Roof Rat Laws › Colorado › Colorado Springs
Summary. Good news if you live in Colorado Springs: we checked, and Colorado Springs is no stricter than Colorado. The city requires an exotic-animal permit for unusual or wild animals (City Code 6.7.111), but that requirement expressly does not apply to ‘birds, small rodents or small nonpoisonous reptiles… for pets.’ A pet rat is a small rodent kept as a pet, so no permit is needed, and there is no Denver-style ‘albino only’ limit. A pet roof rat is allowed, the same as Colorado.
legal note
This is a research aid, not legal advice; rules change and are interpreted by local officials. Verify with the official source before acting.Status by activity
Keeping / owning Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
Colorado Springs City Code 6.7.111 requires an exotic-animal permit, but subsection (B) states the requirement ‘shall not apply to the owning or keeping of birds, small rodents or small nonpoisonous reptiles… commonly used for educational or experimental purposes or for pets.’ A domesticated pet rat is a small rodent kept as a pet, so it is exempt and needs no permit; there is no albino-only restriction. This matches Colorado, which exempts domesticated rats statewide. Not stricter than Colorado.
Sources: City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Breeding Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
No local rodent-breeding restriction; the state’s permissive rule applies.
Sources: City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Selling or giving away Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
No local restriction on giving or selling a pet rat; the state’s rule applies.
Sources: City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Transport & import Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-20
No local transport restriction on a pet rat; the state’s rule applies.
Sources: City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Official sources
- Colorado Springs City Code 6.7.111 (Exotic animals; permit required), subsection (B) exempts ‘small rodents… for pets’, City of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife Domestic Animal List, 2 CCR 406-11 Section 1103 (‘Domesticated races of rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus)’), Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Search terms: Rattus rattus, roof rat, pet, exotic animal, rodent.
Last reviewed 2026-06-20, which is when a person last read this page against its sources. Spotted an error, or know the law has changed? Email blonderoofrat@gmail.com. And if you write to the agency yourself and get an answer in writing, please forward it. Written agency replies are how 31 of these pages stopped being research and became confirmed.