“No, Californians Don't Need a Hunting Licence to Set a Mousetrap”
The claim that Californians must obtain a hunting licence before trapping or killing mice is false. In reality, California law explicitly exempts house mice from all trapping licence requirements and even legally obliges residents to exterminate rodents for public health reasons.
Origin of a Persistent Myth
This myth is one of the most persistent entries on 'weird law' listicle sites and has circulated widely online. Its probable origin is California's SB 1645, passed in 2002 in response to concerns from animal protection groups about the handling of wildlife — such as foxes, skunks, opossums, and raccoons — by for-profit 'nuisance control' trappers. That law required professional exterminators and wildlife control operators to pass competency exams and obtain a trapping licence (not a hunting licence) from the state Department of Fish and Game.
How the Myth Mutated
Somewhere along the chain of telephone-game internet sharing, 'trapping licence for professional wildlife trappers' became 'hunting licence required for everyone with a mousetrap.' The myth is doubly wrong: first, it's a trapping licence, not a hunting licence; second, it applies only to commercial professionals and explicitly not to ordinary residents.
What California Law Actually Requires
California law not only permits residents to trap mice without any licence — it legally requires them to exterminate rodents once an infestation is discovered. Even professional pest controllers using standard snap traps for mice are separately exempted from the trapping licence scheme. Mice are so thoroughly carved out of California's trapping framework that the Department of Fish and Wildlife does not even require homeowners to register their mousetraps — an exception to the general rule that all traps be marked with an identifying number.
Where the story gets it wrong
Many believe a 2002 California law (SB 1645) requiring professional wildlife trappers to hold a trapping licence also applies to ordinary citizens using a mousetrap, sometimes described as a 'hunting licence' requirement. In fact, the law covers only commercial operators trapping non-game mammals like foxes and raccoons; standard snap traps for mice are exempt even for professionals.
The claimed law does not exist. California Fish and Game Code Section 4005(f) explicitly states that nothing in the code prevents any person from trapping house mice, rats, gophers, moles, or voles. Furthermore, California Health and Safety Code Section 116125 affirmatively obligates property owners to exterminate rodents by poisoning, trapping, or other appropriate means — with no licence required.
- Current status
- Never Enforced
- Penalty
- N/A — no such law exists. The actual California Health and Safety Code § 116125 requires residents to exterminate rodents; failure to comply could constitute a public health violation.
- Jurisdiction
- California statewide — the myth misrepresents California Fish and Game Code and SB 1645 (2002)