Can You Own a Coyote in North Dakota? What State Law Actually Requires
August 17, 2026
If you have watched a coyote trot across a North Dakota wheat field and wondered whether one could ever live in your backyard, you are not alone. Can you own a coyote in North Dakota? The short answer is yes, but only through a specific state license, an approved enclosure, and ongoing compliance with wildlife rules that treat coyotes very differently from a dog or cat.
North Dakota does not ban coyote ownership outright the way it bans raccoons and skunks. Instead, the coyote (Canis latrans) falls into a regulatory category built for animals the state considers capable of carrying disease or causing harm if mismanaged. Understanding that category, and the paperwork attached to it, is the difference between a legal pet and a costly violation.
Is It Legal to Own a Coyote in North Dakota
Yes, you can legally keep a coyote in North Dakota, but only after obtaining a nontraditional livestock license from the state before you ever bring the animal home. The owner shall obtain a license from the board before acquiring animals classified as nontraditional livestock category 2 and category 3 species. That requirement puts coyote ownership in a different tier than owning a Category 1 species like a chinchilla or a domesticated ranch fox, which require no state license at all.
This is a meaningfully more permissive stance than many neighboring states take. New York, for example, requires a wolf-and-coyote-hybrid permit and bans several big cat species outright, while North Dakota keeps its list of flatly prohibited pets short. It is against the law to own raccoons or skunks in North Dakota. Coyotes are not on that prohibited list, but they are far from unregulated.
Coyote ownership rules are separate from coyote hunting rules, and the two get confused often. If you are more interested in pursuing coyotes in the field than housing one in a backyard enclosure, the coyote hunting laws in North Dakota follow an entirely different set of licensing and season requirements administered by the Game and Fish Department rather than the Board of Animal Health.
Pro Tip: Contact the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division before you commit to purchasing or adopting a coyote. Facility approval has to happen first, so timing your application around a breeder’s availability can save months of delay.
How North Dakota Classifies Coyotes Under Wildlife Law
North Dakota sorts nondomestic animals into three nontraditional livestock categories, and where a species lands determines how much paperwork you face. Category 2 includes all nondomestic ungulates, including all deer and pronghorn, nondomestic cats not listed in category 3, waterfowl, shorebirds, upland game birds not listed in category 1, crows, wolverines, otters, martens, fishers, kit or swift foxes, badgers, coyotes, mink, red and gray fox, muskrats, beavers, weasels, opossums, prairie dogs, and other ground squirrels. That places the coyote alongside animals the state considers capable of carrying disease or posing environmental risk, rather than in the more relaxed Category 1 group that includes turkeys, geese, and ranch mink.
The table below breaks down how the three categories compare, which helps explain why a coyote requires more oversight than, say, a pet duck.
| Category | Licensing Requirement | Example Species |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | No nontraditional livestock license needed | Ducks, geese, chinchillas, ranch mink, rabbits |
| Category 2 | License required before acquisition | Coyotes, deer, foxes, badgers, nondomestic cats |
| Category 3 | License plus stricter facility standards | Wolves, bears, big cats, primates, venomous reptiles |
It is worth noting that this classification exists separately from how coyotes are treated under hunting regulations. Are coyotes defined as furbearer, game animal, or other in North Dakota? Furbearer. That designation explains why coyotes are by far the most popularly pursued furbearer by hunters and those individuals who use both traps and cable devices across the state, and why the species has a year-round trapping season in most areas rather than a fixed opening day.
By contrast, animals with special protected status in North Dakota, covered in more detail on our page about endangered animals in North Dakota, face restrictions aimed at conservation rather than public safety. Coyotes are not endangered or threatened in the state; coyotes are found across the entire state, from agricultural fields and grasslands to badlands and river breaks. That widespread, stable population is part of why the state permits private ownership at all, provided you go through the licensing process.
Permits and Licensing Requirements for Coyote Ownership in North Dakota
The core requirement for legal coyote ownership is a nontraditional livestock license issued by the North Dakota Board of Animal Health, and the process has several concrete steps you need to complete in order. Fees must be paid under North Dakota Century Code section 36-01-08.1 before issuance of a license. You cannot simply acquire a coyote and apply for the license afterward.
- Submit a facility application. Before acquiring or possessing category 2 nontraditional livestock, an owner must provide to the board a description and a sketch or map of the premises and facilities.
- Detail your enclosure plans. The sketch or map must include, at a minimum, the proposed exterior boundary, location of the holding and handling facilities, the quarantine area, and the proposed location of all gates.
- Wait for inspection and approval. An owner may not acquire or possess category 2 or category 3 nontraditional livestock on such owner’s premises and facilities until the board has inspected and approved the facility and issued the license.
- Meet import health rules if buying out of state. Animals imported from out of state must meet health requirements specific to that species.
- File annual paperwork. License renewals and inventory reports are sent out to current licensees in December of each year and are due by January 31st.
Ongoing recordkeeping is not optional once you hold the license. Any births, deaths, sales, or purchases must be recorded on the form provided by the board. This is comparable in spirit to how the state tracks other regulated wildlife, and it mirrors the documentation standards you would find if you researched the deer hunting season in North Dakota, where another Category 2 species faces similarly close state tracking.
For the full regulatory text behind these steps, the North Dakota Administrative Code section on nontraditional livestock licensing, hosted by Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, lays out the board’s authority in full. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s own Non-Traditional Livestock division page is the practical starting point for application forms and current fee schedules.
Enclosure and Care Requirements in North Dakota
Facility standards drive most of the delay in the licensing process, because the state will not approve an application until your setup passes inspection. According to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, those wishing to keep a coyote as a pet must have appropriate facilities completed and inspected before submitting an application. In practice, that means you build the enclosure first and apply second, which reverses the order many people expect.
General nontraditional livestock containment rules require sturdy, escape-proof construction rather than a casual backyard fence. Posts must be of sufficient strength to keep nontraditional livestock securely contained. Because coyotes are agile diggers and jumpers, an enclosure built for a Category 1 species like a chinchilla will not clear inspection for a Category 2 predator.
Ongoing care obligations extend past the initial approval. The board reserves broad authority over animal health standards statewide: the board may prohibit, by policy or rule, ownership or possession of any animal deemed to be a significant threat to human or animal health in the state. That means your facility and care practices can be reevaluated, not just approved once and forgotten.
Pro Tip: Build your enclosure to exceed minimum containment standards rather than meet them exactly. Inspectors have discretion, and a facility with visible extra security tends to move through approval faster than one that just barely qualifies.
It also helps to think about what happens if a coyote or any wild animal gets loose or is found injured near a road, since the state’s rules on that scenario connect to broader wildlife possession law covered on our roadkill laws in North Dakota page.
Local Laws and HOA Restrictions That May Apply in North Dakota
A state nontraditional livestock license does not automatically override city or county rules, and this is where many prospective coyote owners run into trouble. Local restrictions can also exist in accordance with city or municipal ordinances. A license from the Board of Animal Health only confirms that you have met state-level requirements; your city or homeowners association can still say no.
This pattern shows up with other regulated animals too. North Dakota communities that maintain breed-specific ordinances for dogs, discussed in our guide to pit bull laws in North Dakota, demonstrate how local governments routinely layer stricter rules on top of state baselines. The same logic applies to exotic and nontraditional livestock: a municipality can prohibit coyote enclosures within city limits even though state law permits them elsewhere.
Before applying for a license, contact your local zoning or animal control office directly. Check with your local office about what pets you can own. One North Dakota outlet summarized the practical reality well: you will need the proper permits and enclosure, but it is legal, and the likelihood of it being legal in the city you are in is not very likely. Rural or agricultural zoning is generally far more accommodating than residential neighborhoods governed by an HOA.
Nuisance animal ordinances are another local factor worth checking, especially if neighbors could be affected by noise or occasional roaming. Our page on neighbor animal disputes in North Dakota covers how local nuisance codes typically work, and similar logic applies if a licensed coyote ever wanders onto adjoining property. It is also worth reviewing general leash laws in North Dakota, since some municipalities extend containment and restraint requirements to any animal kept outdoors, not just dogs.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Coyote in North Dakota
Keeping a coyote without the required nontraditional livestock license is a straightforward violation of state administrative code, not a gray area. An owner may not acquire or possess category 2 or category 3 nontraditional livestock on such owner’s premises and facilities until the board has inspected and approved the facility and issued the license. Possessing one before that approval, or after a license lapses, puts you outside the law regardless of intent.
The consequences go beyond a warning letter. If the state determines an unlicensed or improperly contained animal needs to be removed, the cost falls on the owner. A reasonable fee will be assessed to the owner to seize, capture, or destroy the animal. That is a significant financial and emotional risk compared to simply completing the licensing process up front.
Administrative enforcement in North Dakota follows the state’s standard agency practice rules. Application and enforcement proceedings must comply with North Dakota Century Code chapter 28-32. That chapter governs how state agencies like the Board of Animal Health conduct hearings, appeals, and license revocations, giving owners a formal process but not an easy way around noncompliance.
Important Note: This article summarizes publicly available North Dakota regulations for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Wildlife and nontraditional livestock rules can change, and local ordinances vary by city and county, so verify current requirements with the North Dakota Board of Animal Health and your local zoning office before acquiring any coyote.
Liability exposure is another consideration separate from licensing penalties. If a privately kept coyote injures a person or another animal, the legal analysis can resemble the strict liability standards discussed in our overview of what happens if a dog bites someone in North Dakota, though wild-animal liability often carries an even higher bar for owners. For a sense of how differently other states approach coyote regulation, North Carolina’s framework, detailed in our coyote hunting laws in North Carolina guide, shows a management approach built almost entirely around hunting rather than private licensing.
For the full administrative code governing nontraditional livestock in North Dakota, including category definitions and licensing procedures, the North Dakota Legislative Branch’s Article 48.1-09 text and the summary compiled by the Animal Legal and Historical Center are both useful references. Coyote hunting regulations, which operate on a separate track from ownership licensing, are managed through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s coyote hunting and trapping page and the department’s annual small game and furbearer proclamation.