Sherman, TX Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 2.02.011 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances draws one line: more than ten (10) dogs, cats, or a combination of the two on any premises utilized for residential purposes is unlawful. The count combines dogs and cats. The code defines residential purpose as use as a dwelling or residence, including multifamily, fourplex, triplex, duplex, single-family dwelling, hotel, motel, and mobile home uses, so the cap is not limited to houses.

Two affirmative defenses are written into the section. The first covers dogs or cats four months of age or younger that are part of a litter in the process of being weened (the code's spelling). The second is an annual permit from the city. To earn it the owner submits an application for the over ten permit, pays the fee as set by the city manager, and passes an inspection of the premises by animal services. That inspection checks compliance with Chapter 2, including requirements for food, care, and shelter and preventing nuisances. Animal services can waive the inspection if there have been no bona fide complaints in the preceding twelve (12) months, and a complaint is bona fide if made in good faith and not unfounded, as determined by the animal services supervisor. The city is not obligated to waive it if it decides an inspection is warranted. The permit fee can be waived for an owner who is fostering animals for the city and is not otherwise in violation, and the supervisor can waive it as part of a promotion for adoption or to encourage compliance.

Under § 2.01.002(g), the owner carries the burden of proving an exception or defense, so litter status or the permit has to be shown. The cap sits beside other numeric limits in Chapter 2. A breeder's permit under § 2.02.010 carries a $50.00 annual fee and is a separate permit from the over-ten permit. The affirmative defense for potbellied pigs requires no more than two (2) adult potbellied pigs in a household, and § 2.02.014 limits chickens to ten total on land of one acre or less. Sherman Animal Services, part of the Police Department, administers these provisions.