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

Sec. 5-210 of the animal code, Article X of Chapter 5, imposes a blanket sterilization mandate: "All dogs or cats in the corporate city limits shall be spayed/neutered," and owners must retain documentation proving it was done. Any dog or cat impounded within the city will be spayed or neutered before Animal Control releases it, and the owner bears the surgery cost on top of the standard impound fees. The ordinance lists five exceptions to the general mandate: the animal is under four months of age; a licensed veterinarian certifies the animal should not be altered for health reasons or is already permanently non-fertile; the animal is a trained police or rescue dog working under a government agency; the animal is transferred to another shelter, nonprofit, or 501(c)(3) that agrees in writing to sterilize it before rehoming within city limits; or the animal belongs to a registered breeder impounded for the first time, provided the breeder produces the animal's microchip number and health statement and pays the first-offense fee, though a second impoundment triggers mandatory sterilization regardless.

The mandate sits alongside Sec. 5-206, which separately requires every dog and cat in the city to be microchipped, and Sec. 5-135, which requires a veterinarian's health statement whenever a dog or cat is sold, exchanged, or given away. Community cats and ear-tipped cats scheduled for a spay/neuter appointment are exempt from the standard impoundment holding period under Sec. 5-176, reflecting the same sterilization policy applied through the city's colony-cat program rather than individual ownership.