Bryan, TX Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)
Key Facts
- Feeding feral cats
- Unlawful
- Exception
- Registered TNR caregiver only
- Colony complaint threshold
- 3+ complaints, 2+ addresses/12 mo
- Governing chapter
- Code of Ordinances Ch. 10, Animals
Summary
Feeding feral cats outside a registered community cat colony is unlawful in Bryan, with only trap-neuter-return caregivers exempt.
It is unlawful for a person to feed feral cats, or to provide food for feral cats. It is an affirmative defense if the person is a community cat caregiver maintaining a community cat colony.
(e) If a community cat colony is the source for a substantial number of nuisance complaints from multiple sources, the affirmative defense under subsection (d) does not apply and the community cat colony must be relocated, or the cats claimed by owners and re-homed. A substantial number of nuisance complaints means three or more complaints within the past 12 months. Multiple sources means that there are two or more reporting parties that do not reside at the same address
(Ord. No. 2342 , § 1, 4-9-2019; Ord. No. 2551 , § 7, 3-8-2022)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
Bryan's animal ordinance makes it unlawful for anyone to feed feral cats or leave out food for them. The only exception is a registered community cat caregiver maintaining a colony under the city's trap-neuter-return program. Even that protection has a limit: if a colony draws three or more nuisance complaints from two or more unrelated addresses within 12 months, the caregiver loses the affirmative defense and must relocate the colony or have the cats claimed and re-homed. Community cats must be ear-tipped, microchipped, vaccinated, and sterilized to qualify for the program's protections.
Violations & Fines
Feeding feral cats without registered community-cat-caregiver status is a Code violation; unregistered feeding is cited like any other nuisance offense under Chapter 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I feed stray cats in Bryan if I'm not registered?
Can a registered colony be shut down?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bryan
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Bryan to another location·View the Texas animal ordinances overview
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