Pet Monkey Laws 2025 – Where They’re Still Legal in the US

Pet Monkey Laws 2025 – Where They’re Still Legal in the US

I’m not gonna lie every single time one of those capuchin-in-a-tutu videos blows up on my feed, my phone starts exploding. “J.V., is this real? Can I actually have one??” And every single time I have to take a deep breath before I answer, because the fantasy is cute as hell and the reality… well, the reality is usually a 3 a.m. phone call from someone crying because their “baby” just bit half their eyebrow off.

It’s November 18, 2025 as I’m typing this, and the question pet monkey laws 2025 is still the one that keeps me up at night. I’m J.V. Charles the guy who started Pet Lover after I spent years cleaning up the messes (literal and emotional) that come with exotic pets. I’ve bottle-fed abandoned marmosets, I’ve driven six hours to pick up a screaming macaque somebody bought on Craigslist, and I’ve held more than one grown man while he sobbed because he finally admitted he couldn’t do it anymore.

So yeah… I’m gonna give you the straight, no-fluff answer about where pet monkeys are legal in 2025, but I’m also gonna tell you the stuff nobody wants to hear until it’s too late.

The Stuff I Tell Every Person Who DMs Me (Read This Twice)

• There is still no federal ban on owning a monkey as a pet (the Captive Primate Safety Act died again this session shocker).
• Even in “legal” states, your county or city can say no. Your HOA can say no. Your landlord can say no.
• You can’t import them. Every legal pet monkey in the U.S. right now was born here.
• Most of them outlive their cuteness by about 30 years.
• One bite from a herpes B-positive monkey and you’ve got roughly 24 hours to live if you don’t get the right meds immediately.
• Sanctuaries are full. Like, turning-people-away full.

Still here? Okay. Here’s the actual map as of right now late 2025.

Where You Can Still (Technically) Own a Pet Monkey in 2025

No Statewide Permit Required At All (But Locals Might Kill You)

• Alabama – Wide open. Some cities have bans, most don’t care.
• North Carolina – No state law. Wake County says no, but a lot of rural areas shrug.
• South Carolina – Legal except great apes. That rhesus colony escape last year didn’t help anybody’s opinion.
• Nevada – Totally fine outside Vegas city limits.
• Wisconsin – No restrictions at the state level.
• Oklahoma – Pretty much anything goes.

Permit? Yeah, But You Can Actually Get One

• Texas – Certificate of Registration. Fill out the form, pay the fee, build the cage to code, and you’re usually good.
• Florida – Class III for capuchins/marmosets. Inspections are a pain, but people do it.
• Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri – All doable with paperwork and decent enclosures.
• Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming – Basically “don’t be an idiot” rules.

The “Maybe If You’re Lucky” Gray Zone

• Ohio – Only certain small species and you better have been grandfathered or have a damn good reason.
• Illinois – Only capuchins trained as service animals for quadriplegics. That’s it.

Everywhere Else? Hard No.

California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts… the list of full-ban states just keeps growing. Even Georgia flipped last year.

The Stories Nobody Puts in the Cute Reels

I’ve got a folder on my desktop labeled “Monkey Regrets.” It’s full of emails that all say some version of:

• “He was perfect until he turned six…”
• “She ripped my daughter’s face open over a grape.”
• “We spent $80,000 and he still hates us.”
• “The sanctuary waitlist is three years long.”

I’m not sharing this to shame anybody. I’m sharing it because I wish somebody had shaken me by the shoulders fifteen years ago and made me listen.

If You’re Still Hell-Bent on This Do These Things Right Now

1. Call your county animal control TODAY and get the ordinance in writing.
2. Google “[your county] + primate ordinance.” Half the time the state says yes and the county screams no.
3. Find an actual exotic vet who will see a primate. Call them. Ask if they’ll treat your future monkey. Most will laugh and hang up.
4. Go volunteer at a sanctuary for a weekend. Not an hour. A full weekend.
5. Look up USDA breeder inspections. Read the violation reports. Cry a little.

Questions I Get Every Damn Day

Is there anywhere it’s actually easy in 2025?

Alabama and rural North Carolina are about as “easy” as it gets and even there it’s a nightmare waiting to happen.

What’s the smallest/safest monkey?

Marmosets are tiny and “cute” longer, but they still hit sexual maturity and turn into angry little land piranhas.

Can I just buy one if I’m in a legal state?

Only from a USDA-licensed breeder, and good luck finding one that doesn’t make your stomach turn when you see the facility.

Will the federal ban finally pass?

It’s got more support than ever. I wouldn’t bet on 2026 being open season.

What if I just really love monkeys and want to help?

Sponsor one. Volunteer. Donate to a sanctuary. You’ll sleep better and nobody gets mauled.

References (I double-checked all of these this week)

• Born Free USA primate law database – updated October 2025
• World Population Review legal states list – November 2025
• Individual state DNR/DWF pages (yes, I called a couple)
• USDA primate dealer inspection reports
• My own scarred-up heart and overflowing surrender inbox

Look, if you just want something small and clever that sits on your shoulder and steals your snacks, get a parrot. Or a ferret. Or literally anything that doesn’t have the strength to rip your face off when it hits puberty.

But if you’ve read all this and you’re still thinking “Yeah, but I’m different…” message me. I’ll talk you down off the ledge like I’ve done for hundreds of others. Or I’ll help you find a reputable sanctuary to support instead.