Sherman, TX Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

Section 2.04.004 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances lists who is outside the dangerous, wild animal rules in Article 2.04. Two items address rescue. Item (4) exempts an injured, infirm, orphaned, or abandoned dangerous, wild animal while it is being transported for care or treatment. Item (5) exempts the same animal while it is being rehabilitated, treated, or cared for by a licensed veterinarian, an incorporated humane society or animal shelter, or a person who holds a rehabilitation permit issued under subchapter C, chapter 43, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code. The permit named in the exemption is therefore a rehabilitation permit issued under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code; this section does not set up a separate city permit for wildlife rehabilitators.

The exemption matters because the chapter defines dangerous, wild animals broadly: all undomesticated animals, including lions, tigers, bears, wolves, coyote, foxes, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, birds of prey, migratory birds, and other nondomestic birds. Without an exemption, § 2.04.005 requires a certificate of registration, valid for one (1) year and not transferable, with a one hundred dollar ($100.00) fee for each animal registered but no more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per year. Section 2.04.001 also makes it unlawful to harbor a prohibited animal within the city limits and within 5,000 feet of them unless an affirmative defense applies, and the listed defenses include a medical or research facility or zoological park.

Do not confuse this with the animal rescue organization license in § 2.02.030. That license covers a not-for-profit with 501(c)(3) status that rescues and places animals into permanent homes. It runs for two (2) years, comes from the animal services supervisor, and exempts the holder from the pet shop license. Failure to apply for or renew it within thirty (30) days after the renewal date is an offense, and a licensing decision is appealed to the chief of police and then the city manager, within ten (10) working days each. Separately, § 2.02.016(c) allows humane trapping and relocation of nuisance animals.