How long have ferrets been illegal in New York City? Ferrets have been illegal in New York City's five boroughs since June 29th 1999.
Are Ferrets illegal in all of New York State? Ferrets are LEGAL in the rest of New York State. The ban only applies to New York City's five boroughs.
Is Long Island in New York City? No. Ferrets are legal in Long Island. However, Staten Island is part of New York City. To paraphrase a post from issue 3128 of a popular Internet ferret mailing list called the FML: You live in NYC if...
If any of these apply to you, you live in New York City's five boroughs and ferrets are illegal where you live.
Where can I get a permit so I can keep my ferret in New York City? There used to be a permit required to own a ferret anywhere in New York State but that permit was done away with several years ago. Permits are no longer required to own a ferret anywhere in New York State, but local municipalities (like New York City's five boroughs) may have different rules. There is no permit available to own a ferret in New York City. There is no legal way to own a ferret in New York City's five boroughs at this time. Of course, people are keeping their ferrets anyway and trying to be discrete about it. The only way to ensure your pets' safety is to become as active as possible in fighting NYC's ferret ban. Write letters, get in touch with Council Members, and help raise money for legalization efforts.
What if I have PROOF that I've owned my ferret since before the ban? There is no "grandfather clause" to NYC's ferret ban. Even ferrets that were owned prior to the ban are illegal.
I heard it's OK to have a ferret in New York City as long as you didn't BUY it in New York City. That information is incorrect. Ferrets are not allowed in New York City's five boroughs. It doesn't matter where or when you bought your ferret.
I live in Queens where ferrets are illegal but just 2 blocks away in Nassau County ferrets are legal! How can that be?! Incredible isn't it? Nassau County and Queens border each other. Nassau County is in Long Island where ferrets are legal. Queens is part of New York City where ferrets are illegal.
How is the Department of Health enforcing the ban? Are they actively looking for ferret owners? The Department of Health is not actively looking for ferret owners. They're not going door to door or going out of their way to find ferret owners. The ferret ban is "complaint driven". If someone files a complaint and informs the Department of Health that you have ferrets (a landlord, an angry neighbor or "ex" etc.) they will be required to act on it. Additionally, health officials and police officers are instructed to confiscate ferrets if they see them (out in public etc.) and turn them over to the Center for Animal Control. Whether or not they actually do this is another thing, but it's risky to assume that they won't.
If I live outside the city (where ferrets are legal) and I bring my ferret into the city for a visit, is that ok? Technically, no. Your ferret can (and may) still be confiscated even if you have proof that you don't live in the city. The ban states that ferrets are not allowed in the city limits. However, you might stand a better chance of getting the ferret back from the Center for Animal Control if you can act quickly and prove that you were just "passing through" and are not a NYC resident. You would also probably have to pay a fine of at least $200 to get your ferret back.
What do I do if they come to get my ferrets? If officials come to your door to confiscate your ferret and they do not have a warrant, you do NOT have to let them in. No matter what they say, if there's no warrant DON'T let them in! Then when they go away to get a warrant, get your ferrets out of your apartment and to safety before they come back. The only exception to this is if the ferret is in plain sight and they can see it from where they are standing (like if the ferret runs up to greet them at the door or if they can see it in its cage through the open doorway). If they can see your ferret, they can come in without a warrant.
What can I do if my ferret is confiscated? Call the Center for Animal Control (CAC) immediately and ask if you can make arrangements to have it sent to a friend or relative or another location outside of the city. I don't know if they'll be willing to do this, but it's worth a try. It's better for YOU to find your ferret a new home with a friend or relative than to leave your ferret's fate up to the CAC.
What happens to ferrets that are confiscated? Ferrets that are confiscated are turned over to the New York City Center for Animal Control (CAC). From there they are shipped out of state to a ferret shelter or they are euthanized. FYI: Don't assume that ferrets who are shipped to shelters are ok. Although many reputable ferret shelters are very well run, we've unfortunately heard reports about the CAC shipping ferrets to places that were not so reputable.
If I bring my ferret to the vet, will I be reported? New York City ferret veterinarians are on OUR side. The New York City Veterinary Medical Association and the Animal Medical Center as well as numerous individual ferret vets in New York City have all testified at public hearings and in court on our behalf. Not one ferret vet in New York City has spoken against the legalization of ferrets. If you already have a ferret vet, it would be illogical for that vet to "set you up" for being turned in. Any vet who already has a relationship with you would be more likely to tell you straight out "I'm sorry, I can't see ferrets anymore" if they had reservations about currently treating ferrets. As for finding a new ferret vet, the same applies. Vets have nothing to gain by luring you in just to turn you over to the authorities. It would give them an incredibly bad reputation for being dishonest. It would make MUCH more sense for them to just say "I'm sorry, we don't treat ferrets anymore." When you're looking for a vet, make sure they have experience treating ferrets and ask them if they would report you and your ferrets to the authorities. There's no reason for them to lie to you. We have yet to hear of any ferret owners in NYC being turned in by a ferret veterinarian Don't let fear of going to the vet keep you from getting at least an annual checkup and annual vaccinations for your ferrets. Remember, the ferret vets in New York City are on OUR side.
How about joining forces with an Iguana or Sugar Glider Group, or any other group representing some of the other animals on the NYC Department of Health's banned animal list? Usually when other groups contact us to "join forces", it's not because they have ideas or efforts of their own that they'd like us to join. Usually they want "in" on our existing efforts. However, the legalization efforts we have at this time are ferret specific and we've been working on many of them for over 2 years. It's not possible at this stage to simply "insert" other animals into our bill or lawsuit without starting all the way back at the beginning and losing all the ground that we've gained. It's not that we don't want to join forces with other "banned animal" groups. It's just that it's not possible for us to add their animals to any of the current ferret-specific legalization efforts. If other groups have new efforts aimed at overturning the ban that look promising, we'd be happy to join in. We had some links for other NYC "Banned Animal" legalization efforts (One for legalizing sugar gliders, one for legalizing iguanas, and one for legalizing all of NYC's banned animals.) but unfortunately none of those sites are around anymore. If you know of other "NYC banned animal legalization groups," let us know and we'll post their links here.
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