A Harford County police officer once responded to a call that had nothing to do with a dog, cat, or stray deer — it was a live alligator sitting in a pet store parking lot in Bel Air. That kind of call is rare in Maryland, and for good reason: state law treats alligator ownership as a criminal matter, not a pet-store transaction. If you are wondering whether you can own an alligator in Maryland, the short answer is no, and the details of why matter for anyone curious about exotic reptile ownership.
This article breaks down the specific statute that bans alligators, the narrow exceptions that exist for institutions rather than individuals, the federal rules layered on top of state law, and what actually happens to people caught keeping one anyway.
Is It Legal to Own an Alligator in Maryland
No. Maryland bans private ownership of a specific list of animals under its dangerous animal statute, Criminal Law § 10-621, and the prohibited categories include bears, wild cats, foxes, skunks, raccoons, alligators, crocodiles, caimans, wild dogs, wolf-dog hybrids, nonhuman primates, and venomous snakes from certain families. There is no version of a pet license, home permit, or breeder application that lets an ordinary resident legally bring one home.
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is not native to the region — the American alligator prefers the American Southeast, where it can be found in around ten states, from Texas to Florida to North Carolina. Maryland’s climate and habitat were never a factor in this ban; the law targets the species specifically because of the public-safety risk large reptiles pose in residential settings, not because alligators would struggle to survive here…