Bexar County, TX Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- TX HSC Ch 822 Subch E
- Insurance required
- $100,000 liability minimum
- Registrar
- Bexar County Animal Care
- Annual fee
- Set by county
- Penalty
- Class C misdemeanor
Summary
Bexar County restricts dangerous wild animals through Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822, Subchapter E, requiring registration and certificate of registration with Bexar County Animal Care Services for tigers, lions, bears, and other listed species kept in unincorporated areas.
SUBCHAPTER E. DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS. Sec. 822.101. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) 'Animal registration agency' means the municipal or county animal control office with authority over the area where a dangerous wild animal is kept or a county sheriff in an area that does not have an animal control office. ... Sec. 822.103. CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION; FEES. (a) A person may not own, harbor, or have custody or control of a dangerous wild animal for any purpose unless the person holds a certificate of registration for that animal issued by an animal registration agency. (b) A certificate of registration issued under this subchapter is not transferrable and is valid for one year after its date of issuance or renewal unless revoked.
Full Breakdown
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822, Subchapter E lists dangerous wild animals including lions, tigers, ocelots, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, bobcats, lynx, servals, caracals, hyenas, bears, coyotes, jackals, baboons, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and any hybrids. Owners must obtain a certificate of registration from Bexar County Animal Care Services, maintain $100,000 liability insurance, comply with caging standards, and notify authorities of escapes. Bexar Commissioners Court has not adopted broader exotic prohibitions, so reptiles and birds remain unregulated unless USDA-listed.
Violations & Fines
Class C misdemeanor under Texas HSC 822.113 with fines up to $500 per day; civil penalties up to $2,000 per day; animal seizure and destruction possible if dangerous wild animal kept without certificate of registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I own a serval in unincorporated Bexar County?
Are reptiles regulated as exotic pets?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bexar County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Bexar County to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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