POSSESSION

1.  Anyone collecting animals from the wild or captive-breeding them for commercial purposes, that is, for sale or trade of the animals, dead or alive. This also applies to the offspring of captive adults or anyone in possession of more than 6 specimens collectively from the following list is required to have a nongame permit or a nongame dealer’s permit:

• Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

• Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia)
• Mississippi Map Turtle (Graptemys kohni)
• Ouachita Map Turtle (Graptemys ouachitensis)
• Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa)
• River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna)
• Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi)
• Texas River Cooter (Pseudemys texana)
• Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
• Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
• Big Bend Slider (Trachemys gaigeae)
• Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon flavescens)
• Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum)
• Razor-backed Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus)
• Stinkpot (Sternotherus odoratus)

2.  It is unlawful to possess Alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii , cagle’s map turtle graptemys caglei, chihuahuan mud turtle  kinosternon hirtipes, texas tortoise gopherus berlandieri or any Sea Turtle

3.  No person may possess a diamondback terrapin at any time.

4.  It appears that Texas does not regulate non-native species.

TAKING FROM THE WILD

1.  Any person collecting animals from the wild must possess a valid Texas hunting license.

2.  A person may capture indigenous reptiles and amphibians on the shoulder or unpaved right-of-way of a public roadway, provided that:

• the person possesses a valid Reptile and Amphibian Stamp,
• the person employs non-lethal means only to capture the reptiles or amphibians,
• the person does not possess a trap

3.  No person may use artifical light from a motor vehicle to locate, capture, or attempt to capture a reptile or amphibian

4.  It is unlawful for any person to take or attempt to take nongame wildlife for purposes of commercial activity from public land or water

5.  No person while on or in public water may possess or use a net or trap capable of catching a turtle. This does not apply to dip nets or minnow traps.

COMMERCIAL

1.  It is unlawful for any person to engage in any commercial activity involving the above mentioned list of species

2.  The holder of a nongame permit may possess, transport, sell, import, or export common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta), or softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) provided that take occurs on private land or private water. A person possessing a valid non-game permit may sell non-game wildlife only to a person in possession of a valid dealer’s non-game permit.

3.  The holder of a nongame dealer’s permit may possess, transport, sell, resell, import, or export common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta), or softshell turtle (Apalone spinifer) provided that take occurs on private land or private water. A person possessing a dealer’s non-game permit may sell non-game wildlife to anyone.

4.  Provided the appropriate permit has been obtained, red-eared slider, common snapping turtle, and softshell turtle may be taken from private water for commercial purposes; however, the take or possession of any other species of turtle for commercial activity is unlawful.