Plymouth County, MA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Wild Animals
- State license required
- Authority
- MassWildlife, not county
- Allowed Pets
- Only listed domestic species
- Enforcement
- State environmental police
Summary
Massachusetts bans keeping most wild and exotic animals without a state license. Under MGL c.131 §23, propagating or maintaining wild mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians requires a state permit. No Plymouth County town can license these on its own.
Except as otherwise provided by this section or any rule or regulation made under the authority thereof, a person shall not engage in the propagation, cultivation, or maintenance of, or the dealing in, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians, or parts thereof, as provided in section twenty-four, twenty-five or forty-seven, without first having obtained a propagator's license or dealer's license, as the case may be, authorizing him so to do.
Full Breakdown
Exotic and wild animals are controlled by the state, not the county. MGL c.131 §23 makes it unlawful to propagate, maintain, or deal in fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, or amphibians without first obtaining a propagator's or dealer's license from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The state separately keeps a list of animals that may be held without a license, mostly common domestic pets; anything off that list, from a fox to a large constrictor, needs a permit that is rarely granted for private pets. This binds residents of Brockton, Plymouth, Wareham, and every other town equally.
Violations & Fines
Keeping a wild or exotic animal without the required state license under MGL c.131 §23 is unlawful, and the animal can be seized by the state environmental police. Towns refer such cases to the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep an exotic pet?
Who enforces exotic-animal rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plymouth County
Compare Plymouth County to another location·View the Massachusetts animal ordinances overview
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