New Orleans, LA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:2101 (the Big Exotic Cat law) and related Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries rules under Louisiana Administrative Code Title 76 ban the possession of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, bears, nonhuman primates, and venomous reptiles by private individuals. Existing animals owned before the 2006 ban could be grandfathered with strict permits, but no new permits are issued. Alligators and crocodiles are also prohibited as pets; alligators are managed under the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries alligator program, which licenses farmers and hunters but not pet owners. New Orleans City Code Chapter 18 prohibits keeping any animal that is wild, dangerous, or capable of inflicting serious injury, regardless of whether the animal is a state-listed species. Common exotic pets that remain legal include most parrots, ferrets (illegal in some states but legal in Louisiana), small reptiles such as bearded dragons and ball pythons under 8 feet, sugar gliders, and hedgehogs. Boa constrictors and reticulated pythons over 12 feet require a state permit under the constrictor rule adopted after several escape incidents. Native wildlife such as raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and turtles cannot be taken from the wild and kept as pets without a wildlife rehabilitator permit.