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

Keeping / owning   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

MDIFW’s Unrestricted Species List names ‘Brown Rat – Rattus norvegicus’ and ‘House Mouse – Mus musculus’ by binomial but does NOT name Rattus rattus, and R. rattus is not on the Prohibited list either. Under the five-tier scheme it is therefore ‘Unclassified,’ and 09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(4) provides verbatim: ‘A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized. Any species which has not been identified as a Prohibited, Restricted, or Unrestricted species will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter.’ So possession is unlawful AND no permit can be issued. The ‘wild animal’ definition (12 M.R.S. Sec. 10001(69): ‘wild by nature, whether or not bred or reared in captivity, as distinguished from the common domestic animals’) keeps a captive-bred, tame roof rat within MDIFW wildlife jurisdiction rather than treating it as a common domestic animal. The only lawful route to possession is to first petition MDIFW under Sec. 7.06(5) to categorize the species (best case onto the Unrestricted List beside the fancy rat).

Sources: Maine Legislature, Maine Legislature, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Breeding   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Breeding (propagation) requires lawful possession plus a propagation permit, and an unclassified species is both barred from possession and ineligible for any permit under 09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(4). Because R. rattus is unclassified, there is no lawful animal to breed and no propagation permit available, so breeding is prohibited. Even the simpler commercial pathway runs through the same gate: under Sec. 7.06(1) only species on the Unrestricted List may be traded by commercial pet shops, and a DACF commercial breeder/dealer or pet-shop license (7 M.R.S. ch. 739) does not override MDIFW species classification. Federal note: the USDA Animal Welfare Act licenses only wholesale/sight-unseen dealers (hobby and direct-to-consumer sales are exempt; rats of genus Rattus bred for research are excluded from the AWA), but that federal layer cannot make a state-prohibited species lawful to breed in Maine.

Sources: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), USDA APHIS

Selling or giving away   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Selling, bartering, or giving away a roof rat in Maine is barred by the same unclassified-species rule. 09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(1) limits commercial pet shops and dealers to species on the Unrestricted List, and R. rattus is not on it; Sec. 7.06(4) makes possession of an unclassified species unlawful for any party, so neither a seller nor a private recipient can lawfully hold the animal. Unlike a state where only the commercial ‘sale’ is regulated, here the underlying possession is itself unlawful, so even a free transfer or adoption is prohibited because the recipient cannot lawfully possess the rat. (Were the species ever categorized as Restricted, an interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection within 30 days would attach to any transfer that involves moving the animal, but that condition is moot while possession is barred.)

Sources: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF)

Transport & import   Prohibited

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Importing or transporting a roof rat into or within Maine is unlawful while the species is unclassified. 12 M.R.S. Sec. 12152(1-A) provides that ‘a person may not import wildlife into or possess wildlife in the State or receive or possess wildlife imported into the State’ without a permit, and an unclassified species cannot obtain that permit (09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(4)). MDIFW expressly warns residents not to assume animals legally for sale in adjacent states or online are lawful to bring into Maine. If the species were ever categorized as Restricted, importation would then require a Wildlife Importation Permit (Category 2: $100 application + $27 permit) plus an interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) dated within 30 days, and a Category 2 possession permit ($27 + $27, valid two years) with a one-year-husbandry / 100-hours-experience requirement and Care-and-Housing standards (Sec. 7.17). Penalty for unlawful import/possession: each day is a separate Class E crime carrying a minimum fine of $50 plus an amount equal to twice the applicable permit fee (Sec. 12152(1-A)). Federal layer: USFWS treats R. rattus as ‘wildlife,’ and the CDC bars rodents of African origin (R. rattus is Asian in origin, so the CDC African-rodent bar does not apply). Never release a roof rat.

Sources: Maine Legislature, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, USDA APHIS / CDC

• Understand that no possession or import permit can be issued for R. rattus while it is unclassified.
• Do not acquire or import a roof rat into Maine until the species is categorized; doing so is a per-day Class E crime and the animal can be confiscated.
• Check local county/municipal ordinances as well; towns may further restrict animal keeping even if the species is later categorized.

Where: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW), Wildlife Division

Source: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Legislature

• Request the ‘Request to Review or Change the Categorization of a Species’ application form from the MDIFW Wildlife Division (info.ifw@maine.gov or by mail).
• Compile biological, ecological, and husbandry evidence supporting the requested category (you bear the burden of proof under Sec. 7.06(5)).
• Mail the completed application to: Wildlife Division, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 353 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04330.
• If categorized as Category 2 Restricted, then apply for a Wildlife General Possession Permit (Cat 2) and, for any import, a Wildlife Importation Permit (Cat 2) plus a CVI dated within 30 days.

Forms: MDIFW Fish and Wildlife in Captivity (Species Categorization Requests + forms), Wildlife General Possession Permit Application – Category 2 Restricted Species ($27 application + $27 permit; one-year husbandry / 100-hours experience; CVI within 30 days), Wildlife Importation Permit Application – Category 2 Restricted Species ($100 application + $27 permit) · Where: Wildlife Division, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 353 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04330 (categorization request); fees payable to ‘Treasurer, State of Maine’. · Fees: Categorization request: no fee stated on the captivity page. Post-categorization Category 2 possession permit: $27 application + $27 permit (valid two years). Category 2 importation permit: $100 application + $27 permit.

Source: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

• Applies only after a successful categorization to Restricted and issuance of a Category 2 import permit.
• Then: obtain a CVI from a veterinarian licensed in the origin state, dated within 30 days of taking possession, including required disease statements.

Forms: Wildlife Importation Permit Application – Category 2 Restricted Species (CVI requirement on the instructions page) · Where: CVI issued by a veterinarian licensed in the state of origin; filed with the MDIFW import permit. Maine DACF / DHHS approve required disease statements. · Fees: No state fee for the CVI; the issuing veterinarian charges an examination/paperwork fee.

Source: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (via Cornell Legal Information Institute), Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Source: Maine Dept of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF)

Maine sorts every captive mammal into five tiers under 12 M.R.S. ch. 915, Sec. 12152 and the MDIFW “Wildlife in Captivity” rules (09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7): Unrestricted, Restricted Category 1, Restricted Category 2, Prohibited, and Unclassified. The state’s Unrestricted Species List names “Brown Rat – Rattus norvegicus,” the domestic fancy rat sold in pet shops, and “House Mouse – Mus musculus,” but it does not name “Rattus rattus,” the domestic roof rat. The roof rat is also not on the named Prohibited list (which targets bears, big cats, wild canids, primates, and a short list of dangerous rodents). Because it is on no list, it is “Unclassified,” and the rule (09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(4)) says “A person may not possess any species that has not been categorized” and that such a species “will not be eligible for a permit under this chapter.” So a captive-bred, hand-tame pet roof rat is banned by default, and no permit can even be issued for it, while the fancy rat one species over is freely legal with no permit at all. This is not a behavioral or safety judgment about the animal; it is a gap in a list. The fancy rat already on the list is itself the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), domesticated in the 19th century, and a captive-bred roof rat is the same case one species over.

The ask: Ask MDIFW to use its species-categorization process (09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, Sec. 7.06(5)) to add captive-bred domestic roof rats (“Rattus rattus”) to the Unrestricted Species List, alongside the domestic Norway/fancy rat (“Rattus norvegicus”) and the house mouse already on it, and in the meantime to provide a written determination of how the Department currently classifies Rattus rattus so keepers know where they stand. If the obstacle is the statute’s “wild by nature” language (12 M.R.S. Sec. 10001(69)), the relevant question is domestication, not wild ancestry: the dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet Maine recognizes both as common domestic animals because what makes an animal domestic is generations bred for tameness, not the wild origin of its species. The fancy rat already on the list is itself the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), domesticated in the 19th century (https://blonderoofrat.com/how-the-sewer-rat-became-the-fancy-rat/), and a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated in that same sense, one species over. Whether a captive-bred Rattus rattus is domesticated in the same sense as the fancy rat already on the list is a question for the Department to decide; the petitioner is not asking it to assume any particular answer.

Where the lever really is: This is an AGENCY problem, not a legislative one; the lever is MDIFW, not the Legislature. No Maine statute names, bans, or singles out the roof rat. The species is simply absent from the Unrestricted Species List that MDIFW creates and amends under 09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7, and the five-tier framework (12 M.R.S. ch. 915, Sec. 12152) delegates the species sorting to the Department. The Department has exercised that power before and maintains a standing process for it: Sec. 7.06(5) provides for a written “Request to Review or Change the Categorization of a Species,” evaluated by the Captive Wildlife Technical Committee against the criteria in Sec. 7.06(3), with the Commissioner making the final decision. So the body that created the gap can close it administratively, no bill required. The petitioner should be candid that the outcome is not assured: the same Sec. 7.06(3) criteria weigh whether the species could survive in the Maine wild and whether it harbors agents harmful to people, livestock, or native wildlife, and Maine’s DACF pest and pesticide materials describe the roof rat as an invasive disease vector. A realistic ask therefore offers MDIFW two acceptable outcomes: best case, add captive-bred R. rattus to the Unrestricted List beside the fancy rat; failing that, categorize it as a Restricted (Category 2) species so that a permitted pathway at least exists rather than a flat Unclassified ban. The Legislature is a fallback only if MDIFW declines both and a keeper wants parity codified.

Where to send it (more than one channel helps):

• Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) – Wildlife Division (Captive Wildlife) (executive / agency), info.ifw@maine.gov
  MDIFW owns and amends the Unrestricted Species List and runs the Sec. 7.06(5) categorization-review process. Its ‘Fish and Wildlife in Captivity’ page describes the five tiers (including the ‘Unclassified’ category) and the ‘Species Categorization Requests’ process, with requests mailed to the Wildlife Division, Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 353 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04330. This is the office that can actually fix the gap, by adding R. rattus to the Unrestricted List or by categorizing it into a Restricted tier so a permit becomes possible. Ask here for the categorization-request forms and for a written determination of how R. rattus is currently classified. General inbox info.ifw@maine.gov is confirmed on the official MDIFW contact page.
• Maine State Legislature – Contact Your Legislator (House & Senate) (legislature), official contact page
  FALLBACK ONLY, not the primary lever. No Maine statute names or bans the roof rat, so a bill is not needed to change an agency-maintained list; the cleanest path is the MDIFW categorization request. Use this only if MDIFW declines both to add R. rattus to the Unrestricted List and to categorize it into a permitted Restricted tier, and a keeper wants the fancy-rat/roof-rat parity codified or wants a legislator to ask the Department to act. Official ‘find and contact your legislator’ page for both chambers.

A starting-point message, please put it in your own words; a short personal note carries far more weight than an identical form letter:

To: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Wildlife Division (Captive Wildlife)
Re: Request to categorize the captive-bred domestic roof rat (Rattus rattus), ideally onto the Unrestricted Species List

Dear MDIFW Wildlife Division,

I am writing about a gap in the Unrestricted Species List under 09-137 C.M.R. ch. 7. The list names "Brown Rat - Rattus norvegicus," the domestic fancy rat sold in pet shops, and "House Mouse - Mus musculus," but it does not name "Rattus rattus," the domestic roof rat. Because the roof rat is on no list, I understand it is treated as an "Unclassified" species, which Sec. 7.06(4) says a person may not possess and which is not eligible for any permit. The fancy rat one species over is freely legal. The roof rats I am writing about are bred in captivity for generations, gentle, kept entirely indoors as family pets, and never released to the wild. They are kept no differently from the fancy rat.

This is a distinction based on which species name is on a list, not on how the animal lives or any risk it poses. If the concern is the statute's "wild by nature" language (12 M.R.S. Sec. 10001(69)), the dog descends from the wolf and the cat from a wild felid, yet Maine recognizes both as common domestic animals, because what makes an animal domestic is generations bred for tameness, not the wild origin of its species. The fancy rat already on your list is itself the wild brown rat, domesticated in the 19th century. I ask the Department to consider whether a captive-bred roof rat is domesticated in that same sense as the fancy rat already on the list; I am not asking it to assume any particular answer.

Using the species-categorization process at Sec. 7.06(5), I respectfully request that the Department add captive-bred domestic roof rats ("Rattus rattus") to the Unrestricted Species List, parallel to the domestic Norway rat and house mouse already on it. If the Department concludes that some oversight is warranted, I would ask in the alternative that it categorize the captive-bred roof rat as a Restricted (Category 2) species, so that at least a permitted pathway exists rather than a flat Unclassified ban. Please also let me know the application forms required to initiate this review, and provide a written determination of how the Department currently classifies Rattus rattus, so keepers know where they stand in the meantime.

Thank you for your time and for maintaining these lists.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your town, Maine]
[Your email / phone]

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