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

Sec. 6-116 splits registration into two tracks. Owners of a spayed or neutered dog or cat must register the animal before it turns four months old through rabies vaccination and purchase of a tag, with the registration including the owner's name and address, a description of the animal, and its microchip number. Owners of a dog or cat that has not been spayed or neutered must instead register it as an intact animal before four months of age through microchip, with the same rabies vaccination documentation attached.

Both registrations run for twelve months or until the rabies certificate expires, whichever comes first, and must be renewed annually. Breeding is separately controlled: Sec. 6-117 requires anyone whose female dog or cat has a litter to obtain a litter permit before or within ten business days of the birth, and that permit authorizes no more than two litters per female in any twelve-month period. A permit number must appear in every ad or listing for the litter, and no puppy or kitten under eight weeks old may be sold, traded, or given away.

Owners who skip the permit after notice can have the department impound the mother and the litter. The fee schedule in Sec. 00, plus the actual cost of the microchip. Sec. 6-6 also ties redemption of an impounded dog or cat to sterilization status; it can be released once the owner has it spayed or neutered at their own expense, obtains a valid intact animal permit, or shows the animal is under three months old or medically unfit for surgery. On conviction, Sec. 6-123(5) lets a municipal court order any animal owned by the violator spayed or neutered within a court-set deadline as an added enforcement measure.