New England Herpetological Society

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Massachusetts Restricted Turtles & Tortoises List

Turtles & Tortoises:
Only the following species require a permit:

Blandings Turtle

Emydoidea blandingi

Red Bellied Turtle

Chrysemys rubriventris

Diamondback Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin

Bog, Spotted, Wood Turtle

Clemmys species

-except Pacific Wood turtle

Clemmys marmorata

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina carolina (See Note)

Gopher Tortoise

Gopherus species

Pancake Tortoise

Malacochersus tornieri

Argentina Tortoise

Geochelone chilensis

The regulations on Box Turtles refer to the entire species Terrapene carolina as requiring state permit for possession, sale, etc., not just the subspecies T. carolina carolina ( Eastern Box Turtle ) as listed above.  The regulation SHOULD read that permits are required only for T.c.c., since that's the only subspecies native to Massachusetts (or anywhere else in New England.)  But that is not how the regs read now.  All other Box Turtles do not require permits.  Mass Wildlife should be encouraged to re-write the regulations as the were intended.