There is no federal law requiring a permit to own a goat in the United States.
As I said, the majority of states do allow keeping goats as pets, although you will have to have adequate space for it.
For some states, and for some breeds of exotic goat, you will need a permit.
Let’s look further into this.
Is it legal to own a pet goat?
In general, yes, it is.
That said, the laws vary from state to state.
The majority of states have no specific laws stating that you cannot legally own a goat, or that you need a permit to own one.
So, for the most part, you can own a pet goat legally.
However, there are other troubles you could come across.
For example, goats are typically not allowed in residential neighborhoods—they are noisy and can cause damage to fences.
So, you may find yourself in dispute with your neighbors if you keep goats in your backyard.
You’re going to be expected to deliver a certain standard of living for the goat, too.
Goats generally need about a quarter acre of land, and they also need to be living with other goats to be happy.
So, you should have at least a half-acre of land for your goats.
Even if you have this, though, there are still many places where you’re going to need a permit to keep goats.
Let’s look at where that is.
Where do you need a permit to keep goats?
There are actually fewer places that require a special permit than states that simply not allow keeping goats as pets.
In New Jersey, for instance, if you are keeping an “exotic” goat, then you need a permit for this.
This includes many breeds, as well as things like ibexes, so look into the local requirements.
In North Dakota, any nondomestic goats require a license and an import permit to be handled and kept.
Other than that, there are specific rules in some states about where you can keep goats.
In South Dakota, for instance, you can only keep goats east of the Missouri River.
This is because goats can breed with naturally roaming elk, sheep and deer.
So, as you can see, the laws vary hugely from place to place.
You’re going to need to do your research on your local area.
So, where is it outright not legal to own a goat?
Where is it not legal to own a goat?
There are several states where owning goats as pets, without a license as a farmer, is illegal.
Let’s look at a few of these.
Arizona is one, and has a lot of laws about which animals can be kept.
This includes goats of any kind.
In Nevada, you are not allowed to keep wild goats.
Utah, similarly, does not allow the keeping of wild mountain goats as pets.
Washington also prohibits keeping wild goats as pets.
So, for the most part, most states do allow you to keep domestic goats as pets.
There aren’t many where it is outright not allowed—but why do some states require permits for it?
Why do some states require permits for goats?
There is a variety of reasons.
For one thing, goats are not like other animals that we keep as pets.
They need a lot of land, and they can be quite destructive to the environment if not kept properly.
The laws are likely to stop anyone getting goats and keeping them in their back yard.
The other point is the importing.
Many exotic goats have become very popular as pets over the years, and moving them around can have various hazards to the environment and the goats themselves.
Generally speaking, though, states require permits because keeping goats is a challenging thing, and they want to be sure that people who do so know what they are getting into.
It’s also about conservation of the environment.
Again, goats can be quite destructive, and over long periods of time can have devastating impacts on local ecosystems.
This is something that the federal government has left up to local authorities, then.
The precise laws and regulations are going to vary depending on where you are, so your best bet is to look up the local laws for owning animals like goats.
As I said, in most cases, you will likely be fine and you won’t need to do anything to be able to legally own goats.
It’s better safe than sorry, though, so do your research before you go ahead with anything.