If you’ve ever wondered whether you could legally keep a lion in Delaware, the short answer is no — and the legal reasons run deeper than most people realize. A federal law passed in 2022 effectively ended private lion ownership across the entire United States, and Delaware’s own state permit system adds another layer of regulation on top of that. Understanding where these laws overlap — and where local rules add even more restrictions — is important before you ever consider bringing a large wild cat onto your property.
Lions are among the most powerful and dangerous animals on Earth. A male African lion (Panthera leo) can weigh over 400 pounds, reach speeds of 50 miles per hour in short bursts, and cause fatal injuries in seconds. That reality is precisely why lawmakers at both the federal and state level have moved to restrict or eliminate private ownership entirely. This article walks you through each layer of the law so you know exactly where Delaware stands.
Is It Legal to Own a Lion in Delaware?
Owning a lion as a private pet in Delaware is not legal under current federal law, regardless of what state-level permits might otherwise allow. Prior to December 2022, Delaware occupied a legal gray zone — the state did not explicitly ban big cats by name, and some sources noted that Delaware required all exotic animals (aside from exempt species) to have a permit, but had no list of specific animals that were prohibited, which meant people could theoretically own wild cats and other potentially dangerous animals.
That changed with the passage of a sweeping federal law. The Big Cat Public Safety Act was enacted on December 20, 2022, to end the private ownership of big cats as pets and prohibit exhibitors from allowing public contact with big cats, including cubs. Because this is a federal law, it applies in every state — including Delaware — and it overrides any state-level permitting system that previously allowed lion ownership.
Key Insight: Even if Delaware’s state permit office were willing to issue you an exotic animal permit for a lion, that permit would not shield you from federal prosecution under the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Federal law takes precedence.
What Federal Law Says About Lion Ownership
The Big Cat Public Safety Act makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, or in a manner substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or breed or possess prohibited wildlife species — including lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, and cougars, or any hybrids thereof — with certain exceptions. Lions are explicitly named in the statute.
The law amends the Captive Wildlife Safety Act to prohibit the private possession of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, or any hybrid of these species. It also restricts direct contact between the public and big cats. This means that even roadside attractions and pay-to-pet cub experiences are now off-limits under federal statute.
There is a narrow grandfather provision for people who already owned a big cat before the law was enacted. To continue legally possessing a privately owned big cat, the Act required individuals or entities to register any big cat in their possession before the date of enactment with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, unless another exception applied. This registration had to occur no later than June 18, 2023 — 180 days after enactment. Registration is now closed. If you did not register a pre-existing lion by that deadline, you are in violation of federal law.
The law does carve out exceptions for certain institutions. The law does not apply to licensed facilities like zoos and sanctuaries that meet specific standards, as well as state universities and wildlife rehabilitation centers. Private individuals do not qualify for these exemptions. You can learn more about how mountain lions compare in size and behavior by reading about how much a mountain lion weighs, or explore which American states have mountain lions in the wild.
Important Note: The registration window for pre-Act big cat owners closed on June 18, 2023, and will not reopen. There is no legal pathway for a new private owner to acquire or possess a lion in the United States today.
Delaware’s Laws on Owning a Lion
Before the federal ban took effect, Delaware’s approach to exotic animals — including big cats — was governed by a permit-based system rather than an outright species-specific prohibition. Under Delaware Code Chapter 72, no person shall bring into the state, possess, sell, or exhibit any live wild mammal or hybrid of a wild mammal or live reptile not native to or generally found in Delaware without first securing a permit.
Delaware’s exotic animal regulations govern the permitting process, possession, sale, rehabilitation, and exhibition of exotic animals — defined as live wild mammals, hybrids of wild mammals, and live reptiles not native to or generally found in the state. Lions are not native to Delaware, so they fall squarely within this definition and would require a state permit even setting aside the federal ban.
Owning exotic cats, large and small, is legal in Delaware with a permit — at least under the state’s own framework. However, that state-level permission is now effectively nullified for lions specifically by the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Delaware has a unique definition of exotic mammals and reptiles, meaning they are not native to Delaware, and the state requires that all exotic animals (aside from exempt species) obtain a pet permission permit. But a state permit alone cannot authorize what federal law prohibits.
Delaware’s exotic animal framework also explicitly lists dangerous animals that carry additional restrictions. Such dangerous animals include, but are not limited to, alligators, bears, boids (constrictor snakes), caimans, crocodiles, felids, gavials, nonhuman primates, wolves, and any poisonous amphibian, reptile, or arachnid. Lions fall under the “felids” category in that list. If you’re curious about other wildlife in the state, check out our guides to snakes in Delaware and whether you can legally own a raccoon in Delaware.
Permits and Requirements for Lion Ownership in Delaware
Even though no new lion ownership is legally possible under federal law, it is worth understanding what Delaware’s permit system looks like — both for context and because the framework still applies to other exotic animals you might consider. Any Delaware resident wishing to own an exotic animal must apply to the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Poultry and Animal Health Section for an exotic animal permit.
For individual pet ownership of an exotic, the process involves several steps:
- When an exotic is kept as a pet, the owner or custodian must apply to the Department for an Individual Permit on a form supplied by the Department.
- The owner or custodian must obtain a separate Individual Permit for each exotic animal kept as a pet.
- A background check of an owner or custodian applying for an Individual Permit may be completed by the Department.
- Individual Permits granted by the Department become null and void when the owner or custodian transfers ownership or custodianship of the exotic to another person.
Sellers of exotic animals in Delaware also carry responsibilities. Requirements include ensuring potential buyers possess the appropriate exotic animal permit from the state, confirming the buyer’s personal identification matches information on their exotic animal permit, providing the buyer with written information about the animal’s enclosure and welfare requirements, and notifying the buyer that local laws might further govern ownership of an exotic.
For animals classified as “dangerous” — which includes felids like lions — any person keeping, maintaining, or possessing a dangerous animal that is exotic to Delaware may continue to possess that animal provided the person does not breed or attempt to breed the animal, the person obtains a permit under 3 Del. C. § 7201 within 30 days of the effective date of the relevant law, and the person does not obtain any additional dangerous animals. This grandfather language mirrors the federal approach, but again, the federal registration window has closed.
Pro Tip: Contact the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Poultry and Animal Health Section at 302-698-4562 if you have questions about the exotic animal permit system for species other than big cats. For lions specifically, consult a wildlife attorney before taking any action.
Local Laws That May Apply in Delaware
Delaware’s three counties — New Castle, Kent, and Sussex — each maintain their own ordinances regarding exotic and dangerous animals, and many municipalities add yet another layer of restrictions. Each county has a separate set of regulations regarding the ownership of exotic pets, and many towns have restrictions on particular species. State law makes clear that local cities, municipalities, and counties may enact more restrictive regulations that supersede state laws.
Kent County provides one of the clearest examples of a local ban. Kent County Code 205-43.1 makes it illegal to possess any “dangerous animal” within the unincorporated area of Kent County, because “these animals are incapable of adapting to human companionship and their possession by individuals as pets has proven to be a menace to emergency personnel, including firemen, police officers and utility workers, as well as the general public.” The ban does not apply to properly permitted zoos or educational institutions.
Other municipalities go even further. In the city of Lewes, it is illegal to import, keep, or maintain any animal except common household pets within the city limits, with no exceptions to this ban. In Newark, it is illegal to possess, own, harbor, or care for any ape or other exotic animal within the city limits, and the ban does not apply to licensed zoos or educational institutions.
If you live in an unincorporated area, your county’s land use or planning and zoning office is the right place to start. The owner is responsible for determining whether the animal is allowed at their location, which involves reviewing the county code and calling the county and town planning and zoning departments. You can also explore other Delaware-specific animal topics like dog leash laws in Delaware and backyard chicken laws in Delaware for a sense of how local rules shape animal ownership in the state.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Lion in Delaware
If you possess a lion without legal authorization, you face potential penalties at two separate levels of government — and they can stack on top of each other.
Federal penalties under the Big Cat Public Safety Act: Under the Big Cat Public Safety Act, illegal ownership can result in fines of up to $20,000 and imprisonment for up to five years. The animal is also subject to confiscation. Violators are subject to civil or criminal penalties, or both, including potential fines, imprisonment, or both. Big cats bred, possessed, imported, exported, transported, sold, received, acquired, or purchased contrary to the provisions of the Act are subject to seizure and forfeiture.
State penalties under Delaware Code Chapter 72: Whoever violates this chapter shall for each offense be fined not more than $500, imprisoned not more than 30 days, or both.
County-level penalties: Violation of a county dangerous animal ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000. Each dangerous animal possessed is a separate violation, and each day it is possessed constitutes and is punishable as a separate offense. Any fine imposed shall not be suspended to any amount less than the minimum prescribed fine.
State penalties can be added on top of federal ones, potentially leading to even steeper fines and longer jail time. Beyond the financial and criminal consequences, the animal itself will almost certainly be seized and placed in a licensed facility — a stressful and potentially dangerous process for both the lion and the people involved in the transfer.
The bottom line is straightforward: owning a lion in Delaware is not a legal option for private individuals. Federal law closed that door in December 2022, Delaware’s state permit system adds its own restrictions, and local ordinances in many counties and cities go further still. If you are interested in wildlife in the First State, there are many fascinating species to observe and appreciate without the legal risk — from the beetles found across Delaware to the butterflies that visit Delaware gardens and the colorful birds spotted throughout the state. For anyone with a genuine interest in big cat conservation, supporting an accredited sanctuary is both legal and far more beneficial to the animals themselves.