Tennessee Law Eliminates Permit Fee for Pet Raccoons

A new Tennessee law has made it less expensive to legally own a pet raccoon by eliminating the state’s permit fee.

The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Joey Hensley of Hohenwald and State Rep. Kip Capley of Summertown, removed the previously required $31 permit fee. The law took effect this month.

The change does not legalize taking raccoons from the wild. Under Tennessee law, pet raccoons must be obtained from a legal source, be non-native, have been vaccinated, and a possession permit must still be issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

The TWRA continues to discourage keeping raccoons as pets, noting they can carry diseases and may become territorial or aggressive as they mature.

The new law affects only the permit fee and does not change the state’s other requirements for legally owning a pet raccoon.