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

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Possession is lawful by statutory omission. Miss. Code Ann. 49-8-5 (and 40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2 R. 8.3) lists the species ‘inherently dangerous to humans’ that require a Chapter 8 possession permit, $100,000-per-animal liability insurance, and steel-and-masonry caging, and that list is limited to primates, large carnivores, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, African buffalo, and certain venomous reptiles. The order Rodentia is not on it, so a rat is outside Chapter 8 entirely. R. rattus is also non-native, so the native-nongame conservation chapter (Miss. Code 49-5-101 et seq. / 40 Miss. Code R. 5-2.3, which covers indigenous species only) does not apply, and it is omitted from the statutory ‘nuisance animal’ definition in 49-7-1(c). The Board of Animal Health confirms it ‘does not require a permit for ownership of other exotic animals in Mississippi.’ No possession permit, registration, fee, or facility inspection applies. General animal-cruelty law still applies.

Sources: Mississippi Legislature (via Animal Legal & Historical Center mirror), MS Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks / MS Secretary of State, Cornell Legal Information Institute / MDWFP, MDWFP nuisance-animal regulation (40 Miss. Code R. 2-7.1) / Cornell Legal Information Institute, Mississippi Board of Animal Health

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Breeding is unregulated at the state level. Mississippi’s propagation permits are confined to two categories that do not include a non-native pet rodent: native nongame species (40 Miss. Code R. 5-2.3) and commercial captive-wildlife enclosures for deer and exotic ungulates (40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2 R. 8.2). A roof rat is neither native nongame nor a ‘commercial wildlife enclosure’ animal, so MDWFP requires no propagation permit, and the Board of Animal Health has no framework governing indoor reproduction of non-agricultural exotic rodents. Mississippi also has no statewide pet-dealer or pet-shop license: a 2019 bill to create one (SB 2101) was not enacted. The only limits on breeding are indirect: general animal-cruelty statutes and local zoning/nuisance ordinances. Federal USDA/AWA licensing can reach a large wholesale dealer, but direct-to-consumer retail sales and small hobby operations are federally exempt, and rats bred purely for research are excluded from the AWA.

Sources: MS Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks / MS Secretary of State, Cornell Legal Information Institute / MDWFP, Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System, USDA APHIS

Selling or giving away   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Selling, gifting, or rehoming a captive-bred roof rat within Mississippi is unregulated at the state level. There is no statewide pet-dealer or pet-shop license (the 2019 SB 2101 attempt failed). The native-nongame sale restrictions (40 Miss. Code R. 5-2.3) reach only native species taken from the wild, and the Chapter 8 transfer-permit rule (Miss. Code 49-8-7) reaches only inherently-dangerous species, neither of which captures a non-native rodent. So a rat may be sold or given away between private parties without notifying MDWFP or the Board of Animal Health. (Unlike Kentucky, Mississippi has no ‘CVI required to offer an animal for sale’ rule; the CVI hook here attaches only to import, see transport.) Large-scale wholesale to brokers or stores can trigger federal AWA licensing, and local business/zoning rules can apply to a commercial operation; general cruelty law applies.

Sources: Mississippi Legislature (via Animal Legal & Historical Center mirror), Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System, Cornell Legal Information Institute / MDWFP, USDA APHIS

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-14

Intrastate movement (county to county within Mississippi) is unregulated, because a roof rat is an unlisted non-native animal that triggers no MDWFP transport rule and no MBAH intrastate rule. IMPORT into Mississippi is the one real hook. The Board of Animal Health sorts exotic entries into Exotic Livestock, Nonhuman Primates, and Other Exotic Animals; a non-livestock, non-native rodent defaults to ‘Other Exotic Animals.’ For that category the MBAH states: ‘A prior permit for entry and a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) with complete name and address of consignee and consignor are required for all exotic animals entering the state of Mississippi.’ So bringing a roof rat into the state requires a CVI from a USDA-accredited veterinarian in the state of origin plus a prior entry permit obtained from the State Veterinarian’s office (Exoticanimals@mdac.ms.gov / 601-359-1170). R. rattus is not on any prohibited-entry list. Export is governed by the destination’s rules; Mississippi imposes no exit permit. International movement follows federal USFWS rules (R. rattus is not CITES-listed). Never release a roof rat: Miss. Code 49-7-80 bars releasing any non-indigenous animal without an MDWFP permit (a Class I violation).

Sources: Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Mississippi Legislature (Justia mirror)

• Have a USDA-accredited veterinarian in the state of origin examine the rat and issue a CVI certifying it is free of contagious/communicable disease and external parasites and not from a quarantined area.
• Obtain a prior entry permit from the Mississippi State Veterinarian’s office before the animal crosses the state line (contact Exoticanimals@mdac.ms.gov or 601-359-1170; submit the CVI).
• Carry the permitted CVI with the animal during the move. Ask the issuing vet how the ‘permanent identification’ line on the CVI should be satisfied for an animal too small to ear-tag (a photographic log or detailed physical description is the practical option).

Forms: Other Exotic Animals Import Permit Application, Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) · Where: Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Office of the State Veterinarian (Exoticanimals@mdac.ms.gov; 121 North Jefferson St., Jackson, MS 39201). · Fees: No published state permit fee; the issuing veterinarian charges for the examination and CVI.

Source: Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Mississippi Board of Animal Health, Mississippi Board of Animal Health

• Rehome a rat you can no longer keep to another private owner, or have a veterinarian euthanize it humanely.
• Never release it outdoors. Check local ordinances for limits on animal counts on a residential parcel.

Where: MS Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks (for the unrelated case of a permitted non-indigenous release).

Source: Mississippi Legislature (Justia mirror)