Tigers are among the most powerful animals on Earth, and it’s no surprise that some people are drawn to the idea of owning one. But before you go any further, you need to understand exactly where the law stands — at both the state and federal levels. In Massachusetts, the answer is clear, and it isn’t in your favor.
The Bay State has some of the strongest animal protection laws in the country, and those laws extend firmly to large exotic cats. Whether you’ve been inspired by a documentary, a roadside attraction, or simple curiosity about the different types of tigers that exist, this guide walks you through every layer of the legal framework that applies to tiger ownership in Massachusetts.
Is It Legal to Own a Tiger in Massachusetts?
No — owning a tiger as a private pet is not legal in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has strict laws that limit the types of animals that can be kept as pets, and these laws protect both people and animals from harm. Tigers fall squarely outside any permitted category for private ownership.
The sale and ownership of wild and exotic animals in Massachusetts is tightly controlled through state statutes and administrative regulations. These laws regulate which animals are prohibited from private possession, which may be sold or possessed only with a permit, and which may be taken from the wild.
The private possession of certain wild and exotic animals is prohibited unless a person obtains a license from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), which is only granted for certain scientific, educational, commercial, or other specific reasons, and is not issued for keeping a wild animal as a pet. A tiger as a household companion does not qualify under any of those categories.
Massachusetts is also ranked as one of the top states in the nation for animal protection. Massachusetts is ranked as the second-best state in the country for animal protection laws according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. That ranking reflects a consistent legislative philosophy: wild animals belong in the wild or in accredited facilities, not in private homes.
What Federal Law Says About Tiger Ownership
Even if Massachusetts state law left any ambiguity — which it does not — federal law would close the door entirely. The Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA) changed the landscape for tiger ownership across all 50 states.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act was enacted 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. This was a landmark shift in how the United States regulates captive tigers and other large felines.
It placed new restrictions on the commerce, breeding, possession, and use of certain big cat species. The BCPSA applies to live specimens of “prohibited wildlife species,” which includes the following big cat species, or hybrids of any of these species: lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, jaguar, cheetah, and cougar.
The law limits new ownership of big cats to accredited zoos and universities while prohibiting Americans from acquiring these creatures as pets or attractions in petting zoos. If you’re a private individual in Massachusetts — or anywhere else in the country — you cannot legally acquire a tiger under the BCPSA.
Key Insight: The BCPSA also banned cub petting. If you’ve ever seen a facility offering tiger cub photo opportunities, that practice is now federally prohibited under the same law.
The law did include a narrow grandfather clause. The Act includes an exception for private individuals or entities who owned big cats before this law was enacted on December 20, 2022. If you are a private big cat owner, you may keep your prohibited big cats under this law, provided you had registered each big cat in your possession with the USFWS no later than June 18, 2023. Registration is now closed. That window has passed, and no new private ownership registrations are possible.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act provides a baseline of what is prohibited. According to Rebecca Wisch, associate editor at the Animal Legal & Historical Center at Michigan State University, the BCPSA “didn’t preempt those laws, but kind of cooperates with those state laws.” State laws that are more stringent with regard to big cats still stay in place. Massachusetts is one of those more stringent states.
You can read more about the federal framework directly from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s BCPSA guidance. For additional context on the species covered, the World Wildlife Fund’s overview of the BCPSA is also a useful resource.
Massachusetts’s Laws on Owning a Tiger
At the state level, Massachusetts law operates through Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.) Chapter 131 and the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (321 CMR). Together, these statutes create a framework that makes private tiger ownership impossible for a regular resident.
321 CMR 9.01, administered by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and last checked as of March 2025, establishes the exotic pet exemption list. The animals that have been added to this license-exemption list include boas and pythons, skinks, parrots, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and flying squirrels, among others. Tigers are not on this list — and they never will be, given the criteria an animal must meet to qualify.
To be placed on the exemption list, an animal must meet all four of the following conditions under M.G.L. c. 131, § 23: accidental release must not result in an adverse effect on the ecology of the commonwealth; the animal in captivity, or escaped therefrom, poses no substantial danger to man by either injury or disease; proper care of the animal is no more demanding in any major respect than proper care of common domestic animals; and trade in the animal has no significant adverse effect on the wild population in any of its natural habitats. A tiger fails every single one of these criteria.
Massachusetts law also prohibits possession of any animal listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species or under federal endangered species law. Massachusetts requires a permit to possess any species that is listed in any rarity category of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, any category of federal endangered species law, or the Massachusetts List of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species. All tiger subspecies — including the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) — are listed as either endangered or critically endangered, adding another layer of prohibition on top of the general exotic animal ban.
Additionally, M.G.L. c. 131 § 19C prohibits the use of lions, tigers, bears, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, mountain lions, elephants, giraffes, and non-human primates in traveling shows. This means that even commercial operators cannot use tigers in traveling performances within the state.
If you’re curious about other wildlife rules in Massachusetts, our guides on types of snakes in Massachusetts and venomous animals in Massachusetts cover what you can and cannot keep under state law.
Permits and Requirements for Tiger Ownership in Massachusetts
You may be wondering whether any permit pathway exists for a private individual to legally keep a tiger in Massachusetts. The short answer is no — not for personal pet ownership.
Permits in this category are issued only for certain scientific, educational, commercial, or other specific reasons. You must be able to show that you are actively engaged in the activity for which you are applying for a permit. You will not be issued a permit for keeping a wild animal as a pet.
No personal possession permits for the purpose of pet ownership will be issued. Authentic and legitimate educational use certified by zoological or biological officials will be issued permits. This means that only institutions like accredited zoos, universities with active research programs, or similar organizations can even apply for a permit to possess a tiger.
No permits for breeding will be issued unless in compliance with AZA, IUCN, or the state of Massachusetts or the USA, and in the eyes of the MA Director the breeding will make a meaningful contribution to the survival and recovery of the species. Breeding tigers for private ownership or commercial cub-petting operations is therefore doubly prohibited — by both state and federal law.
Important Note: Even if you operate a legitimate business that involves animals, that alone does not qualify you to possess a tiger. You must demonstrate that the animal is directly tied to your primary existing occupation and that the possession serves a recognized conservation or educational function.
Limited exceptions are granted for population recovery breeding programs for endangered and threatened species and for those who lawfully possessed their animals before the regulation was approved (321 CMR 2.12(10)(h) and (10)(i)). These exceptions are narrow and apply to a vanishingly small number of institutional operators — not private individuals.
For context on how Massachusetts handles restrictions on other animals, see our article on dog breed restrictions in Massachusetts, which illustrates how the state approaches animal ownership regulation more broadly.
Local Laws That May Apply in Massachusetts
State and federal law already make private tiger ownership impossible in Massachusetts, but local ordinances add yet another layer of restriction. Even if you somehow navigated every state and federal hurdle — which you cannot — municipal rules would likely block you at the local level.
While your state may allow you to keep certain animals as pets, local laws can restrict ownership. In Massachusetts, this principle works in reverse: state law is already highly restrictive, and local ordinances can only be more restrictive, not less.
Most Massachusetts cities and towns incorporate zoning bylaws that prohibit the keeping of dangerous or exotic animals on residential properties. Cities like Boston, Worcester, and Springfield each maintain animal control ordinances that would independently bar a tiger from being kept on private property, regardless of any state-level permit status.
- Zoning restrictions: Most residential zones prohibit animals that pose a danger to neighbors or that require agricultural-scale housing and land.
- Municipal health codes: Local boards of health have authority to declare an animal a public health nuisance and order its removal.
- Animal control ordinances: Many towns have standalone ordinances that specifically list prohibited animals, often including all large exotic cats.
- HOA rules: If you live in a community with a homeowners association, its governing documents almost certainly prohibit exotic or dangerous animals.
State laws are frequently changing in response to concerns for public safety and animal well-being. You should always double-check for any new or proposed state or local legislation. Contacting your city or town’s animal control officer or municipal clerk is the most reliable way to confirm what local rules apply in your specific community.
For more on how Massachusetts regulates animals at the local level, our guide on dog leash laws in Massachusetts shows how town-by-town variation works in practice.
Penalties for Illegally Owning a Tiger in Massachusetts
If you choose to ignore these laws, the consequences are serious — and they operate on multiple levels simultaneously.
Under Massachusetts state law, any fish, bird, mammal, reptile or amphibian possessed, propagated, cultivated, maintained, sold, or offered for sale in violation of this section or of any rule or regulation made under authority thereof may be seized and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement for the best interests of the commonwealth. In practice, this means your tiger will be confiscated. Disposal “for the best interests of the commonwealth” can include transfer to a licensed sanctuary — or, in cases where no placement is available, euthanasia.
An animal unlawfully sold or possessed in violation of M.G.L. c. 131, § 23 or the relevant Code of Massachusetts Regulations “may be seized and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement for the best interests of the commonwealth.” This may include euthanasia of the animal. Beyond losing the animal, you also face criminal penalties under Chapter 131.
Under the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act, violations carry significant consequences. The law makes it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase, breed or possess any big cat species unless the entity exhibits the big cats under a Class C license from the US Department of Agriculture and does not allow direct public contact or interactions. Federal wildlife violations can result in substantial fines and potential imprisonment under the Lacey Act framework.
Important Note: Federal and state penalties can stack. A single illegal tiger could expose you to prosecution under both Massachusetts General Laws and the federal Big Cat Public Safety Act simultaneously, meaning fines and criminal liability from two separate legal systems at once.
Under the Endangered Species Act, additional penalties apply because most tiger subspecies are federally listed. Most big cats are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and take — which includes harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting, or attempting to engage in any such conduct — of such species and their offspring is prohibited, with limited exceptions for take authorized by statute, regulation, or permit.
The MSPCA-Angell and the Animal Legal Defense Fund both maintain resources on the risks and legal consequences of exotic animal ownership in Massachusetts. The official MassWildlife wildlife-as-pets guidance is also the authoritative state source for what is and is not permitted.
If you have a genuine interest in tigers and want to support them responsibly, consider donating to an accredited sanctuary or wildlife conservation program. You can also learn more about these remarkable animals through our guides on tiger biology and behavior, tiger names, and universities with tiger mascots — ways to appreciate tigers that don’t put you, your community, or the animal at risk.