The following snakes are included: boas, all anacondas, reticulated pythons, burmese/indian pythons, northern/southern African rock pythons, amethystine pythons and all venomous snakes.

There are 2 types of permits: a possession permit and a propagation permit.

To simply keep any of the snakes listed (i.e. not breed/sell) you must apply for a single permit annually, the cost of which is dependent on how many you have. If you have between 1 and 3 of the snakes on the list, the cost for the permit is $100. If you have between 4 and 15 snakes, the annual fee is $300. To keep more than 16 snakes, the annual fee is $500.

To breed/sell any of the snakes listed, you must have a propagation permit, which costs more. For 3 or fewer snakes = $200, for 4-15 snakes = $600, for 16 snakes = $1k

The rest of this applies to BOTH permits…

You must provide proof of liability insurance in the following amounts: fewer than 5 snakes = $100k, 6-15 snakes = $250k, 16 snakes = $500k

If you ONLY have boas, liability insurance is as follows: 5 or fewer animals = $5k, 6-15 animals = $10k, 16 animals = $15k

You must maintain an escape plan and submit it to your local law enforcement AND the county Sheriff. All escapes must be reported to the local law enforcement AND the Department of Agriculture, and YOU are responsible for any costs incurred as a result.
You must have proof that you have a vet who sees your snakes.

You must maintain records for EACH animal including: scientific/common name, name/address of person obtained from, date acquired, date of birth if the snake was produced by you, name/address of who you sold animal to, and date of death/escape if applicable.

You must adhere to the Zoological Association of America’s caging/care standards (pretty easy to do and we all pretty much already do this so I won’t list them here. See the long version for the details).

If you have a felony drug conviction, a violent felony conviction or a conviction involving animal abuse/neglect and/or are convicted of failing to report the escape of a dangerous animal your permit will likely be denied or revoked.

Releasing any of the animals in this bill into the wild is illegal and constitutes a 5th degree felony.

Any of the aforementioned snakes (other than venomous snakes) can still be bought/sold at shows/auctions/pet stores (although you can bet pet stores will quit selling them so they don’t have to get the permits).

The Department of Agriculture is permitted to REQUEST permission to inspect your setup(s) but you are NOT required to allow them to do so unless they have a search warrant (which they can’t get unless there’s probable cause that you are violating this law). If violations are found, Director of Agriculture must be notified and can order the confiscation (they call it “quarantine”) of the animals in question until a decision is made – not to exceed 30 days. You can challenge this process within that 30 day period. After investigation is complete, charges will be filed or dropped.

The fees go to a Dangerous/Restricted Animal Fund that is used to offset the costs associated with the law.

An advisory board will be set up (including appointees from the general public) to periodically review the law and caging/care standards.

The following applies only to venomous snakes…

You must have at least 2 years of experience OR pass a written care/safety exam issued by the Department of Agriculture.

You must have anti-venom ON HAND and are liable for any bites.

You must post a sign on the main entrance of your property warning that there are venomous snakes on the property. This also applies to vehicles used to transport them. The first violation of this part of the law is a 1st degree misdemeanor; subsequent violations are 5th degree felonies.

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