How to identify it
Slender, cylindrical snake 1.5-3 ft long with red, black and white bands; red bands always bordered by black on both sides (WDFW; ADW). [1][2][3]
Top of the head black, chin and throat often white, and the first band behind the head is white (ADW). [1][2][3]
Red bands may be broken into wedges or reduced or absent, especially in Sierra Nevada populations (ADW). [1][2][3]
Smooth, unkeeled scales (ADW). [1][2][3]
Compared with the coral snakes: Harmless and superficially resembles a coral snake; its red bands are bordered by black (WDFW). [1][2][3]
Compared with the california kingsnake: Mountain kingsnake has red, black and white bands with red bordered by black (WDFW, ADW); California kingsnake is black and white or brown and cream, banded or striped (NPS Cabrillo). [1][2][3]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- California kingsnake · Lampropeltis californiae
Where it lives
Moist open coniferous forest, oak woodland, riparian woodland, chaparral, coastal sage scrub and open woodland with rocks or rotting logs, often near streams; sea level to about 2,750 m (NatureServe). [1][2][3]
How it behaves
Mainly diurnal, but may be nocturnal in hot weather (NatureServe; WDFW). [1][2][3]
Searches under surface objects for lizards, small snakes and bird eggs; also eats mammals, and juveniles mainly eat lizards (NatureServe). [1][2][3]
Mating April-May, eggs laid June-July, 2-9 per clutch (NatureServe). [1][2][3]
Found under woody debris and rocks; inactive in cold and extreme heat (WDFW; NatureServe). [1][2][3]
Limited legal take
Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.
Where legal take is listed
- California — reptile take · 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (updated July 10, 2026), 14 CCR 5.05/5.60
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Western United States: around the Central Valley of California along the Sierra Nevada and Northern Coast Ranges, north into the Klamath Mountains in Oregon, with a disjunct population in the Columbia Gorge in Washington; populations south of Monterey Bay are treated as L. multifasciata by NatureServe (NatureServe).
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology