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

Keeping / owning   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-15

OAR 635-056-0020 (‘Animals Exempt from These Rules’) states in subsection (18) ‘Rat – Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus.’ and provides that the listed species are exempt from the Division 56 nonnative-wildlife rules because they are not ‘wild.’ That removes R. rattus from ODFW’s Prohibited (635-056-0050), Controlled (635-056-0070), and Noncontrolled (635-056-0060) classification scheme entirely, so no ODFW holding or importation permit is needed. Separately, ORS 609.305 defines ‘exotic animal’ (the only animals needing an ODA captive-exotic permit) as non-native felines, nonhuman primates, non-wolf canids, bears, and crocodilians; rodents are not in that list, so no ODA exotic-animal permit applies either. No registration, testing, fee, or facility inspection attaches to keeping one. General animal-welfare law still applies: a roof rat is a ‘domestic animal’ under ORS 167.310, so the cruelty/neglect/abandonment statutes (e.g. ORS 167.340) govern minimum care.

Sources: Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon Legislature, Oregon Legislature

Breeding   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-15

Breeding a roof rat is unregulated at the state level. Because possession is domestic-exempt under OAR 635-056-0020(18), breeding needs no ODFW propagation or wildlife permit, and rodents are outside the ORS 609.305 exotic-animal scheme, so no ODA exotic-animal permit applies. Oregon imposes no rodent-breeder license, litter quota, or facility standard on a private hobbyist. A breeder only crosses into regulation by operating commercially: under ODA Division 15 (OAR 603-015), a ‘Commercial Kennel’ (an establishment for breeding, buying, selling, or bartering pet animals for profit or compensation) or a ‘Pet Shop’/’Animal Dealer’ must meet facility, husbandry, and recordkeeping standards. Those rules reach ‘pet animals’ broadly (including rats) but attach to the for-profit operation, not to the species, and there is no species prohibition. Federal USDA/AWA licensing can reach a large wholesale/sight-unseen dealer, but direct-to-consumer pet sales and de minimis hobby breeders are federally exempt, and rats bred for research are excluded from the AWA entirely.

Sources: Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), Oregon Legislature, Oregon Dept of Agriculture (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), USDA APHIS

Selling or giving away   Legal

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-15

There is no statewide license or health certificate to sell or give away a roof rat within Oregon. A roof rat is domestic-exempt under OAR 635-056-0020(18), so ODFW sale restrictions do not apply, and ORS 609.305 excludes rodents from the exotic-animal scheme. A private individual selling or rehoming a pet rat faces no state permit or reporting requirement (Oregon, unlike Kentucky, has no in-state ‘offered for sale’ CVI rule). The only layer is commercial: a ‘Commercial Kennel,’ ‘Pet Shop,’ or ‘Animal Dealer’ under ODA Division 15 must keep a record of each sale or transfer for at least 12 months (OAR 603-015-0060), recording date, age, breed, sex, the purchaser’s name and address, the source, and the original breeder, and an ‘Animal Rescue Entity’ that keeps 10 or more animals and solicits donations must be licensed by the ODA State Veterinarian (OAR 603-015-0075 et seq.). Those obligations attach to the business; free rehoming and casual private sales are unregulated. General cruelty law (ORS 167.310 et seq.) applies.

Sources: Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Office of the State Veterinarian, Oregon Dept of Agriculture (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules)

Transport & import   Legal with a permit

Confidence: High · Last verified 2026-06-15

Intrastate movement of a roof rat is unregulated: as a domestic-exempt animal (OAR 635-056-0020(18)) it needs no ODFW transport permit, wildlife declaration, or transit corridor to move within Oregon. The attached condition is on IMPORT and is a health document, not a wildlife permit. Oregon’s import rules (administered by the ODA Animal Health Program) classify rats and mice as ‘pocket pets,’ and the ODA import guidance provides that ‘A CVI issued by an accredited veterinarian, is required for all rabbits and pocket pets. The CVI must be an official CVI with a unique serial number and be issued within 30 days prior to the animal(s) entering Oregon.’ No advance import permit is generated for pocket pets; the CVI alone satisfies entry, and Oregon imposes no quarantine on imported pet rodents. Export is governed by the destination’s rules; international movement is governed by federal CDC/USDA/USFWS rules. Never release a roof rat into the wild: ORS 498.052 provides that ‘No person shall release within this state any domestically raised wildlife or wildlife brought to this state from any place outside this state unless the person first obtains a permit,’ and a released captive rat would also be animal abandonment under ORS 167.340.

Sources: Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Animal Health Program, Oregon Legislature, Oregon Legislature

• Have a USDA-accredited veterinarian in the state of origin examine the rat and issue an official CVI (unique serial number; records species, sex, age, and consignor/consignee details).
• Obtain the CVI within 30 days before the rat crosses into Oregon.
• No advance import permit number is needed for pocket pets; the CVI alone satisfies entry.
• Keep the CVI with the animal during the move; there is no mandatory quarantine on arrival.

Forms: Oregon Import Requirements – Rabbits and Other Pocket Pets (CVI for rats/mice), Oregon Import Requirement lookup tool (ODA) · Where: Issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian in the origin state; Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Animal Health Program administers the requirement. · Fees: No state fee for the CVI; the issuing veterinarian charges an examination/paperwork fee.

Source: Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Animal Health Program

• Determine whether the activity is ‘for profit or compensation’ (Commercial Kennel / Pet Shop / Animal Dealer) – if not, Division 15’s commercial standards do not apply.
• If commercial: meet the indoor-facility (OAR 603-015-0040) and health/husbandry (OAR 603-015-0050) standards and keep each sale/transfer record for 12 months (OAR 603-015-0060).
• If sheltering/rescuing 10 or more animals and taking donations: apply for an ODA Animal Rescue Entity license (OAR 603-015-0075 et seq.).

Forms: ODA Animal Rescue Entity Program (licensing), OAR Division 15 – Care of Pet and Captive Animals (full division text) · Where: Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Office of the State Veterinarian (Animal Health Program). · Fees: Animal Rescue Entity base license $375 (entity with a primary physical location) or $300 (foster-only); plus volume-based annual intake fees (up to 250 animals: no surcharge; 251-500: $250; scaling to $1,500 for over 2,500). No fee for ordinary commercial-kennel recordkeeping.

Source: Oregon Dept of Agriculture (via Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules), Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Oregon Dept of Agriculture, Office of the State Veterinarian

• Rehome a rat you can no longer keep through a person, rescue, or shelter; never release it outdoors.
• Check your city/county code: some Oregon municipalities (e.g. Gladstone) are stricter than the state on which pet animals may be kept.

Source: Oregon Legislature, Oregon Legislature