Hi I have been thinking about getting into hots recently again and had some questions for my dnr that I could not find. Here's the q&a.
Jensen, John
Hide details
From: Jensen, John <John.Jensen@dnr.state.ga.us>
To: Hayes, Melissa <Melissa.Hayes@dnr.state.ga.us>;
rlickteig@hotmail.com <rlickteig@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Request from DNR Website
Date: Tue 5/06/14 9:04 AM
Hi Richard:
You can do just about whatever you want (including sell them, breed them, possess them, etc.) with native venomous snake species within GA without any permits. You cannot release previously captive snakes, though, and you cannot export or import them without an import/export permit, and would not be eligible for the permit for the purpose of pets or pet trade. Subspecies do not matter - if it is a native venomous SPECIES, regardless of the subspecies, it is legal to possess in GA, but getting a non-native subspecies of a native species across state lines would require the aforementioned permit that is not eligible for pet use.
On May 6, 2014, at 7:53 AM, "Hayes, Melissa" <Melissa.Hayes@dnr.state.ga.us> wrote:
>
> Submitted from Department of Natural Resources
>
> Category: Wildlife
> Phone number: 7068791781
>
>
> Richard writes:
>
> Hi I had a number of questions regarding native venomous snakes of GA
> (particularly southern copperheads or Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) that
> I could not find specific information about. Also I'm a native to GA. If I've
> interpreted the law correctly it is in fact legal to find and keep as a pet
> native ga venomous snakes without a permit so my questions would be the
> following:
>
> Am I allowed to receive, as a gift, a wild caught venomous snake native to GA
> from a native of GA without a permit?
>
> What about the same situation with a captive bred snake?
>
> Would I be allowed to buy or sell native GA venomous snakes (wild caught or
> captive bred) from or to another GA native without a permit?
>
> Am I allowed to breed two wild caught or captive bred native GA venomous
> snakes without a permit?
>
> If I had two native GA venomous snakes (wild caught or captive bred) and they
> happened to breed without intention what would be proper protocol (have to
> keep them, set them free, have them confiscated, give them away).
>
> Am I allowed to get as a gift, or buy a captive bred (species native in GA)
> venomous snake from another state and bring it to GA (ex: a southern
> copperhead raised and born in SC) without a permit.
>
> What about the same situation with a wild caught (captured in another state
> but species native to GA) venomous snake?
>
> Is it legal to go to another state to capture a (native GA species) venomous
> snake and bring it back to GA as a pet?
>
> Would I be able to legally keep a sub species of a venomous snake (where the
> species is native to GA but the sub species is not) in GA without a permit
> (ex: broadband copperhead or Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus)?
>
> Would I legally be able to keep a hybrid of two native GA venomous snakes
> (ex: southern copperhead x water mocassin or "cottonhead") if I happen to
> find one in GA without a permit?
>
> Could I get one without a permit as a gift or buy one from a ga native?
>
> What about from another state?
>
> Would having a permit change the answer to any of these questions? If so,
> which ones?
>
> Can anybody get a permit