Are Roof Rats Legal in Kentucky? Keeping, Breeding & Selling

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

301 KAR 2:082 lists ‘Domesticated races of rats (Rattus norvegicus or Rattus rattus) or mice (Mus musculus)’ among the animals that ‘shall not require permits from the department for importation, transportation into Kentucky, or possession.’ R. rattus is named by species, and it is absent from the Section 4 prohibited/inherently-dangerous list (which names the Gambian giant pouched rat, the multimammate rat (Mastomys), and nutria, but not R. rattus). No state wildlife permit, facility inspection, or fee applies to keeping one. General animal-cruelty law (KRS Chapter 525) still applies.

Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, Kentucky Dept of Fish & Wildlife Resources, Cornell Legal Information Institute

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

Breeding is unregulated at the state level. Because possession is permit-exempt under 301 KAR 2:082, breeding needs no KDFWR permit, and Kentucky imposes no rodent-breeder license, quota, or facility standard. The commercial pet-breeder framework (KRS Chapter 258 and the 2023-2025 dog/cat breeder and retail-sale bills, e.g. SB 157, SB 122, HB 651) is confined to dogs and cats; rodents are outside its definitions. Federal USDA/AWA licensing can reach a large-scale breeder who ships wholesale or sight-unseen, but direct-to-consumer pet sales and hobby breeders under the de minimis threshold are federally exempt, and rats bred for research are excluded from the AWA entirely.

Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR, Kentucky General Assembly, USDA APHIS

Selling or giving away   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

No state dealer/breeder license applies to selling or giving away captive-bred roof rats: Kentucky’s retail pet-sale bans cover only dogs and cats (rodents and other ‘pocket pets’ are expressly outside them), and KRS Chapter 258 commercial-establishment licensing is dogs/cats. The one attached condition is a movement health document, not a business permit: 302 KAR 20:065 Section 1(2) provides that ‘All animals offered for sale shall be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI), or other official movement document except for exemptions listed under each species of this administrative regulation or 302 KAR 20:040,’ and the regulation lists no exemption for rodents or pocket pets. A captive-bred roof rat is a ‘captive animal’ under the 302 KAR 20:010 definition of ‘Animal,’ so a CVI from an accredited veterinarian is required to offer one for sale. Giving a rat away for free falls outside the ‘offered for sale’ clause. Enforcement of the CVI rule against casual hobbyist pet sales is questionable in practice, but the requirement exists in the text. General cruelty law (KRS Chapter 525) applies.

Sources: Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, Kentucky General Assembly, Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-13

No KDFWR wildlife transportation/import permit applies: 301 KAR 2:082 exempts the domesticated race of R. rattus from importation and transportation permits by binomial. The attached condition is an animal-health document. 302 KAR 20:040 Section 1(2) provides that ‘All animals shall be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) or other official movement document except for exemptions listed under each species section of this administrative regulation or 302 KAR 20:065,’ and the entry regulation names no exemption for rodents or pocket pets. So bringing a roof rat into Kentucky (a move-in, or buying from an out-of-state breeder) requires a CVI issued in the state of origin within 30 days before entry. No advance telephonic entry permit is required: 302 KAR 20:040 reserves entry permits for specified livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, ratites, camelids, cervids), and rodents have no such section. Export is governed by the destination state’s rules; international movement is governed by federal CDC/USDA/USFWS rules (the CDC bars rodents of African origin). Never release a roof rat into the wild (301 KAR 2:082 Section 8 bars releasing exotic wildlife).

Sources: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR, Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, USDA APHIS / CDC

• Have a USDA-accredited veterinarian examine the rat and issue a CVI (it records species, sex, age, and the seller’s/buyer’s or origin/destination details).
• For import: obtain the CVI in the state of origin within 30 days before entering Kentucky.
• For sale within Kentucky: have the CVI accompany the animal when offered for sale.
• No telephonic entry permit is needed for rodents (entry permits apply only to listed livestock).

Forms: Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) · Where: Issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian; the vet files a copy with the Office of the State Veterinarian (Kentucky Dept of Agriculture). · Fees: No state fee for the CVI; the issuing veterinarian charges an examination/paperwork fee.

Source: Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian, Kentucky Dept of Agriculture, Office of State Veterinarian

• Handle and socialize the rat to minimize bite risk.
• If a bite occurs, contact the Office of the State Veterinarian and local health department; ask whether a 10-day quarantine alternative applies to a permit-exempt domesticated rodent before any euthanasia, since the text of Section 6(8) provides none.

Where: Cabinet for Health and Family Services / local health department; Office of the State Veterinarian.

Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR

Source: Kentucky Legislative Research Commission / KDFWR