Question: Is It Legal To Own A Hedgehog In New York?
Written by ITL Attorney, Posted in Statutory Law
Answer: Maybe. It depends where in New York you live if you can have one of these spiky friends. While hedgehogs are legal to own in the State of New York, they are not legal to own if you live within New York City (inclusive of the five burroughs). Other states have banned ownership of hedgehogs as some wildlife agencies are concerned that a larger hedgehog population could pose a risk to local wildlife.
In New York State, the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Article 11, Title 1, Section 11-0103 prohibits the possession, sale, barter, transfer, exchange, or import of wild animals as pets without a license. Hedgehogs are considered wild animals under this law.
However, the law allows for individual cities, towns, and villages to pass their own local laws regarding the ownership of exotic pets. As a result, the legality of hedgehog ownership varies across the state.
For example:
- In New York City, hedgehogs are illegal to keep as pets under the New York City Health Code Section 161.01, which prohibits the possession of wild animals.
- In Buffalo, hedgehogs are allowed as pets, as the city does not have specific laws prohibiting their ownership.
Therefore, to determine the legality of owning a hedgehog in a specific location within New York, one would need to check the local laws and ordinances of that particular city, town, or village.
The only resource tracking hedgehog ownership laws can be seen here: https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/illegal.shtml
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