Can You Own a Python in North Dakota? State Laws, Permits, and City Bans Explained
September 4, 2026
If you’re wondering whether you can own a python in North Dakota, the honest answer is “it depends on where you live and which species you want.” The state itself doesn’t ban pythons outright, but it treats large constricting snakes as regulated wildlife rather than ordinary pets, and several cities have gone further with their own outright bans.
Between state permit rules, a federal transport law, and a patchwork of city ordinances, python ownership in North Dakota involves more paperwork than picking up a ball python from a pet store might suggest. This guide walks through each layer of regulation so you know what applies to your specific situation before you bring a snake home.
Important Note: This article summarizes publicly available regulations for general education and is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your city clerk, the North Dakota Board of Animal Health, or a local attorney before acquiring any python.
Is It Legal to Own a Python in North Dakota
In North Dakota, non-domestic animals are classified into three categories of Non-Traditional Livestock. Where a python falls in that system determines whether you need a permit at all. Category 3 animals are deemed “inherently dangerous” and require a permit for residential ownership, and this category includes primates, bears, wolves, big cats, and nonvenomous injurious reptiles. Large constricting snakes generally fall into that last group.
At the same time, North Dakota has very few restrictions on owning exotic pets at the state level, and according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, only raccoons and skunks are outright illegal statewide. That means a permitted python is legal under state law in a way that a pet raccoon simply isn’t. Smaller, docile species like the ball python (Python regius) are commonly treated as lower-risk pets, while giant species that made headlines in Florida’s Everglades draw far more scrutiny.
The catch is that state-level legality doesn’t guarantee local legality. Just because an animal is legal to own in the state, it doesn’t mean the city you live in allows it, so checking with local authorities matters as much as understanding state law. If you’re also curious about the native snakes that already share the landscape, our guide to when snakes come out in North Dakota covers the wild species you might encounter separately from pet ownership questions.
Federal Law: The Lacey Act and “Injurious” Python Species
Even if North Dakota allows a particular python with a permit, federal law can still restrict how that animal legally crosses state lines. The Lacey Act prohibits the trade of species in the United States that are deemed injurious to people, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife, or wildlife resources. Pythons became a major test case for this law after Burmese pythons established a breeding population in the Everglades.
In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the Burmese python and eight other large constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems as “injurious wildlife” under the Lacey Act. The final rule that took effect in 2012 narrowed that list. The final rule lists the Burmese python, the yellow anaconda, and the northern and southern African pythons as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in order to restrict their spread in the wild in the United States. That listing covers the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), the northern African python (Python sebae), and the southern African python (Python natalensis).
Five of the nine originally proposed species, including the reticulated python and boa constrictor, remained under review and stayed in a kind of regulatory limbo following the 2012 listing. That means reticulated pythons are not federally listed as injurious, even though several North Dakota cities restrict them locally anyway.
A 2017 court decision changed how the federal ban actually functions in practice. Following a D.C. Circuit Court ruling, the interstate transport of these species between states within the continental United States is currently permitted, even though the species remain barred from transport to Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, and barred from import from other countries. In other words, the federal listing still blocks importing these pythons from abroad, but it no longer stops someone from legally moving an already-owned, federally listed python between two mainland states.
Pro Tip: Federal “injurious” status and state permit requirements are two separate systems. A python can be legal to own under North Dakota’s permit rules while still facing federal import or interstate restrictions, so check both before buying or relocating a snake.
Which Python Species Are Restricted or Banned in North Dakota
North Dakota’s state rules don’t name individual python species one by one. Instead, the state’s Category 3 classification covers groups like wild suidae, large felids, bears, wolves, venomous reptiles, primates, and nondomestic sheep or goats, alongside nonvenomous injurious reptiles — the bucket that large constrictors typically fall into. This species-family approach is different from the venomous-species question covered in our guide to venomous animals in North Dakota, since pythons are constrictors rather than venomous snakes.
City ordinances get much more specific, and they don’t always agree with each other. Minot’s animal ordinance draws a clear line by size and species. Large constricting snakes, such as reticulated and Burmese pythons and boa constrictors, as well as all venomous snakes, remain illegal to keep in the city. However, Minot’s Animal Ordinance Committee voted 5-1 to allow the keeping of smaller constricting snakes such as ball pythons and corn snakes, reversing an earlier ordinance that prohibited all constricting snakes in the city.
West Fargo takes a broader approach that doesn’t distinguish by size at all. The city’s ordinance bans any poisonous, venomous, constricting, or inherently dangerous member of the reptile or amphibian families, including rattlesnakes, boa constrictors, pit vipers, crocodiles, and alligators. That wording sweeps in essentially every python species, regardless of how small or docile the individual snake might be. Meanwhile, Fargo and Moorhead reportedly don’t have comparable restrictions in place for constricting snakes, according to testimony from a West Fargo python owner who compared the neighboring cities’ rules. If you’re comparing how North Dakota treats other reptiles that sometimes get confused with dangerous species, see our piece on coral snakes in North Dakota for context on native versus exotic species regulation.
| City/Area | Small Pythons (e.g., Ball Python) | Large Pythons (Burmese, Reticulated) |
|---|---|---|
| Minot | Allowed as of the 2020 ordinance amendment | Remain illegal |
| West Fargo | Banned under the broad constricting-snake ordinance | Banned under the broad constricting-snake ordinance |
| Fargo / Moorhead | Reportedly no specific local restriction | Reportedly no specific local restriction |
| Unincorporated / state level | Generally Category 1 or lower risk, no permit for many colubrids | Category 3 “injurious reptile,” permit required |
Permit Requirements for Owning a Python in North Dakota
Getting a Category 3 permit in North Dakota involves more than filling out a form. The state’s regulations set specific housing requirements for nonvenomous injurious reptiles, including rules that any enclosure or container must be clearly labeled with safety concerns and properly secured. Owners also take on ongoing reporting duties once a permit is issued.
Permittees must telephonically notify the North Dakota Board of Animal Health of any reptile bite on a human or any reptile escape within twenty-four hours, and follow up with a written report within seven days. That reporting requirement applies whether the animal is a large python or another Category 3 reptile, and it’s one of the clearest ways the state tracks compliance after a permit is granted.
Permitting overlaps with other state licensing systems, too. The Permit to Possess, Propagate, or Domesticate is issued through the Animal Health Division of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, and for certain other regulated species the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has its own permitting role, similar to how the department oversees activity covered in our overview of hunting laws in North Dakota. Expect the process to include:
- Confirming which Non-Traditional Livestock category your python species falls under
- Applying for a Permit to Possess, Propagate, or Domesticate through the appropriate state division
- Meeting housing, labeling, and containment standards for the enclosure
- Agreeing to the 24-hour bite/escape reporting requirement
- Checking whether your city or county requires a separate local permit on top of the state one
Local permit systems can add another layer entirely, and they don’t always survive city council votes. West Fargo commissioners once considered a system that would have allowed residents to keep certain pythons under a paid local permit. That proposal would have let residents keep up to three snakes for a $150 permit, renewable each year for $50. Commissioners ultimately rejected the change, so the underlying constricting-snake ban in West Fargo stands rather than that permit system taking effect.
Size and Length Restrictions in North Dakota
North Dakota’s state-level rules don’t set a specific inch-or-foot cutoff for pythons the way some other states do. Ohio, for comparison, requires permits for restricted snakes that are 12 feet or longer, which gives you a sense of how some states draw a hard numeric line. North Dakota instead regulates by species and category rather than by measuring the snake itself.
That said, size still matters in practice because it drives which species end up in the “restricted” bucket to begin with. The Burmese python is a large constricting snake that can grow to more than 20 feet in the wild, and that growth potential is exactly why cities like Minot and West Fargo single it out alongside reticulated pythons and boa constrictors. Ball pythons, by contrast, rarely exceed five or six feet, which helps explain why several ordinances treat them as a separate, lower-risk category.
Common Mistake: Assuming a small python today means no size-based restriction ever applies. Many “big constrictor” ordinances are written around adult growth potential and species identity, not the snake’s current length, so a juvenile Burmese python is still treated as a large-species animal under most local rules.
Local Ordinances That May Apply in North Dakota
City and county ordinances are where most python ownership disputes in North Dakota actually play out, and they can be stricter than anything in state law. West Fargo’s experience shows how quickly things can escalate. The city first learned about a resident’s Burmese python after he took it to a local park to bask in the grass, and other park users became concerned and called police, who told him the snake wasn’t allowed in the city.
That incident led to a formal push to change the ordinance, which ultimately failed. West Fargo voted to uphold its local ordinance banning constricting snakes and other exotic animals after the resident requested a change to allow constricting snakes. The takeaway for prospective owners is that a single public sighting can trigger enforcement even if you believe your permit paperwork is in order.
This local variability isn’t unique to exotic reptiles. North Dakota cities also set their own rules for dog breeds and leash requirements, so if you’re weighing how much authority a city council has over pet ownership generally, it’s worth comparing our coverage of pit bull laws in North Dakota and leash laws in North Dakota. Both show the same pattern: state law sets a floor, and cities frequently build stricter rules on top of it.
Before acquiring a python anywhere in the state, pull the actual municipal code for your city rather than relying on what a neighbor or pet store tells you. Ordinance language matters, since West Fargo’s ban applies to entire reptile families rather than naming individual species, while Minot’s carves out an exception by size. If you keep other pets that require state paperwork, it’s also worth reviewing pet vaccination laws in North Dakota to understand how the state layers different compliance requirements across species.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Python in North Dakota
Penalties for keeping a python without the required state or local approval vary by jurisdiction and by which rule was broken. At the state level, North Dakota’s exotic-animal rules are codified under North Dakota Administrative Code section 48.1-09 and North Dakota Century Code Title 36, covering livestock provisions sections 36-01-08.4, 36-01-31, and 36-01-08.2, which govern the permit and housing framework discussed earlier in this guide.
City-level penalties tend to be more concrete and easier to point to. West Fargo’s ordinance, for example, attaches a specific fine to violations involving public display of a restricted snake. Bringing a snake out in public without police approval carries a penalty of a $250 fine or 25 hours of community service under that city’s rules. That penalty applied to the same python owner whose park outing triggered the broader ordinance debate discussed above.
Beyond fines, the compliance requirements tied to a Category 3 permit carry their own consequences for lapses. Failing to report a reptile bite or escape within the required 24-hour window is itself a violation of the permit terms, which can put an owner’s entire permit status at risk on top of any fine. Because enforcement can involve the state Board of Animal Health, city police, and sometimes animal control simultaneously, penalty severity depends heavily on which agency responds and which specific rule was broken. If you’re weighing exotic pet ownership against other animal-related liability questions in the state, our guide to what happens if a dog bites someone in North Dakota offers a useful comparison of how the state handles animal-related incidents more broadly.
Owning a python legally in North Dakota comes down to layering three separate checks: your species’ state Non-Traditional Livestock category, any federal Lacey Act transport restrictions that apply to that species, and your specific city’s ordinance language. None of these systems perfectly mirror the others, which is exactly why a snake that’s fine in one North Dakota town can trigger a police call in the next one over. Before you commit to a python, verify your city’s current code, confirm your state permit status with the Board of Animal Health, and keep documentation on hand in case a neighbor or park visitor has questions.