Pearland, TX Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard hold
- 72 hours, § 6-41(a)
- Feral exception
- Officer may bypass 72-hour hold
- TNR transfer
- § 6-42(5), requires vaccination and sterilization
- At-large rule applies
- 'At large' definition includes cats, § 6-1
- Max penalty
- Up to $2,000/day, § 1-11
Summary
Pearland's animal shelter must generally hold an impounded animal 72 hours before disposition, but City Code lets the animal control officer skip that hold once a feline is determined feral, and lets shelters route unadoptable feral cats straight into a trap-neuter-release program instead of the adoption floor.
(a)Animals brought to the animal shelter and adoption center will be held by the city for seventy-two (72) hours, unless the animal control officer determines one (1) of the following criteria are met:(1)When an animal is unhealthy and untreatable.(2)When a feline is determined to be feral... Felines not deemed suitable for adoption may be transferred to a humane organization which places the felines into community cat or trap neuter release programs, so long as the humane organization agrees to vaccinate and sterilize the animal and agrees to only place the feline into a location where such a release is legal by local statute.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Sec. ' Redemption under Sec. 6-41(b) requires proof of ownership plus payment of impoundment fees set in the city's fee schedule and any reasonable veterinary treatment costs; owners cannot adopt an animal in place of paying the redemption fee under subsection (c). Sec. 6-42 governs disposition of animals not redeemed within 72 hours: no animal may ever be sold or donated for testing or research, and under subsection (5) felines not deemed suitable for adoption may specifically be transferred to a humane organization that places them into 'community cat or trap neuter release programs,' but only if that organization agrees to vaccinate and sterilize the cat and places it only where a TNR release is legal under local statute.
Because Sec. 6-1 defines 'at large' to include cats on public or unfenced private property outside an owner's control, free-roaming pet cats are enforceable under the same at-large prohibition, Sec. 6-10, that applies to dogs. The animal services section of the Pearland Police Department, called 'the department' throughout the chapter, administers impoundment and TNR transfers.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 6 carries no standalone penalty for these sections, so the Code's enhanced general penalty applies: under Sec. 1-11, violations codified in Chapter 6 draw a fine of up to $2,000, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Removing an animal from the shelter outside the procedures set in Sec. 6-41 is separately declared unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pearland have to hold a feral cat for 72 hours like other impounded animals?
Can a Pearland shelter release a feral cat into a trap-neuter-release program instead of adopting it out?
Are free-roaming pet cats treated as 'at large' in Pearland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pearland
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Pearland to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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