One of the most popular pet snakes (often bred in captivity) in the world, B. imperator's native range is from Mexico through Central and South America (west of the Andes Mountains, mainly in Colombia), with local populations on several small Caribbean islands.

[9] One population, found on the Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) off the northern coast of Honduras, have evolved naturally hypomelanistic skin (containing reduced melanin), resulting in lighter-colored snakes; nonetheless, they retain the "signature" darkened tail-tip seen in the species, though the color of the tail may vary from salmon-pink to orange.

Another well-known locality of Boa imperator is the population from Nicaragua, which typically have a compact saddle-pattern on their backs, often showing circular and spherical shapes.

Boa imperator can be found in some regions of Mexico, Central America and northwestern Colombia, as well as several islands along the coasts of these areas.

[3] Boa imperator prefers to live in rainforests due to humidity, temperature, cover from potential predators and ample prey.

As semi-arboreal snakes, young Boa imperator may climb into trees and shrubs to forage; however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier.

[17] Boa imperator is one of the most common snakes kept in captivity; this is mainly due to their calm dispositions, impressive size potential and variety of color and pattern choices.

[21] Wild-caught specimens are often illegally captured and highly stressed, as they are unceremoniously packed into shipping containers with other snakes—and sometimes other species of reptiles.

Many individuals simply perish in-transit from the stress of being in a confined space with other snakes after being captured; survivors will often arrive in North America, Europe, and other markets infested with wild parasites, both internal and external.

However, with decades of captive and selective breeding having been undertaken globally, hand-reared and healthy snakes are widely available (and superior specimens in many ways), thus reducing the strain on wild populations.