Leander, TX Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

Leander does not use the word 'hoarding' as a standalone offense, but it controls the conditions that lead to hoarding through pet-number limits and welfare enforcement. A household keeping five or more dogs or cats is a 'multi-pet owner' under Sec. 2.01.001, and the practical limit is five (up to seven only if all are registered, spayed/neutered, and kept in separate kennels). The 2019 amendment to Sec. 2.01.003 added 'duties during welfare investigation': if an Animal Services officer has reasonable cause to believe an issue requires immediate investigation to safeguard the animal or public health or safety, the officer may immediately enter the backyard to inspect, presenting credentials and demanding entry if the property is occupied. This gives the city a tool to intervene in neglect and overcrowding situations. Substantive cruelty and neglect are then enforced under state law: Texas Penal Code Sec. 42.092 makes it an offense to fail unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, care, or shelter for a non-livestock animal, to abandon an animal unreasonably, or to confine animals cruelly - the conditions typical of hoarding. Penalties range from a Class A misdemeanor up to a state jail felony, escalating to a third-degree felony on a second conviction. Together, the city's limits and inspection authority plus the state cruelty statute form Leander's response to animal hoarding.