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Are Weasels Legal as Pets? California and Every State
No. In California, every weasel is on the state's restricted list, and the state's permit rules have no category for a pet. Most other states we checked also ban or restrict keeping a wild weasel. The table below gives each state, with the law or agency page the answer comes from.
You also cannot buy one in the usual way. We found no breeder, no rescue, and no pet store that sells weasels. If you like the long, low shape, a domestic ferret is the animal people actually keep, and ferrets have their own rules.
Are weasels legal in California?
No, not for a pet parent. The rule is Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, section 671. Subsection (a) says: "It shall be unlawful to import, transport, or possess live animals restricted in subsection (c) below except under permit issued by the department."
Weasels are on that restricted list. Subsection (c)(2)(K) is headed "Order Carnivora" and names "Weasels, Ferrets, Skunks, Polecats, Stoats" among the animals it covers. Item 5 under it reads "Family Mustelidae--All species (D)," with exceptions only for four kinds of otter.
The weasel family is Mustelidae, so that covers the least weasel, the long-tailed weasel, and the stoat. The "(D)" marks a "detrimental animal," which section 671(b) describes as a species that poses "a threat to native wildlife, the agriculture interests of the state or to public health or safety."
Section 671.1(a) adds that it is unlawful to "import, export, transport, maintain, sell, dispose of, or use for any purpose any animal restricted by Section 671 except as authorized in a permit issued by the department."
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists the permits it issues on its restricted species page. They cover things like accredited zoos, breeding, and research. The one permit for a private resident is the animal care permit, and the department says it goes to a resident "who legally possessed the animal in California prior to January 1992."
So it covers an animal someone already held lawfully 34 years ago. It does not let anyone acquire a weasel now. Questions go to the department's restricted species office at (916) 928-5846.
What counts as a weasel?
Three wild animals share the name, and people use the words loosely. The least weasel is the smallest. The Animal Diversity Web at the University of Michigan gives its weight as 30 to 100 grams, and the Missouri Department of Conservation says its tail lacks the black tip of the long-tailed weasel. Our guide to that animal covers what it eats and what happens when people try to keep one, so this page does not repeat it.
The long-tailed weasel is bigger. Animal Diversity Web lists 80 to 450 grams, and Missouri describes a well-furred tail about half the length of the head and body, with a black tip. The stoat, also called the ermine and the short-tailed weasel, is the one that turns white. Animal Diversity Web says its winter fur "is white in the winter and the tip of the tail is black."
Ferrets are not on that list. A ferret is a domestic animal. California names weasels and ferrets separately in section 671, and Wyoming's wildlife rules single out the domestic ferret among its Mustela animals. Check the ferret rules for your state before you assume the weasel rules apply, or that they do not.
Weasel laws by state
We read each state's own law or wildlife agency page for this table. Where a state's page names weasels, the row says so. Where it only covers wild animals or furbearers in general, the row says that, because a weasel falls in those groups. Where we could not find or read a primary source that clearly covers weasels, the row says "Not confirmed" and links the agency.
A "permit or license required" row means the state requires one. It does not mean the state will issue one to a private person for a pet, so ask the agency before you plan anything.
| State | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Permit or license required. Alabama makes it unlawful to possess the long-tailed weasel, listed as a protected nongame species, without a scientific collection permit or written permit from the Commissioner; the least weasel and short-tailed weasel are not named in that list. | Alabama Admin. Code 220-2-.92 Protected Nongame Species |
| Alaska | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Alaska requires a department permit to possess live game, the department may not issue a pet permit for any game animal, and the least weasel and short-tailed weasel are defined as furbearers in 5 AAC 92.990. | Alaska 5 AAC 92.029 Permit for possessing live game |
| Arizona | Permit or license required. Arizona lists all species of the order Carnivora, including weasels, as restricted live wildlife that needs a special license under R12-4-409 or a listed exemption. | Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406 Restricted Live Wildlife |
| Arkansas | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Arkansas wildlife agency |
| California | Permit required, and not issued for pets. Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, section 671(c)(2)(K)5 lists every species in the weasel family as a restricted animal. Section 671(a) makes it unlawful to possess one without a state permit. | 14 CCR 671 |
| Colorado | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says live possession of any wildlife native to Colorado is prohibited, with licensed exceptions (such as falconry, herpetofauna, wildlife parks, scientific collection and rehabilitation) that do not include pets, and weasels are native wildlife. | Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Wildlife and Animal |
| Connecticut | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Connecticut wildlife agency |
| Delaware | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Delaware wildlife agency |
| Florida | Permit or license required. Florida requires a permit to possess any native or non-native wildlife in captivity, and weasels are not named in Class I or II so they fall in Class III (all other wildlife), which needs a no-cost personal use permit. | Fla. Admin. Code 68A-6.003 |
| Georgia | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Georgia requires a wild animal license or permit to possess all species of the order Carnivora, which the rule says includes weasels, and the statute issues licenses only to wild animal businesses and exhibitors and permits only for scientific or educational purposes and certain disability cases. | Georgia DNR Rule 391-4-8-.05 Wild Animals, License |
| Hawaii | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Hawaii wildlife agency |
| Idaho | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Idaho wildlife agency |
| Illinois | Permit or license required. The Illinois DNR says nearly all Illinois wildlife is protected under Wildlife Code Section 2.2, which lists least weasel and long-tailed weasel as fur-bearing mammals, and cannot be held in captivity without authorization. | Outdoor Illinois FAQ: Wildlife cannot be kept as pets |
| Indiana | Permit or license required. Indiana rule 312 IAC 9-11 requires a permit to possess a wild animal it lists, and it lists weasel (long-tailed, least, and Mustela rixosa) as a Class II wild animal. | Indiana DNR Wild Animal Possession Permit laws |
| Iowa | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Iowa Code defines weasel as a fur-bearing animal and makes it unlawful to possess fur-bearing animals except as allowed by the terms and conditions set by law. | Iowa Code Chapter 481A, Wildlife Conservation |
| Kansas | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Kansas law makes it unlawful to possess any wildlife, dead or alive, unless permitted by law or rules of the secretary, and K.S.A. 32-701 lists weasel as a furbearing animal. | K.S.A. 32-1002 Unlawful taking or dealing in wildlife |
| Kentucky | Permit or license required. Kentucky rule 301 KAR 2:081 requires a noncommercial captive wildlife permit to possess native wildlife and sets enclosure rules for holding a weasel. | 301 KAR 2:081 Buying, selling, holding, and transporting |
| Louisiana | Permit or license required. Louisiana law lists weasels as nongame quadrupeds (R.S. 56:8) and lets only licensed trappers, or holders of a nongame quadruped breeder or exhibitor license, hold live nongame quadrupeds in captivity. | Louisiana R.S. 56:259 Open season; method of taking |
| Maine | Permit or license required. Maine law bars possessing wildlife without a permit, except for native reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates and species on the department's unregulated list; weasels are not named. | 12 MRS 12152 Permit to possess wildlife in captivity |
| Maryland | Permit or license required. Maryland law requires a permit or license from the Department to possess any wildlife native to Maryland, a category that covers native weasels; weasels are not named. | Maryland Code, Natural Resources 10-902 |
| Massachusetts | Permit or license required. Massachusetts law requires a license to maintain mammals that are wild by nature unless the animal is on the director's special exemption list. Weasels are not named in the law. | M.G.L. c. 131, section 23 |
| Michigan | Permit or license required. Michigan DNR says it is illegal to possess a live wild animal unless you are licensed; the page covers wild animals in general and does not name weasels, though the state game law lists weasel as game. | Michigan DNR: Keep Wildlife Wild |
| Minnesota | Permit or license required. Minnesota law lets the DNR commissioner issue special permits to possess wild animals as pets, so a permit is needed; the long-tailed and short-tailed weasel are listed as small game in section 97A.015. | Minnesota Statutes 97A.401, Special Permits |
| Mississippi | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Mississippi's wildlife rule defines weasel as a furbearing animal and prohibits possessing live game and furbearing animals except for listed exceptions such as zoos and educational institutions. | 40 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2, Rule 8.4 |
| Missouri | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Missouri wildlife agency |
| Montana | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Montana wildlife agency |
| Nebraska | Permit or license required. Nebraska rules make it unlawful to keep wild mammals in captivity except listed species under a Captive Wildlife Permit or similar permit; the long-tailed weasel is on the list, and permits are not issued for animals taken from the wild. | 163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, 008 Keeping Wildlife in |
| Nevada | Permit or license required. Nevada law bars possessing any live wildlife without a Department license unless a regulation says otherwise; the weasel is classed as an unprotected mammal in NAC 503.035 and no exception for weasels was found in NAC chapter 504. | NRS 504.295, Possession of live wildlife: prohibited |
| New Hampshire | Permit or license required. New Hampshire law bars possessing any live wildlife without a permit from the Fish and Game executive director, and the state defines wildlife as all mammals normally found in a wild state and lists weasel as a fur-bearing animal. | NH RSA 207:14, Import, Possession, or Release of Wildlife |
| New Jersey | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. New Jersey's Game Code bars possessing any wild mammal unless an open season has been declared, and it lists the long-tailed and short-tailed weasel only as trapping-season fur bearing animals. | N.J.A.C. 7:25-5.22 |
| New Mexico | Permit or license required. New Mexico rules bar keeping live protected species without a Director permit, protected species include animals defined as furbearing animals in NMSA 17-5-2, and weasel is a furbearer in the state's trapping rule. | 19.31.10 NMAC, Manner and Method of Take |
| New York | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. New York Environmental Conservation Law 11-0103 lists weasel as small game, and 11-0107 bars possessing game or protected wildlife unless the Fish and Wildlife Law permits it. | NY Environmental Conservation Law 11-0107 |
| North Carolina | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission says a captivity license does not allow holding a native wild animal as a pet. | NC Wildlife Captivity License for Holding |
| North Dakota | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. The Game and Fish Department page on young wildlife says possessing a live wild animal is illegal, and state law lists weasels as fur-bearers (a wild animal). | ND Game and Fish: Juvenile Wildlife |
| Ohio | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Ohio law bars possessing wild animals, which includes all wild mammals, except as the Revised Code or division rules permit. | Ohio Revised Code 1531.02 |
| Oklahoma | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Oklahoma wildlife agency |
| Oregon | Permit or license required. Oregon law bars acquiring and holding live wildlife in captivity in violation of wildlife laws or rules, under a wildlife holding permit system. | ORS 497.308 Wildlife holding and habitat removal permits |
| Pennsylvania | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Pennsylvania Game Commission rules make it unlawful to possess game or wildlife taken alive from the wild. | 58 Pa. Code 137.1 |
| Rhode Island | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Rhode Island wildlife agency |
| South Carolina | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | South Carolina wildlife agency |
| South Dakota | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | South Dakota wildlife agency |
| Tennessee | Permit or license required. TWRA says no one may possess a Class 2 species without a permit, and its rule 1660-01-18-.03 classes native wildlife as Class II unless designated otherwise. | TWRA Wildlife Permits page |
| Texas | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Texas wildlife agency |
| Utah | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Utah wildlife agency |
| Vermont | Permit or license required. Vermont law bars possessing any live wild animal, which covers native weasels, without authorization from the Fish and Wildlife Commissioner. | 10 V.S.A. 4709 |
| Virginia | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. Virginia law makes it unlawful to possess any wild animal, which covers native weasels, except as specifically permitted by law. | Va. Code 29.1-521 Unlawful to hunt, trap, possess, sell |
| Washington | Not confirmed: ask the state wildlife agency. | Washington wildlife agency |
| West Virginia | Prohibited, with limited exceptions. West Virginia law makes it unlawful to keep live wildlife, wild animals, or fur-bearing animals in captivity except as the chapter or its rules provide. | W. Va. Code 20-2-4 Possession of wildlife |
| Wisconsin | No license needed in some cases. Wisconsin chapter 169 exempts live native weasels that are not endangered or threatened from needing a license, if legally obtained. | Wis. Stat. 169.04 |
| Wyoming | Permit or license required. Wyoming Game and Fish Chapter 10 requires a permit to possess any live warm-blooded wildlife, and only the domestic ferret is listed among domestic Mustela animals. | Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Regulation Chapter 10 |
Hawaii is one of the not confirmed rows for weasels. For ferrets, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture reported in January 2012 that it had taken in "an illegal ferret" caught in Hilo, so do not assume a ferret is fine there either.
Laws change, and cities, counties, and landlords can add their own rules. Confirm with your state wildlife agency before you buy or keep any wild animal. This page states what the sources say and is not legal advice.
Why can you not buy a pet weasel?
Nobody breeds weasels for the pet trade, as far as we could find. Animal Diversity Web says weasels are solitary except during the breeding season, and the state rules in the table treat them as wild animals, not livestock or pets. Sciencing reports that ferrets have been domesticated for about 2,500 years, while weasels never were.
When we searched for weasels for sale in September 2026, the results were a forum where keepers warned each other off, a listing with no mention of any permit, and a domain that had expired and was serving parked ads. If a seller offers you a "pet weasel," ask which species it is and for the permit. A ferret has different rules, and an animal taken from the wild is the kind of animal many of the table rows above restrict. Montana's wildlife agency puts it plainly: "It is illegal to possess and care for a live animal taken from the wild."
If you want a weasel-shaped pet, look at ferrets
Ferrets are the animal people keep when they like that long, quick shape. They still carry rules. California lists them in the same section as weasels, and Hawaii treats them as illegal, so a ferret is a legal question first in those two states.
Where they are allowed, ferrets need real care. VCA Animal Hospitals says every hole, "no matter how small," leading to a space you cannot reach must be blocked, because ferrets squeeze into couches, drawers, and speaker backs. Their room must stay under 90 F. A ferret should see a vet at least once a year for an exam, a fecal test, and booster vaccinations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says a healthy ferret that bites someone is confined and observed for 10 days. If you have young children, plan for that before you bring one home.
Other small pets that are sold legally
If you want a small, curious pet and a ferret is not allowed where you live, look at animals that are bred for homes. Our guide to pet rat care covers the basics of keeping rats, which are sold as pets in many places. We also have a short read of hedgehog facts. Rules for hedgehogs and other exotic pets differ by state, so check with your wildlife agency first.
Questions pet parents ask
Are least weasels legal in California?
No. California's restricted list includes "Family Mustelidae--All species (D)" in section 671(c)(2)(K)5, and the least weasel belongs to that family. Possessing one without a state permit is unlawful under section 671(a).
Is it legal to keep a weasel in the United States?
It depends on the state. Of the states we could read, most prohibit possessing wild animals or require a permit or license. Wisconsin is the only state in the table with an exemption: its law says live native weasels that are not endangered or threatened do not need a license if they were legally obtained.
Where is it legal to keep a weasel?
Wisconsin is the closest answer from our table, and even there the exemption covers an animal that was legally obtained, not a place to buy one. We found no source of captive-bred weasels. For any other state, use the agency link in its row.
How much does a pet weasel cost?
There is no lawful market price, because we found no lawful seller. Be careful with any listing that gives one.
Can you tame a wild weasel?
We found no source that describes a wild weasel kept as an ordinary pet. State agencies treat animals taken from the wild as off limits, so trying would put you at legal risk and the animal at risk too.
Sources
- California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 671, via Cornell Legal Information Institute. Accessed September 30, 2026. law.cornell.edu.
- California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 671.1, via Cornell Legal Information Institute. Accessed September 30, 2026. law.cornell.edu.
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Restricted Species Permits." Accessed September 30, 2026. wildlife.ca.gov.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Long-tailed weasel, ermine, and least weasel accounts. Accessed September 30, 2026. long-tailed weasel, ermine, least weasel.
- Missouri Department of Conservation. Field guide pages for the long-tailed weasel and the least weasel. Accessed September 30, 2026. long-tailed weasel, least weasel.
- Hawaii Department of Agriculture. "Illegal Ferret Captured in Hilo Over the Weekend." January 23, 2012. dab.hawaii.gov.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. "Injured and Orphaned Wildlife." Accessed September 30, 2026. fwp.mt.gov.
- Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, Chapter 10 regulation. Accessed September 30, 2026. wgfd.wyo.gov.
- Wisconsin Statutes, section 169.04. Accessed September 30, 2026. docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
- Sciencing. "The Differences Between Ferrets and Weasels." Accessed September 28, 2026. sciencing.com.
- VCA Animal Hospitals. "Owning a Ferret." Accessed September 28, 2026. vcahospitals.com.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Rabies: Information for Veterinarians." Accessed September 28, 2026. cdc.gov.
- Each state's own statute, rule, or agency page is linked in its row of the state table. Accessed September 30, 2026.
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