Yellow belly sliders are legal in most states, however there are some states where no turtles are legal. In Hawaii for example non native turtles are illegal. Additionally federal law in the US states that turtles cannot be sold below 4 inches in shell size. Check our in depth Turtle Laws guide for a breakdown of each state's laws. Lastly, it is illegal to release turtles into the wild. Turtles that are not native to a location ecosystem can devastate an entire ecosystem. Red ear sliders for example are classified as one of the most invasive species because of exactly that. One aspect of releasing a turtle into the wild is that it’s cruel to release a domesticated animal in the environment. If the turtle has been a pet for too long, it might not have the necessary resources to survive properly and might end up being devoured or injured.  If you bought your turtle from a store, it might carry some diseases and germs that might not affect it directly but could be transmitted to other turtles in the area. Even if your turtle is from the same ecosystem, it’s irresponsible to release them in the wild as they might pose a danger to other animals in the area.