"Black pinesnakes acquired before the effective final listing date (November 5, 2015) may be legally held and bred in captivity as long as laws regarding this activity within the State in which they are held are not violated. This would include snakes acquired pre-listing by pet owners, researchers, and zoological institutions. Future sale of captive-bred black pinesnakes, born from pre-listing acquired parents, within their State of their origin would be regulated by applicable laws of that State. If individuals outside the snake’s State of origin wish to purchase captive-bred snakes, they would have to first acquire a 10(a)(1)(A) Interstate Commerce permit from the USFWS (website:
http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-55.pdf). Information about the intended purpose of purchasing a black pinesnake is required because using federally threatened species as pets is not consistent with the purposes of the Endangered Species Act, which is intended to support the conservation of species and recovery of wild populations. However, an animal with threatened species status may be legally kept in captivity if it is captive-bred and used for educational and/or breeding purposes consistent with the aforementioned intent of the Act. Through the permit process, we are able to track and monitor the trade in captive-bred listed species" If you have any other questions, you can email Connie Dickard at
Connie_Dickard@fws.gov