Amarillo, TX Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Core prohibition
- No hunting, harming, killing, trapping birds
- Eggs/nests covered
- Taking eggs or nest of a bird is barred
- Sale/gift barred
- Cannot sell, buy, or gift a taken specimen
- Exception
- Deadly poisonous snakes may be killed on sight
- Max fine
- $500 per offense, per day
Summary
Amarillo's Parks Conduct ordinance makes it unlawful to hunt, molest, harm, kill, trap or possess any bird, its eggs or nest inside a city park, with a narrow carve-out for killing deadly poisonous snakes on sight.
(5)Hunting. Hunt, molest, harm, kill, trap, chase, tease, shoot or throw missiles at any Animal, reptile or bird; remove or have in his possession the young of any Wild Animal, or the eggs or nest or young of any reptile or bird; nor collect, remove, have in his possession, give away, sell or offer to sell, or buy or offer to buy, or accept as a gift any specimen alive or dead of any of the foregoing. Exception is made in that snakes known to be deadly poisonous, such as rattlesnakes, coral snakes, or other deadly reptiles may be killed on sight.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
' The section further prohibits collecting, giving away, selling, offering to sell, buying, or accepting as a gift 'any specimen alive or dead of any of the foregoing,' meaning a captured or dead bird taken from a park cannot legally change hands even as a gift. The only exception written into the section: 'snakes known to be deadly poisonous, such as rattlesnakes, coral snakes, or other deadly reptiles may be killed on sight,' a public-safety carve-out that does not extend to birds. A related feeding provision at Section 12-7-4(6) separately bars giving any animal or bird 'tobacco, alcohol, or other known noxious substances,' reinforcing the park's protective stance toward wildlife including birds. The Parks Director, under Section 12-7-1, and city park rangers enforce these behavior rules alongside Amarillo Police.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 12-7-4(5) is a misdemeanor under the Chapter 12-7 penalty section, Section 12-7-15(a), fined per the citywide general penalty schedule in Section 1-1-5(a), up to $500, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense. The criminal fine applies independently of any civil remedy or permit action the city may also pursue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove a bird's nest from an Amarillo park?
Does the park wildlife rule apply to snakes?
What is the penalty for violating the park wildlife rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Amarillo to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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