Pearland, TX Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Chip deadline
- Before the animal turns 4 months old
- Species covered
- Dogs, cats, ferrets, equines
- Update window
- 30 days after contact or ownership change
- Medical exemption
- Vet certification plus permanent tattoo
- Effective
- Ord. No. 528-11, November 10, 2025
Summary
Every dog, cat, ferret, and equine kept in Pearland must be implanted with a registered microchip before it turns four months old under City Code Sec. 6-3, and owners have just thirty days to update the microchip registry whenever their contact information or the animal's ownership changes.
(a)The owner or caretaker of any equine, ferret, dog or cat must have the animal implanted with a registered microchip before the animal attains four (4) months of age.(b)The owner or caretaker of an equine, ferret, dog, or cat shall maintain current registration with a microchip registration company.(c)If there is a change in contact information of an owner or caretaker of a registered microchipped equine, ferret, dog, or cat, the owner or caretaker shall update contact information with the microchip registration company within thirty (30) days of the date of the change in contact information.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 6-3(a) requires the owner or caretaker of any equine, ferret, dog, or cat to have the animal implanted with a registered microchip before it reaches four months of age, and subsection (b) requires the owner to keep current registration with a microchip registration company. Subsection (c) gives owners 30 days from any change in their contact information to update the microchip registry, and subsection (d) gives a new owner 30 days after a change in ownership to re-register the chip with updated address and phone information, again provided the animal is kept within Pearland's city limits.
Subsection (e) bars reusing a registered microchip number on any animal other than the one it was issued for. Subsection (f) exempts an animal medically unsuitable for microchipping if a licensed veterinarian certifies that in writing; in that case the animal must instead get a permanent identifying tattoo, and proof of the tattoo along with the owner's contact information must reach the animal services department within 30 days. Subsection (g) provides defenses for nonresidents keeping the animal in the city fewer than 60 days, residents of fewer than 30 days, and temporary caretakers of an abandoned or lost animal for fewer than 30 days.
The article carrying this section, Sec. 6-1 through 6-12, was adopted wholesale by Ordinance No. 528-11 on November 10, 2025, replacing the prior Article I.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 6-2 dispenses with any culpable mental state requirement for Chapter 6 offenses unless a section expressly requires one, and Sec. 6-3 does not. Because no specific penalty is written into Sec. 6-3, the enhanced general penalty in Sec. 1-11 applies: a fine of up to $2,000, with each day the animal remains unchipped or unregistered treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
By what age must a Pearland dog or cat be microchipped?
What happens if I move within Pearland or change my phone number?
Can my vet exempt my pet from the microchip requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pearland
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Pearland to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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