Actually, in Illinois any constricting snake in excess of 14ft is considered life-threatening based on case law going back to 1980. This law is enforced on any owner who is not in a protected class pursuant to the Illinois Dangerous Animal Act (ie vet, zoo, education/scientific organization, licensed shelter). The six foot limit is an Illinois Dept of Agriculture regulation for IDA licensed businesses such as pet shops which prohibits the sale of any snake six feet or longer. Since Illinois law enforcement and other animal handling organizations hear of the IDA rule, they enforce that limit in error.



Individual communities have their own restrictions including the complete banning of constrictors (for ex: Oak Park, IL) which includes any size snake.



It gets more confusing as jurisdictions overlap and more often, animals are confiscated until legal disputes are resolved usually forcing owners to give up their animals rather than pay the excessive fees charged for care. Word to the wise, don't draw attention from your local authorities. So the peaceful walk in the park with your pet 10ft burmese is not a good idea.
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