My dog has eaten one of them and may be ill. Kory Steele, a snake expert and past president of the Virginia Herpetological Society, says snakes will really come out in the morning to bask. Remember if it is a rattlesnake and you kill it to be careful of the head. Don’t attempt to handle venomous snakes. The Six-lined racerunner, a lizard, has only been found in one location in West Virginia. Virginia only has three species of venomous snakes, copperheads, timber rattlesnakes and water moccasins. It is a common species to the south and west of West Virginia. Go Search. Virginia has 32 native snakes, and you can’t be expected the know them all. “If you just see them and you just senselessly go out of your way to go deliberately kill them, yes that’s illegal and you’re going to be in trouble," Perry said. If you find snakes on your property or plan to go snake hunting, you might wonder if it’s legal or illegal to kill snakes in your state. But to wantonly go out and shoot snakes when they are not posing an imminent threat to human safety or livestock is an unlawful activity. For example, if a blacksnake is found in your chicken coop, you have the legal right to kill it; or if a copperhead is found in your garage, you have the legal right to kill it. It is absolutely legal to kill any kind of snake in West Virginia. Yes it is illegal to kill chinchillas but they are still endangered. These species are of special concern because if population declines are occurring, they are usually noted at the species periphery. I've seen a lot of juvenile black racers and eastern rat snakes killed because they kind of look like them, though. It’s also illegal to kill snakes in Virginia unless there is an imminent threat to one’s personal health and safety. Is rattlesnake hunting and killing illegal in Virginia? By contrast, flu and pneumonia kill more than 1,000 a year in this state. Highway crashes take 700 to 800 lives yearly. ... and in most cases it is illegal to kill a snake in Virginia. He said with more snakes, there are more people trying to kill them, which is illegal to do in Virginia unless the snake poses a threat. Evan Winfrey. Never kill a snake. Well, there are both federal and state laws protecting snakes. You need to know everything about these rules before you decide to kill […] Answer. Perry says he established the hotline because many snakes are getting killed, and in most cases, it is illegal to kill a snake in Virginia. A dead snake can still bite and kill. From the article, though - "It’s illegal to kill a snake in Virginia unless it poses a safety threat — say, there’s a copperhead in your garden — or threatens your livestock — say, a … The Department of Natural Resources would rather people didn't, but if you feel you need to it is OK. In Virginia, it is illegal to kill a snake outside those two conditions. NOTE: In Virginia it is illegal to kill any species of snake, unless that snake represents an immediate threat to one’s personal health or safety! Populations may be stable elsewhere but they are rare here. Is rattlesnake hunting and killing illegal in Virginia? Kleopfer said people killed by snakes are often trying to catch, kill … ... but for the most part you can't kill any kind of snake," said Perry. 4 Comments. In fact, only about two people per decade die of snake bites overall in Virginia, health officials say. Killing a snake doesn’t help keep more snakes away, and even though you may be uneasy around snakes, they are important members of our ecosystem. What type of snake is on the bottom of the screen? Snake sightings in Virginia are way up this year.