Dallas County has no dedicated cat ordinance. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 826 mandates rabies vaccination for cats over four months. Dallas County HHS oversees rabies control; cities run licensing, TNR, and nuisance enforcement.
Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 826 and Texas Administrative Code Title 25 Chapter 169, every cat over four months must carry a current rabies vaccination administered by a licensed veterinarian. Dallas County Health and Human Services serves as the local rabies control authority, coordinating bite reports, quarantines, and rabies testing through the state lab. Counties cannot impose stricter pet rules in incorporated areas, so cat licensing, leash exemptions, trap-neuter-return programs, and nuisance feeding rules vary by city. Dallas, Irving, Garland, and Mesquite each operate distinct cat policies, including community-cat TNR partnerships with rescue groups.
Unvaccinated cats trigger Class C misdemeanor citations under Chapter 826, with fines up to five hundred dollars. Bite incidents force ten-day quarantine at owner expense; chronic noncompliance can lead to impound and additional municipal penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Garland, TX
Amplified sound in Garland is regulated under Chapter 32; sound 'plainly audible' more than 50 feet from the source after 10 PM is a violation.
Garland, TX
Garland restricts construction noise to daytime hours, with most loud work prohibited overnight and limited on Sundays under Chapter 32 of the Code of Ordina...
Garland, TX
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Garland, TX
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Garland, TX
Garland generally allows overnight on-street parking in residential areas, but restricts vehicles parked continuously in the same spot for more than 48-72 ho...
Garland, TX
Garland follows Texas Transportation Code Chapter 683, defining vehicles as junked or abandoned if inoperable, unregistered, wrecked, or left on public prope...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Dallas County.
See how Garland's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
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