Is it legal to own a raccoon in Arizona?

Banned. Raccoons are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, whether captive-bred or wild-caught. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.

Is it legal to own a monkey in Arizona?

Banned. Pet monkeys and all other nonhuman primates are barred. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.

Is it legal to own a fox in Arizona?

Banned. Red foxes are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.

Is it legal to own a skunk in Arizona?

Banned. Skunks are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, even if captive-bred or descented. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.

Is it legal to own a ferret in Arizona?

We could not confirm Arizona's rule yet. Ask the state wildlife agency before you buy.

Is it legal to own a capybara in Arizona?

No state restriction found. Capybaras are not in any restricted rodent family on Arizona's list (beavers, porcupines, squirrels and a few others), so no state license is required.

Who do I ask about exotic pets in Arizona?

Start with Arizona Game and Fish Department. Then ask your county and city.

Exotic pet laws in Arizona

Rules read from each state's law on 10 November 2026. Not legal advice.

The table lists every animal we cover and what Arizona law says about keeping it as a pet. Each row links to the rule it rests on; animals link to their own state-by-state guide.

Animal by animal in Arizona

Animal	Status	What it means	Source
Fennec fox	Banned	Fennec foxes are barred as foxes under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Raccoon	Banned	Raccoons are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, whether captive-bred or wild-caught. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Red fox	Banned	Red foxes are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Skunk	Banned	Skunks are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, even if captive-bred or descented. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Pet monkey	Banned	Pet monkeys and all other nonhuman primates are barred. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(8)
Big cat	Banned	Tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and cougars are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Bobcat	Banned	Bobcats and lynx are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Prairie dog	Banned	Prairie dogs are barred as members of the squirrel family. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(9)
Kinkajou	Banned	Kinkajous are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Otter	Banned	Otters are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Lemur	Banned	Lemurs are nonhuman primates (prosimians) and are barred. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(8)
Alligator or other crocodilian	Banned	Alligators, caimans and crocodiles are barred. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(H)(1)
Venomous snake	Banned	Vipers (including rattlesnakes), elapids (cobras, mambas, coral snakes) and several other venomous snakes are barred. Some rear-fanged species are not listed. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(H)(2)
Bear	Banned	Bears are barred, and the rule names bears. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3)
Serval or savannah cat	Depends	Servals are prohibited for private pet owners as Carnivora. Savannah cats appear to fall outside the rule, because Arizona says offspring of a wildlife species and a domestic species are not wildlife. Confirm with the state.Serval prohibited; savannah cats (serval x domestic cat) not treated as wildlife under the hybrid definition	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(3); R12-4-401
Wolfdog	Depends	Pure wolves are barred as Carnivora. Arizona says offspring of a wildlife species and a domestic species are not wildlife, so wolf-dog hybrids appear to be outside the restriction. Confirm with the state.Pure wolves prohibited; hybrids with domestic dogs not treated as wildlife	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-401 (hybrid wildlife)...
Capybara	No state restriction found	Capybaras are not in any restricted rodent family on Arizona's list (beavers, porcupines, squirrels and a few others), so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
African pygmy hedgehog	No state restriction found	African pygmy hedgehogs are expressly not restricted in Arizona. Other hedgehogs (European) are restricted.Genus Atelerix only	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406(F)(6)
Sugar glider	No state restriction found	Sugar gliders are not on Arizona's restricted mammal list. Only American opossums (Didelphis) are restricted among marsupials, so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Wallaby	No state restriction found	Wallabies and other Macropodidae are not on Arizona's restricted mammal list, so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Chinchilla	No state restriction found	Chinchillas are not in any restricted rodent family on Arizona's list, so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Tarantula	No state restriction found	Arizona's wildlife law covers mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans and fish, and spiders are not included, so tarantulas are not restricted by the state wildlife rules.	A.R.S. 17-101 (definition of wildlife)
Kangaroo	No state restriction found	Kangaroos and other Macropodidae are not on Arizona's restricted mammal list, so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Giant constrictor	No state restriction found	Boas and pythons are not on Arizona's restricted reptile list, so no state license is required for giant constrictors.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Tegu	No state restriction found	Tegus are not on Arizona's restricted reptile list, so no state license is required.	Ariz. Admin. Code R12-4-406
Axolotl	Not verified yet	We could not confirm Arizona's rule for this animal yet. Ask Arizona Game and Fish Department before you buy.	Agency page
Ferret	Not verified yet	We could not confirm Arizona's rule for this animal yet. Ask Arizona Game and Fish Department before you buy.	Agency page

Who regulates exotic pets in Arizona

Arizona Game and Fish Department is the agency to ask. A.R.S. 17-306 and R12-4-402 bar possessing live wildlife unless authorized. R12-4-405(D) allows nonrestricted mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles that are lawfully imported to be possessed without an Arizona license, with a health certificate when applicable. Domestic animals and hybrids of wildlife with domestic animals are not wildlife.

The main texts:

Before you buy in Arizona

Ask the state agency above, in writing if you can, and keep the answer.
Ask your county and city: local ordinances can ban an animal the state allows.
Check your lease, homeowners or renters insurance and any homeowner association rules.
Buy only from a seller who can show the animal is captive-bred and legal to ship to Arizona.

See every state in exotic pet laws by state, or test one animal in the legality checker.

How we checked. For each state we read the statutes, administrative code and agency lists that govern keeping wild or exotic animals, and every row above links to the text it rests on. A second, independent reviewer then re-read the same sources, and a row is shown only if it survived that check. "Not verified yet" means a state's rule could not be read or confirmed, which is a gap in our data and not a green light. County and city ordinances, landlord and insurance rules, and federal law sit on top of the state rule. Read how we check. See an error? Email hello@creaturesincrisis.org with the link.

Quick answers

Is it legal to own a raccoon in Arizona?: Banned. Raccoons are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, whether captive-bred or wild-caught. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.
Is it legal to own a monkey in Arizona?: Banned. Pet monkeys and all other nonhuman primates are barred. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.
Is it legal to own a fox in Arizona?: Banned. Red foxes are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.
Is it legal to own a skunk in Arizona?: Banned. Skunks are barred under the all-Carnivora restriction, even if captive-bred or descented. No special license type is open to ordinary pet owners.
Is it legal to own a ferret in Arizona?: We could not confirm Arizona's rule yet. Ask the state wildlife agency before you buy.
Is it legal to own a capybara in Arizona?: No state restriction found. Capybaras are not in any restricted rodent family on Arizona's list (beavers, porcupines, squirrels and a few others), so no state license is required.
Who do I ask about exotic pets in Arizona?: Start with Arizona Game and Fish Department. Then ask your county and city.