Depending on where you live, ferrets may be completely unregulated,
require a license to breed but not to own, require a permit to own, or
be entirely illegal.  This varies by state or province, county, and
city.

You can find out about your town by calling the local Wildlife
Department or Fish and Game Department, the humane society, or
veterinarians (recommended in that order).  Note that some pet stores
in FFZs sell ferrets anyway, so the presence of one in your corner
store may not be any indication of their legality, and I wouldn't
necessarily trust the pet store to be honest about local laws.

Katie Fritz has compiled an extensive, though not complete, list of
FFZs.  If you have or want more information, contact her at
<redshoes@ix.netcom.com> or on CompuServe at 71257,3153.

Here's a list of some of the larger places where ferrets are illegal,
 as of April 1997.  A more extensive list is also available, from
<http://www.netcom.com/~redshoes/ffz.html>.

    California, Hawaii

    Washington, DC; Dallas, Ft. Worth, Beaumont, and various other
    cities in TX; Bloomington and Burnsville, MN; Tulsa, OK; Columbus,
    OH; London, York, and East York, Ontario, Canada; Puerto Rico

    Although ferrets aren't actually illegal in New York City or
    Minneapolis, MN, they are not welcomed and may be confiscated or
    ticketed.  Similarly, although it's legal to own ferrets in South
    Carolina, it's not legal to sell them there, and the state is
    known to be pretty ferret-unfriendly.

    Many military bases ban ferrets.  It seems to be at the discretion
    of the base commander.

    Permits or licenses are required in order to own ferrets in the
    following places: New Jersey ($10/year), Rhode Island ($10/year),
    Illinois (free).  Permits are also required in St. Paul, MN, and
    may be difficult to obtain.

These lists are by no means complete, so check locally before you buy
a ferret.