Tennessee laws

Can't seem to find a clear answer. I know shows don't come here because of the restrictions but is it legal to own rat snakes in state or not? I know they fall under the exist in wild but not sure how that works. I'm thinking of moving beyond my bp's.

It is legal, however you technically need to have proof of purchase from out of state or from a licensed breeder of them in state captive bred. Same for the ball pythons technically, you need proof of purchase, however no one has it lol.

A few years ago I called TWRA with the same question. The previous poster (Antipoon, I think) is correct. Also, keep in mind that a new law was passed a few years ago here in Knoxville that apparently limits the length of snakes that can be kept without a permit. I think the limit is seven feet, but may be wrong about that. The knoxville law apparently stemmed from two instances of someone living in an apartment and allowing an adult burmese python to escape from enclusure which resulted in neighbors being scared/unhappy.

I can't find anything about a length law in tennessee. I have had to do a lot of research to be able to tell people the right stuff at work. The number one and number two things I have to deal with are turtles, and ppl catching shit from the wild...... It is really obnoxious.

Could be that I'm mistaken about the local snake law about registering snakes over a certain length. I think I read it i the Sentinel or something. Either way, hopefully the authorities have better things to do than shake down local herp keepers.

You can own captive bred colubrids. The legalities come into play when you want to breed them and sell the offspring. You have to apply for a propagation permit and provide TWRA proof of legal purchase. It's a pain in the arse to jump through all of the hoops AND pay the annual fee ($250) for the permit to do so so I'm sticking with breeding pythons rather than colubrids.

I didn't know about the laws for breeding and selling colubrids. Odd how people in general routinely kill snakes upon site without persecution, but someone trying to breed and sell them without troublesome and costly permits are criminals. I'm all for protecting natural herp fauna, but good grief.