Roof Rat Laws › United States › South Carolina
Summary. South Carolina does not regulate keeping pet rodents. Its only exotic-pet ban (Title 47, ch. 2) reaches just large wild cats, non-native bears, and great apes; its carnivore-sale ban (§47-5-50) doesn’t touch rodents; and the wildlife-import chapter expressly EXEMPTS ‘rats and mice’ imported for the pet trade from any permit (§50-16-60). So keeping, breeding, and selling/giving a captive-bred roof rat is effectively legal and unregulated. Two soft points: the universal no-release rule, and confirming with Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health whether any health certificate applies to interstate pet-rodent transport. The one genuine open question is whether the generic phrase ‘rats and mice’ is read to include the R. rattus species specifically.
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 2026-06-07
South Carolina has no permit requirement to keep a pet rodent. The only categorical exotic-pet ban (SC Code §47-2-10 / §47-2-30) reaches only large wild cats, non-native bears, and great apes, rodents are not within it. SCDNR’s restricted-non-native list (Reg. 123-152) is tegu-centric and does not list rats. Gemini DR-verified: R. rattus is an unprotected commensal rodent; no captive-wildlife permit is required for non-native rodents kept as pets (SC Code 50-16-10/-60).
Sources: South Carolina Legislature, South Carolina Dept of Natural Resources
Breeding Legal
Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-07
No South Carolina law licenses or restricts breeding pet rodents, the breeder statutes cover dogs (and registrable companion dogs/cats) only. DNR’s pet-import exemption for ‘rats and mice’ (§50-16-60) signals the pet-trade is unregulated. Breeding is unregulated rather than expressly permitted. Gemini DR-verified: no state breeder/facility license for small mammals.
Sources: South Carolina Code (Justia), South Carolina Legislature
Selling or giving away Legal
Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-07
The wild-carnivore-sale ban (§47-5-50) doesn’t reach rodents, and the pet-sale disclosure law applies only to dogs/cats. DNR’s importation chapter expressly exempts ‘rats and mice … imported for sale as pets’ from the permit requirement (§50-16-60). No state license is needed to sell or give pet rats, though local business-license rules may apply. Gemini DR-verified: 50-16-60 exempts ‘rats and mice’ for the pet trade; no state pet-shop/dealer license.
Sources: South Carolina Code (Justia), South Carolina Legislature
Transport & import Legal with a permit
Confidence: Medium · Last verified 2026-06-07
For wildlife-import purposes, §50-16-60 places ‘rats and mice’ on the no-DNR-permit list, and the §50-16-20 import-permit species list excludes rodents. Animal-health import is run by Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health; its CVI/rabies rules center on livestock/poultry/dogs/cats/ferrets, with no published rule imposing a CVI on pet rats, but confirm before interstate movement. Never release a non-native rat. Gemini DR-verified: Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health requires a 30-day CVI for wildlife/exotics entering SC, even though SCDNR waives the wildlife import permit for ‘rats and mice’; within-state movement unregulated.
Sources: South Carolina Legislature, Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health (State Veterinarian)
Restrictions & responsibilities
Source: South Carolina Legislature
Official sources
- SC Code Title 50, ch. 16, Importation of Wildlife (§50-16-20 permit list; §50-16-60 rats/mice pet exemption), South Carolina Legislature
- SC Code §50-16-60, Exemption for certain wildlife imported as pets (‘rats and mice’), South Carolina Code (Justia)
- SC Code Title 47, ch. 2, Large Wild Cats, Non-Native Bears, Great Apes (limited exotic ban), South Carolina Legislature
- SCDNR, Restrictions on Non-native Wildlife (Reg. 123-152), South Carolina Dept of Natural Resources
- South Carolina Animal Import Requirements, Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health, Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health (State Veterinarian)
Search terms: Rattus rattus, roof rat, black rat, ship rat.
Last reviewed 2026-06-07, 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.