Waco, TX Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Section 5-206 imposes a flat citywide mandate: subsection (a) requires all dogs or cats in the corporate city limits to be microchipped, and subsection (b) requires shelter animals to be chipped before they ever leave the shelter. Subsection (c) closes the loop for strays: any impounded dog or cat that arrives without a chip must have one inserted between its shoulder blades before the animal is released back to its owner, and the owner pays for that procedure on top of standard impoundment fees. Subsection (d) applies the same rule to adoptions, subsection (e) makes the microchip fee non-refundable and usable only for the animal it was issued to, and subsection (f) exempts community cats and ear-tipped cats from the mandatory-chip requirements in (a) and (b), reflecting the chapter's broader trap-neuter-return policy.

The microchip rule works alongside Section 5-91, which requires every animal in the city to carry some identifying license, tag, band, microchip, tattoo, or brand unless it falls in an exempt species like mice, rabbits, or fowl, and it dovetails with Section 5-92(b)(2), which lets a microchipped, identifiable cat avoid an at-large citation. Animal Care Officers (ACOs) and police officers enforce the chapter, and Section 5-3(e) makes violations strict-liability offenses that do not require a culpable mental state to prosecute.