The Animal Welfare Act on Animals as Prizes
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Licensing and Registration
Under the Animal Welfare Act
Guidelines for Dealers, Exhibitors,
Transporters, and Researchers
Promoters Giving Animal Prizes--A carnival concessionaire or other promoter who gives regulated animals as prizes must be licensed. Annual license fees are based on the amount paid to the promoter to offer animal prizes less the amount paid for these animals.
Exotic Animal Dealers--Anyone importing, buying, selling, or trading animals foreign to the United States (wild or domesticated) must be licensed. You also must be licensed if you sell domestically bred exotic animals. Annual license fees are based on the amount received from the sale of regulated animals less the amount paid for these animals.
Wild Animal Dealers--A business or individual selling wild animals must be licensed. "Wild animals" means any animal that is now or historically has been found in the wild, or in the wild state, within the boundaries of the United States, its territories, or possessions. This term includes, but is not limited to, animals such as deer, skunk, raccoon, mink, armadillo, coyote, squirrel, fox, and wolf.
If you sell any wild or exotic animals, you are not eligible to claim exemption as a retail pet store. You become a full-fledged dealer, and you must comply with standards of care for all regulated animals--not just wild