Baytown, TX Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Sec. 14-38 governs redemption and adoption of impounded animals at Baytown's animal services facility. Under subsection (b), an owner who redeems a non-sterilized animal from the shelter for the second time within any consecutive 12-month period must have it sterilized within 30 days of release and must provide proof of sterilization to the director within ten days of completing the procedure. Subsection (c) requires every adoption of an impounded cat, dog, or other animal to include a signed sterilization agreement, listing the date, the animal control officer's and new owner's names and signatures, a description of the animal, and the sterilization/rabies-vaccination completion date, printed in bold that sterilization is required under Tex.

Health & Safety Code ch. 828 and that violating it is a Class C misdemeanor. Subsection (d) sets the deadline at 30 days after adoption unless the animal is already sterilized or is under six months old, in which case the new owner agrees to sterilize it once it turns six months; a veterinarian's written report can extend the deadline another 30 days, with no cap on the number of extensions. Animals transferred to another government agency whose primary purpose is impound, adoption, or euthanasia are exempt from subsection (d) under subsection (e).