Texas is a right-to-farm state with a common-law open-range default: livestock owners are not automatically required to fence animals in. A county-adopted stock law changes that. Cameron County has no zoning, so livestock is limited by stock-law and nuisance rules, not zoning.
Under Texas common law, the historic default is open range, meaning cattle, horses, and other stock may roam unless a county has adopted a stock (closed-range) law through a local election under Agriculture Code Ch. 143. The Texas Right to Farm Act (Agriculture Code Ch. 251) further protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits. Because Texas counties cannot zone, unincorporated Cameron County does not restrict livestock by zone; the practical limits are any local stock law, estray impoundment (Ag Code Ch. 142), and nuisance abatement. Residents should confirm the county's current stock-law status with the county clerk. Cities set their own livestock rules inside their limits.
Loose livestock may be impounded as estrays under Ag Code Ch. 142; the owner pays handling costs. Right-to-Farm (Ch. 251) shields qualifying operations from many nuisance claims.
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