Legality of exotic pet ownership in Washington State - part 5 - Seattle Exotic Pets

Part 5 - Examples and Helpful Links

With the complication inherent in legal ownership of exotic pets, here are a few select hypothetical examples, using western Washington State, to outline the process which should be followed:

You intend to import a flying fox fruit bat as a pet...
1. The entire genus Pteropus is on the list of injurious species of the Lacey Act. If you don’t have or intend to get a Lacey Act permit you are now done researching.
You live in downtown Seattle and want a pet Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus)...
1. This species is not prohibited by federal or state law.
2. King County prohibits keeping “exotic animals” but the definition includes only venomous snakes, and the family Crocodylia; your python is still legal.
3. Seattle also prohibits the keeping of “exotic animals” in the city limits. Seattle, however, defines “exotic animal” as including non domestic “species capable of killing or seriously injuring a human being” and “all snakes more than 8 feet in length.”
4. Burmese pythons fit both of those definitions and therefore are not legal to keep in Seattle.
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You live in downtown Burien and want a pet Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus)...
1. This species is not prohibited by federal or state law.
2. King County prohibits keeping “exotic animals” but the definition includes only venomous snakes, and the family Crocodylia; your python is still legal.
3. Burien’s city codes state that the King County Code definitions and restrictions shall apply for the city.
4. Burmese pythons are legal to keep in Burien
You live in unincorporated Pierce County and want to keep the northern pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) you caught camping at Lake Chelan as a pet...
1. HB1418 of 2007 lists the entire family Viperidae (including all rattlesnakes) in the dangerous animal ban. Unless you can prove under the provisions of the bill that you possessed the animal prior to the closure date, you may not keep this animal, but...
2. WAC 232-12-64 prohibits taking live wildlife without the proper permit. This statute defines “wildlife” as “all species of the animal kingdom whose members exist in Washington in a wild state”. It is additionally illegal to collect this animal from the wild in Washington regardless of its statue in HB1418.
3. You may not keep this animal legally anywhere in Washington State.
You live in Federal Way and intend to buy a pet mangrove snake (Boiga dendrophila)...
1. Mangrove snakes are rear-fanged and moderately venomous. They are also uncommon in the pet trade, native to Asia, tend to be aggressive, and get fairly large.
2. There is no state prohibition on their ownership
3. King County prohibits "Venomous species of snakes capable of inflicting serious physical harm or death to human beings."
4. Federal way prohibits keeping “poisonous” or “otherwise dangerous” reptiles in their city code.
5. You are in a legal grey area. Technically reptiles may be “venomous” but there are no “poisonous” reptiles. Mangrove snakes are not usually dangerous, but could be to small children or someone with an allergy. You would likely have to go to court in a dispute and could quite possibly lose due to interpretation of the intent of the law. Mangrove snakes may or may not be deemed illegal depending on the circumstances of your conflict and how you present a defense.
You live in Federal Way and intend to buy a pet hognose snake (genus Heterodon)...
1. Hognose snakes are very mildly venomous and are a commonly kept species with no history of serious injury to keepers. They are native to the United States, stay fairly small and are widely accepted as safe to keep.
2. Like the mangrove snake, they are legal by state law and county/city code is ambiguous on their legality.
3. You are still in a legal grey area but you are less likely to encounter conflict and more likely to win a court dispute with little effort.
You live in Seattle and want a pet spotted turtle (Clemmys gutatta)...
1. You might assume there could be no conflict. It is legal to buy a red eared slider (Trachemys scripta) from your local pet store and they seem quite similar, but...
2. The spotted turtle (Clemmys gutatta) is on the WDFW list of invasive aquatic species and is illegal statewide.
You live in Kent and want to buy a Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum)...
1. Gila monsters are protected in the wild in their entire range so you must be sure to obtain a captive bred animal with full documented disclosure on its legal origin.
2. There are, however, no Lacey or Endangered Species Act permits needed at this time.
3. Gilas are not on any of the WA state restricted lists
4. They are not restricted by King County Code
5. Kent prohibits keeping “exotic animals” but specifically defines exotic animals in relation to reptiles as being only “Venomous species of snakes capable of inflicting serious harm or death to human beings.”
6. Gila monsters are not snakes and have never been confirmed as causing a human death. Gila monsters are legal to keep in Kent.