Roof Rat Laws › United States › Illinois
Summary. Illinois is permissive for keeping a pet roof rat, and avoids the species-trap seen in other states because it does not use a taxonomic white-list. A captive-bred, cared-for roof rat is a ‘companion animal’ under the Humane Care for Animals Act (510 ILCS 70/2.01a), defined functionally as ‘an animal that is commonly considered to be, or is considered by the owner to be, a pet.’ That status keeps it outside the Wildlife Code’s definition of ‘wildlife’ (520 ILCS 5/1.2t, which covers a mammal ‘wild by nature… ordinarily living unconfined in a state of nature without the care of man’), so no Department of Natural Resources possession permit is required. The roof rat is on no prohibited list: the Dangerous Animals Act (720 ILCS 5/48-10) names only large carnivores and primates, and the Injurious Species list (17 Ill. Adm. Code 805.20) names the multimammate rat (genus Mastomys) but not the genus Rattus. Keeping and hobby breeding are legal. Selling or giving away only rats you produced and raised is exempt from pet-shop licensing under the Animal Welfare Act ‘produced and raised’ provision (225 ILCS 605/2); buying and reselling, or retailing as a business, requires a Department of Agriculture pet-shop/dealer license. In-state transport is unregulated. The one genuinely open point is the import CVI: the rule that mandates a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and an entry permit (8 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47) is directed at ‘Licensees’ (commercial AWA licensees) and is silent on a private owner moving a personal pet across state lines. Never release a pet rat outdoors.
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 2026-06-13
Keeping a captive-bred roof rat as a pet is legal with no state possession permit. It is not a ‘dangerous animal’ (720 ILCS 5/48-10 lists only large carnivores and primates, no rodent) and is on no injurious-species list (17 Ill. Adm. Code 805.20 names the multimammate rat, genus Mastomys, but not the genus Rattus). As a cared-for pet it is a ‘companion animal’ under the Humane Care for Animals Act (510 ILCS 70/2.01a: ‘an animal that is commonly considered to be, or is considered by the owner to be, a pet’), and it falls outside the Wildlife Code’s definition of ‘wildlife’ (520 ILCS 5/1.2t covers a mammal ‘wild by nature… ordinarily living unconfined in a state of nature without the care of man,’ which a tame, caged pet is not), so no DNR exotic-wildlife possession permit applies. Owners are bound by the Humane Care for Animals Act welfare and anti-hoarding standards (510 ILCS 70), and may never release the animal outdoors. The companion-animal status depends on the animal being kept as a pet; a wild-caught roof rat is a different matter.
Sources: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois General Assembly / IL DNR, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Administrative Code / IL DNR
Breeding Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13
Private hobby breeding is legal and not separately regulated. The roof rat is not ‘wildlife,’ protected, injurious, or a dangerous animal, so no DNR breeding permit applies. The Animal Welfare Act defines a ‘pet shop operator’ broadly (225 ILCS 605/2) but expressly exempts ‘a person who sells only such animals that he has produced and raised,’ which shelters a true hobby breeder who only distributes the offspring of their own animals from Department of Agriculture commercial licensing and inspection. Unlike dogs and cats, the rodent exemption turns on the home origin of the animals, not on a litter or intact-female count. Breeding only becomes regulated at commercial scale or when an individual sells rats they did not raise (see sell_give). Owners remain subject to the Humane Care for Animals Act welfare and anti-hoarding provisions (510 ILCS 70), which a large breeding colony must not run afoul of.
Sources: Illinois General Assembly / IL Dept of Agriculture, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois General Assembly / IL DNR
Selling or giving away Legal
Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13
Selling or giving away only rats you produced and raised is legal and exempt from licensing: the Animal Welfare Act says ‘a person who sells only such animals that he has produced and raised shall not be considered a pet shop operator’ (225 ILCS 605/2), so free vetted adoption or low-volume sale of home-bred rats needs no permit. No DNR sale permit applies, because the roof rat is not protected or injurious wildlife. The exemption ends if you buy rats from a third party and resell them, or operate as a retail pet shop, in which case you become a ‘pet shop operator’ and must hold a Department of Agriculture license (225 ILCS 605/3), with facility standards and unannounced inspections. A regulatory note specific to rodents: even a licensed dealer is exempt from the 12-month sales-record requirement for ‘rats that were born in the United States’ (8 Ill. Adm. Code 25.90), which covers domestic-bred R. rattus.
Sources: Illinois General Assembly / IL Dept of Agriculture, Illinois Administrative Code / IL Dept of Agriculture (via Cornell LII)
Transport & import Unregulated / unclear
Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-13
In-state movement of a legally kept pet roof rat is unregulated, with no transit permit or in-state health certificate required. Interstate import is the one open point. The import rule, 8 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47 (‘Animals Imported Into Illinois’), mandates a health certificate (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, issued within 30 days prior to entry by a USDA-accredited vet) and an Illinois Department of Agriculture entry permit number, but its operative text is directed at ‘Licensees’ (commercial AWA licensees such as pet-shop and kennel operators) and does not state that a private, non-licensed owner moving a personal pet across state lines must comply. USDA APHIS does not regulate interstate movement of pets by their owners and defers to the receiving state; the federal CDC African-rodent import ban does not reach a US-bred R. rattus (an Old World species not native to Africa). Because the state rule targets licensees and is silent on private owners, the private-owner obligation is genuinely unresolved; obtaining a CVI is the prudent course and a written answer from the State Veterinarian would settle it. Never release a pet rat outdoors (520 ILCS 5/2.2 bars liberating wild animals; abandonment is also barred under the cruelty statutes).
Sources: Illinois Administrative Code / IL Dept of Agriculture (via Cornell LII), USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Illinois General Assembly / IL DNR
Restrictions & responsibilities
- Stay within the ‘produced and raised’ exemption (transfer only rats you bred and raised yourself) to remain license-free
- If you resell purchased rats or operate a retail pet shop: apply for an Animal Welfare Act pet-shop/dealer license with the Department of Agriculture and meet facility/inspection standards
Where: Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
- For in-state movement: no health certificate or permit is required
- For interstate import as a private owner: the requirement is unresolved (the rule names ‘Licensees’); obtaining a CVI is the prudent course, and confirm with the State Veterinarian whether a private pet-owner import CVI or entry permit is required
- Commercial AWA licensees importing animals: obtain a CVI (within 30 days of entry) and an Illinois Department of Agriculture entry permit number before entry
Where: Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare (Office of the State Veterinarian)
Source: Illinois Administrative Code / IL Dept of Agriculture (via Cornell LII)
Where: Illinois DNR / Department of Agriculture / your local code enforcement
Source: Illinois General Assembly / IL DNR, Illinois General Assembly
Official sources
- 510 ILCS 70/2.01a – Humane Care for Animals Act, ‘companion animal’ definition (‘commonly considered to be, or is considered by the owner to be, a pet’), Illinois General Assembly
- 520 ILCS 5/1.2t & 5/2.2 – Wildlife Code (‘wildlife’ = mammal ‘wild by nature… living unconfined… without the care of man’; no liberation of wild animals), Illinois General Assembly / IL DNR
- 720 ILCS 5/48-10 – Dangerous animal or primate offense (lists only large carnivores and primates; no rodent), Illinois General Assembly
- 17 Ill. Adm. Code 805.20 – Listing of Injurious Species (names the multimammate rat, genus Mastomys; omits the genus Rattus), Illinois Administrative Code / IL DNR
- 225 ILCS 605/2 & 605/3 – Animal Welfare Act (‘pet shop operator’ definition; ‘produced and raised’ hobbyist exemption; Dept of Agriculture licensing), Illinois General Assembly / IL Dept of Agriculture
- 8 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47 – Animals Imported Into Illinois (CVI within 30 days + entry permit number; operative text directed at ‘Licensees’), Illinois Administrative Code / IL Dept of Agriculture (via Cornell LII)
- 8 Ill. Adm. Code 25.90 – Records Requirement (12-month sales records; exempts ‘rats that were born in the United States’), Illinois Administrative Code / IL Dept of Agriculture (via Cornell LII)
- USDA APHIS – Take a Pet From One U.S. State or Territory to Another (APHIS does not regulate interstate pet movement by owners; receiving state sets requirements), USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Search terms: Rattus rattus, roof rat, black rat, ship rat.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13, 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.