Brazos County, TX Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Texas counties lack general police-power authority to adopt animal-control ordinances, so Brazos County has no countywide on-leash requirement for dogs in unincorporated areas. State law provides the operative framework. Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822 has two key subchapters: Subchapter A (§§822.001–822.013) governs dogs that attack livestock or persons and authorizes seizure and destruction; Subchapter D (§§822.041–822.047) — the Dangerous Dogs Act — requires owners of dogs determined to be 'dangerous' (per §822.041 definition: unprovoked attack causing bodily injury or behavior that places a person in reasonable fear of attack) to register with the local animal-control authority, pay a $50 annual fee, maintain a secure enclosure, and carry $100,000 in liability coverage. Section 822.042(a) requires that a dangerous dog be securely enclosed or restrained by a leash on the owner's premises, and §822.044 makes it a Class C misdemeanor (Class B if bodily injury results, or a felony if the attack is fatal) if a dangerous dog attacks while not properly restrained. Texas HB 4164 (2021), the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act codified at Health & Safety Code §821.077, requires that any dog left outside unattended be provided with adequate shelter, drinkable water, and either be unrestrained or restrained by a tether at least five times the length of the dog and free of weights/heavy chains; tethering with a chain is prohibited statewide. Texas Penal Code §42.092 (cruelty to nonlivestock animals) imposes broader anti-neglect duties. The City of College Station Code Chapter 6 and City of Bryan Code Chapter 14 each impose explicit on-leash requirements inside city limits, with penalties typically up to $500 per offense and impoundment by the Bryan Animal Center. State rabies-vaccination requirements under Texas Health & Safety Code §826 apply countywide.