The Lacey Act prohibits the import of wildlife taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any foreign law, as well as species designated as injurious to US wildlife or agriculture. For live animal importers, this means that even a species not listed under CITES may be barred if it was harvested illegally in the country of origin, or if it appears on the US Fish & Wildlife Service's injurious wildlife list. A species-level legal review before purchase is strongly recommended.

A live reptile shipment typically requires clearance from US Fish & Wildlife Service (for CITES compliance and Lacey Act review), USDA APHIS (for general live-animal import permit requirements), and potentially CDC (which restricts certain reptiles as salmonella vectors in the context of the pet trade). Port-of-entry inspection by USFWS wildlife inspectors is standard for commercial reptile shipments, and all required permits must be presented at that time.