Midland, TX Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Livestock
- Barred outside AE/CE zoning
- Min. lot size
- 20,000 sq ft per animal unit
- Swine
- Banned citywide, no AE/CE exception
- Bovine minimum
- 40,000 sq ft for personal use
Summary
Midland bans keeping livestock or poultry within city limits except on land zoned Agriculture-Estate or Country Estate with at least 20,000 square feet per animal unit, under City Code Sections 6-2-11(F) and 6-2-12.
It shall be unlawful, except as provided in Section 6-2-12 of this Chapter, for any person to keep, possess, or maintain any livestock or poultry within the city limits.(G)It shall be unlawful for any person, corporation, association, partnership or business to keep, possess, or maintain any ferret within the city limits unless a written statement from a licensed veterinarian has been submitted to the city enforcement agent or his authorized representative stating that the ferret is in good health and a permit has been issued by the city enforcement agent or his authorized representative for such ferret.(H)Property owners in the AE, Agriculture Estate District, and CE, Country Estate District, shall take samples from their private water wells for quality testing by the Midland Health Department. The property owner shall maintain records of such testing for a minimum period of three (3) years.(I)Any roping arena or associated livestock holding pens shall be cleaned and scraped weekly. Short-term storage of all manure shall not exceed 30 days. Manure shall not be stored within 250 feet of any private water well. (Ordinance 5440 adopted 2/13/1974; Ordinance 5586 adopted 5/13/1980; Ordinance 6823 adopted 4/26/1988; Ordinance 8385, sec. 1, adopted 2/28/2006)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 1 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
City Code Section 6-2-11(F) makes it unlawful to keep, possess or maintain livestock or poultry within Midland's city limits except as provided in Section 6-2-12, and Section 6-2-11(C) separately bans swine. Section 6-2-12(A)(6) opens an exception for other livestock: horses and similar animals need at least 20,000 square feet dedicated to animal use on land zoned Agriculture-Estate (AE) or Country Estate (CE), with animal-unit values set per species, a horse is one-half unit, a cow one full unit, a goat one-sixth. Bovines kept for personal use need 40,000 square feet minimum. That exception explicitly excludes hogs and pigs, so swine stay banned even on AE/CE land, aside from the code's separate carve-outs for zoos, stockyards, abattoirs and vet facilities.
Violations & Fines
Keeping livestock or poultry outside AE/CE-zoned land, below the 20,000-square-foot-per-animal-unit threshold, or any hog or pig within city limits violates Secs. 6-2-11(C), (F) and 6-2-12; the general penalty applies, up to $500 per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a horse or goat within Midland city limits?
Are pigs allowed anywhere in Midland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Midland
How Midland compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Midland to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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