Travis County, TX Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

047. Anyone can file a sworn incident report with the ACA describing an unprovoked attack; ACA field officers investigate, and a hearing officer, someone separate from the investigators, takes testimony before deciding by a preponderance of the evidence whether the dog qualifies. If the dog is found dangerous, the owner has 15 days to appeal to a court of competent jurisdiction, and during any appeal must either meet the Dangerous Dog requirements or post a bond set by the court. 00 liability policy or equivalent financial responsibility, keep the dog inside a locked, escape-proof, publicly-inaccessible Secure Enclosure marked as containing a dangerous dog, keep current rabies vaccination on file, and pay the ACA's annual registration fee.

Moving the dog requires notifying the ACA of the new address within 14 days and paying a re-registration fee. An owner who fails to comply can be taken to court; if the court finds noncompliance it orders the ACA to seize the dog, and the owner then has 11 days to show compliance and pay all costs before a court can order the dog destroyed, or 15 days total before an unclaimed dog is destroyed. The status follows the dog even if ownership changes, and a new owner inherits every requirement.