to be confiscated, meaning an illegally kept coyote is unlikely to stay with its keeper even after penalties are resolved. This mirrors the seriousness the state applies to other unauthorized animal situations, similar in spirit to how liability plays out when a dog bites someone in New Hampshire, where owner responsibility and legal consequences scale with the risk the animal poses.
Pro Tip: If a coyote is denning near your property or causing livestock concerns, contact New Hampshire Fish and Game directly rather than attempting to relocate or contain the animal yourself. Removal of a problem coyote is handled through official channels, not private capture.
New Hampshire’s position on coyote ownership is consistent from top to bottom: the species is classified as controlled wildlife, the standard possession permit excludes mammals, local ordinances add further restrictions, and penalties for unauthorized possession are steep enough to discourage the attempt entirely. Anyone drawn to these animals is better served by supporting licensed rehabilitators or observing them in the wild. For more on how coyotes behave and interact with New Hampshire’s ecosystem, the full collection of coyote coverage is a good next stop.