You cannot own a cheetah in the USA as a private individual. The Big Cat Public Safety Act, signed in December 2022, made it a federal crime for private citizens to possess, buy, sell, breed, or transport cheetahs anywhere in the country.1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. What You Need to Know About the Big Cat Public Safety Act A narrow grandfather clause protects people who already owned a cheetah before that date and registered it with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023, but that registration window is closed and cannot be reopened.
What the Federal Ban Covers
The Big Cat Public Safety Act amended the Lacey Act to define lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, and hybrids of those species as “prohibited wildlife species.”2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 U.S. Code 3371 – Definitions For those species, the law makes it illegal for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess the animal. The prohibition applies whether the activity crosses state lines or takes place entirely within one state.3eCFR. Subpart K Captive Wildlife Safety Act as Amended by the Big Cat Public Safety Act
Cheetahs also carry a second layer of protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the cheetah as endangered on June 2, 1970.4eCFR. 50 CFR 17.11 – Endangered and Threatened Wildlife The Endangered Species Act separately makes it illegal to take, possess, sell, or transport an endangered species without a federal permit, and those permits are not issued to private owners looking for a pet.
Who Is Actually Allowed to Have One
The federal law exempts a short list of institutions and professionals. None of them describes a private household.
- Facilities holding a Class C license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, such as accredited zoos and certain research facilities, as long as the license is in good standing.
- State colleges, state universities, and state agencies.
- State-licensed veterinarians providing care to the animals.
- Nonprofit wildlife sanctuaries that hold 501(c)(3) status, do not breed prohibited wildlife species, and do not allow direct contact between the animals and the public.
- Licensed transporters, and only while physically moving the animal to a person or place that qualifies for an exemption.
Sanctuaries face particularly specific criteria under the federal regulations: tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi), no breeding, and no public contact.3eCFR. Subpart K Captive Wildlife Safety Act as Amended by the Big Cat Public Safety Act A zoo can house cheetahs, and a research university can. A private citizen cannot, no matter how well-resourced or well-intentioned.
The Closed Grandfather Window
One category of private owner remains legal: someone who owned a cheetah before December 20, 2022, and who registered the animal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023. That deadline has passed and the window is not reopening. Anyone who missed it is in violation of federal law unless another exemption applies to them.1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. What You Need to Know About the Big Cat Public Safety Act
Registration required the owner to identify each animal with a microchip or tattoo and file details with the Service including species, sex, birthdate, photographs, physical location, and protocols for preventing both breeding and public contact.5Federal Register. Regulations To Implement the Big Cat Public Safety Act Only animals born before December 20, 2022, or conceived before that date, were eligible.
Even successful registrants live under tight ongoing rules. They cannot breed the animal, cannot acquire any additional big cats, and cannot allow direct public contact. If the cheetah dies, moves, or if any registration detail changes, the owner must notify the Service within 10 calendar days.5Federal Register. Regulations To Implement the Big Cat Public Safety Act The grandfathered population is a shrinking one by design.
State and Local Rules Don’t Get You Around It
A state permit does not help. Federal law now sets the floor everywhere, and a state that historically allowed private exotic animal ownership cannot authorize what federal law prohibits. Holding a state license to keep a cheetah does not shield you from federal prosecution under the Big Cat Public Safety Act or the Endangered Species Act.
Local ordinances often add a further layer. Municipal and county zoning codes commonly ban exotic animals inside city limits regardless of any state license, and a state permit does not exempt the holder from local rules. Between federal, state, and local law, there is no jurisdiction in the United States where a private individual can legally acquire a new cheetah.
Penalties for Illegal Possession
The penalties stack, because more than one statute applies. Under the Lacey Act as amended, a knowing violation involving import, export, or sale carries criminal fines up to $20,000 and up to five years in prison. Lesser violations, where the person should have known the activity was illegal, carry up to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison. Civil penalties reach $10,000 per violation.6GovInfo. 16 U.S. Code 3373 – Penalties and Sanctions
The Endangered Species Act runs on a parallel track. A knowing violation can bring civil penalties up to $25,000 and criminal penalties up to $50,000 and one year of imprisonment.7U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Section 11 – Penalties and Enforcement Federal prosecutors can charge under both.
Any cheetah bred, possessed, or acquired in violation of the law is also subject to seizure and forfeiture, with the animal typically relocated to an accredited sanctuary or zoo.1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. What You Need to Know About the Big Cat Public Safety Act
Civil Liability If the Animal Hurts Someone
Criminal penalties are only part of the exposure. Most states apply strict liability to owners of wild animals. If a cheetah injures a person, the injured party does not need to prove negligence; ownership of the animal is enough. Careful fencing, warning signs, and good intentions are not a defense.
Some states that historically permitted exotic animal ownership required liability insurance in the range of $100,000 to $2,000,000. Coverage of that kind is hard to find for big cat species, and a serious mauling can produce damages beyond the highest policy limits. The civil exposure from a single incident can outrun the criminal fines several times over.
The Practical Reality
The law now reflects what facilities that already keep cheetahs have long known: a private home cannot meet the animal’s needs. Cheetahs are built to sprint across open grassland, and adequate housing means expansive, escape-proof enclosures designed to allow running.
The financial picture matches the physical one. One estimate from a major conservation organization puts first-year costs to house and feed a big cat above $100,000, with recurring costs above $10,000 per year after that. Those numbers assume access to specialized exotic-feline veterinary care that is unavailable in most parts of the country, along with carefully managed carnivorous diets and enrichment programs. Even for institutions that can legally keep cheetahs, this is a substantial and continuing investment. For a private owner, it is out of reach, and the federal ban now says so directly.