Shenandoah, TX Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 10-10 of Chapter 10, Animals, sets Shenandoah's household pet cap. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to operate an animal kennel in a residential area of the city at all. Subsection (b) then caps ownership generally: it is unlawful for any person to own more than three animals, not including a litter of animals from birth to four months of age. A person found guilty of owning more than three animals is fined, and the code specifies that every animal kept over the lawful limit is treated as a separate offense, meaning a household with two extra animals faces two counted violations rather than one.

The definitions section, Section 10-1, ties into this limit: a "kennel" is defined as permanent occupants of one household who own more than three mature animals and breed a fourth or more for profit, or who board animals belonging to people outside the household, with an exception for someone temporarily visiting with their own animal even if the household's total temporarily exceeds three. "Animal" under the chapter covers essentially any living, non-human creature, domestic or wild, so the three-animal cap is not limited to dogs and cats.

Enforcement runs through the city's animal control officer, who is charged generally with enforcing Chapter 10 and impounding animals found in violation of the chapter's provisions.