New York State has specific laws governing the ownership of exotic animals including large reptiles like Monitor lizards.
These laws allow, restrict, or prohibit the ownership of certain species of animals. The Department of Conservation (DEC) regulates most exotic animals.
Many species of monitor lizards are illegal to own as pets in New York, particurarly those that are very large in size.
Restricted Species
Citing regulations from the aformentioned Department of Conservation:
“No person shall import, transport, possess, purchase, barter, transfer, sell, offer for sale, exchange, propagate or release or cause to be released within New York State any of the following live native or non-native dangerous animals including those which are captive bred in any of the following orders, families and individual species or subspecies including all subspecies and hybrids thereof:
(…) the following species in the family varanidae:
(i) varanus salvator (Asiatic monitor, common water monitor);
(ii) varanus niloticus (Nilen monitor);
(iii) varanus albigularis (white-throat monitor);
(iv) varanus albigularis ionidesi (sort-hals monitor);
(v) varanus salvadori (crocodile monitor);
(vi) varanus komodensis (komodo dragon);“
Med andre ord, you are not allowed to own Water monitors, Nile monitors, white- and black- throated monitors (as well as other color variations such as the peach-throated monitor), or crocodile monitors in NY.
Komodo dragons are a protected species and thus illegal to own anywhere in the US and the rest of the world.
In addition to monitor lizard, owning and kind of crocodilian (f.eks. crocodile, alligator or gharial) is illegal in New York State.
Allowed Species
Monitor lizards smaller than those in the list above are all technically legal in New York State and you are permitted to own them as pets.
These include but are not limited to:
- Varanus acanthurus (Ackie monitor)
- Varanus timorensis (Timor monitor)
- Varanus exanthematicus (Savannah skærm)
The species above are fairly common in the pet trade, relatively small in size and a good choice if you want to keep a monitor lizard.
Alternativt, you may consider a Tegu lizard as an alternative to a monitor. Tegu lizards can grow quite large in size and are non-venomous, and legal to own in NY.
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