I understand it's illegal to keep turtles and tortoises in captivity in TN, native or exotic. Is this true? Or is it simply illegal to SELL them within the state?
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Turtle/Tortoise Law in Tennessee?
addictedtoherps
Jun 20, 2003 05:42 PM
Replies (1)
ECO
Jun 20, 2003 07:58 PM
Tennessee has very strict herp laws, and turtles are no exception. TWRA enforces the non-game laws regarding herps in general, but to legally have a turtle, you must get a permit from the TN dept. of health. And now the bad news...., the TN dept. of health does not have turtle permits! So, what you're basically left with is getting hand written permission from the director of the state health dept. to have a turtle for research or education. To have one as a pet...you're out of luck. I went through the process and found it basically "painless" (anything in TN that avoids TWRA's hands is basically painless) but I work with herps for U.T., so I had a little pull, but if you have a valid research/education need, I don't see why you'd be turned down. ECO
