POSSESSION
1. Without a permit, you may possess 1 each: Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta), Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata), Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum), Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris), Stinkpot (Sternothorus odoratus) or Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). All turtles must be over 4″ SCL and no Wood Turtles, Spotted Turtles, or Diamond-backed Terrapins may have been taken from the wild.
2. No permit is needed to possess any non-native turtle
3. It is unlawful to possess any Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica), Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii), Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera) or any Sea Turtle.
4. A Captive Reptile & Amphibian Permit is required if you wish to breed, attempt to breed, sell, offer for sale, trade, or barter any reptile or amphibian, including color mutations, native to Maryland regardless of where you obtained it.
5. A Captive Reptile & Amphibian Permit is required if you possess turtles less than 4 inches.
6. A permittee may possess an unlimited number of animals listed in (1) above that are captively produced or legally obtained from out of state, with proper documentation.
7. A reptile or amphibian that has been captively produced or is not native to Maryland may not be released into the wild. Only individuals that were taken from the wild may be released back into the wild (only at point of capture) if they have not been held in captivity with any other reptile and have not been in captivity for more than 30 days.
8. A person may not possess more than one snapping turtle taken from the wild for noncommercial purposes.
TAKING FROM THE WILD
1. It is unlawful to take any Northern Map Turtle, Bog Turtle, Spiny Softshell, Wood Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Diamond-backed Terrapin or any Sea Turtle.
2. Breeding of turtles is allowed with a permit. A permittee may collect from the wild for breeding purposes no more than 1 individual of each: Eastern Box Turtle, Eastern Painted Turtle, Midland Painted Turtle, Eastern Mud Turtle, Northern Red-bellied Cooter or Stinkpot
3. It is unlawful to sell a wild caught turtle in Maryland
4. A person may not take or possess a snapping turtle from the wild that has a carapace length that is less than 4 inches.
5. A person must be licensed to take or possess a snapping turtle from nontidal waters for noncommercial purposes. No license is required for the take from tidal waters.
6. A person may not harvest or possess a snapping turtle for commercial purposes that has a carapace length that is less than 11 inches
7. A person must have a Department-issued snapping turtle harvest permit in possession while harvesting or transporting snapping turtles
8. It is unlawful to disturb, take, destroy or possess the nest or eggs of a terrapin or snapping turtle
9. It is unlawful for a person to catch snapping turtles from waters of the state by hook and line, trotline, bow and arrow, net, seine, trap, fish pot, or other fishing rig, spear, gig or iron or any device capable of piercing any part of the turtle.
COMMERCIAL
1. Commercial trade in native reptiles and amphibians requires a permit. A permittee may sell, offer for sale, trade, or barter any unprotected species with a carapace length of at least 4 inches) if the animals are captively produced or legally obtained from out of state. Turtles with a carapace length of less than 4 inches cannot be sold in Maryland. Commercial trade of turtles less than 4 inches produced by captive breeding in Maryland with a permit is allowed outside of Maryland.