Fort Worth's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Fort Worth, Texas, there are 14 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Microchipping

Fort Worth Animal Care and Control requires licensed dogs and cats to carry a registered microchip. Owners must keep contact information current with the chip registry, and shelters scan every impounded animal to expedite reunification.

Key details: Chip standard: ISO-compliant 15-digit chip. Registry update: Within 30 days of move. Tag still required: Yes, visible collar tag. Where implanted: Vet or FW clinic. Scan policy: All impounded animals scanned.

Failing to microchip a registered pet, or failing to update registry data after moving, may trigger citations starting around fifty dollars. If an unchipped pet is impounded, owners pay for implantation and registry enrollment before the animal is released.

Coyote Management

Fort Worth Animal Care and Control follows a hazing-first coyote management policy. Texas Parks and Wildlife classifies coyotes as nongame; residents may legally haze coyotes to restore fear of humans, with lethal removal reserved for confirmed aggressive animals.

Key details: Lead agency: FW Animal Care and Control. Primary tool: Hazing to restore fear. State classification: Coyotes are nongame. Feeding ban: Fort Worth Code Ch. 6. Lethal removal: Confirmed aggression only.

Feeding coyotes, leaving pet food outdoors overnight, dumping unsecured trash, harboring or relocating wild coyotes without permits, or discharging firearms inside Fort Worth city limits to kill coyotes triggers code citations and possible state wildlife violations.

Pet Limits

Fort Worth City Code Chapter 6 caps household dogs and cats at five total adult animals per residence without a multiple animal permit. Larger households need an inspection and permit through Fort Worth Animal Care and Control before keeping additional pets.

Key details: Combined limit: Five dogs and cats total. Counted age: Over four months old. Permit required: Multiple animal permit. Issuer: FW Animal Care and Control. Inspection: Required for permit.

Keeping more than five dogs and cats over four months without a multiple animal permit, refusing inspections, lacking rabies vaccinations or registration, or generating sustained odor and noise complaints triggers citations, permit denial, and possible animal seizure under Chapter 6.

Wildlife Feeding

Fort Worth prohibits feeding wildlife including coyotes, raccoons, feral hogs, and bobcats under Chapter 6, though songbird and squirrel feeding from standard feeders is allowed.

Key details: Code: Chapter 6 Animals and Fowl. Prohibited Targets: Coyotes, raccoons, feral hogs, deer. Allowed: Songbird and squirrel feeders (properly maintained). Common Hotspots: Trinity River corridor, Tandy Hills. Fine: Up to $500 per offense.

Initial offenses typically trigger a warning and education. Continued feeding draws Class C misdemeanor fines up to $500 per occurrence. If feeding leads to a dangerous wildlife encounter, civil nuisance liability may follow.

Chickens & Livestock

Fort Worth Code Sec. 11A-22 allows fowl on residential property with caps tied to lot size: 12 fowl (max two roosters) on lots up to 1/2 acre, 25 fowl over 1/2 acre but under 1 acre, and 50 fowl on 1+ acre lots. Coops must be at least 50 feet from any neighbor's residence.

Key details: Code Section: Fort Worth Code Sec. 11A-22. Up to 1/2 acre: 12 fowl, max 2 roosters. 1/2 to 1 acre: 25 fowl. 1+ acre: 50 fowl, max 2 roosters. Coop Setback: 50 ft from neighbor structures.

Each violation of Sec. 11A-22 is a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $500 per offense. Continued violations can be abated as a public nuisance and may also trigger high-grass or sanitation citations under Chapter 11A.

Livestock

Fort Worth, despite its Cowtown heritage, restricts livestock on urban lots. Horses, cattle, goats, and swine require agricultural zoning or minimum acreage; chickens and bees are allowed with limits.

Key details: Cattle/Horses: Ag zoning / ~1 acre each. Chickens: Allowed, no roosters. Swine: Prohibited in residential. Bees: TX Ag Code Ch. 131 plus setbacks. Coop Setback: ~50 ft typical.

Illegal livestock keeping draws fines up to $500 per animal per day plus abatement orders requiring relocation. Repeated or health-related violations can escalate to criminal nuisance citations. Bee violations under Chapter 131 also carry state-level consequences.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Fort Worth City Code Chapter 6 requires dogs and cats over six months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner obtains an annual intact-animal permit from Animal Care and Control. The rule aims to reduce shelter intake and euthanasia citywide.

Key details: Code chapter: Fort Worth Code Ch. 6. Sterilization age: Six months for dogs/cats. Intact permit: Annual fee, renewable. Maximum fine: Up to $2,000 per animal. Low-cost clinic: SPCA, Spay Neuter Network.

Owning an unsterilized cat or dog over six months without an intact permit triggers Class C misdemeanor citations and fines up to two thousand dollars per animal. Repeat offenses or breeding without a permit can lead to forfeiture.

Compared to other cities, Fort Worth takes a harder line on mandatory spay/neuter. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Animal Hoarding

Fort Worth Animal Care and Control investigates suspected hoarding under City Code Chapter 6 and Texas Penal Code 42.092. Officers may seize neglected animals, file misdemeanor or felony charges, and seek court-ordered relinquishment of all animals.

Key details: Primary statute: TX Penal Code 42.092 cruelty. Seizure authority: TX Health Safety Code 821. Lead agency: FW Animal Care and Control. Misdemeanor penalty: Up to one year jail. Felony trigger: Torture or repeat offense.

Cruelty convictions carry up to one year jail and fines up to four thousand dollars per animal; felony charges add prison time. Courts routinely order surrender of all animals, restitution for veterinary costs, and bans on future animal ownership.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Fort Worth actively enforces its animal hoarding requirements.

Cat Rules

Fort Worth City Code Chapter 6 requires cats over four months old to be registered with Animal Care and Control and vaccinated against rabies. Owners must keep proof of current vaccination, and feral colony caretakers may participate in trap-neuter-return programs.

Key details: Registration age: Cats over four months. Rabies shot: Required by licensed vet. Code chapter: Fort Worth Code Ch. 6. TNR program: Recognized by Animal Care. Stray hold: About 72 hours untagged.

Failure to register or vaccinate carries fines starting around fifty dollars and increasing for repeat offenses. Impoundment fees, board, and required vaccination must be paid before reclaim. Untagged stray cats are typically held seventy-two hours before transfer.

Pet Store Rules

Fort Worth City Code Chapter 6 regulates pet shops through licensing, sourcing disclosure, and humane handling standards. Unlike Dallas, Fort Worth has not adopted a strict shelter-only sourcing ban for retail dogs and cats as of 2026.

Key details: Permit required: FW pet dealer permit. Min sale age: Eight weeks old. Health certificate: TX H&S Code Ch. 823. Inspector: FW Animal Care and Control. Shelter-only rule: Not adopted in Fort Worth.

Operating without a Fort Worth pet dealer permit, selling animals younger than eight weeks, omitting source or health disclosures, blocking inspections, maintaining unsanitary facilities, or denying veterinary care to sick animals triggers citations, permit suspension, and possible cruelty charges.

Beekeeping

Fort Worth allows beekeeping on residential property under Chapter 6 of the Code. If hive entrances are perpendicular to and within 25 feet of a property line, the keeper must install a solid 6-foot-tall wall, fence, or hedge between the hives and the property line as a flyway barrier.

Key details: Code Reference: Fort Worth Code Ch. 6. Flyway Barrier Trigger: Hive within 25 ft of property line. Barrier Height: 6 ft solid wall, fence, or hedge. State Registration: Texas Apiary Inspection Service.

Beekeeping that creates a nuisance or fails the flyway-barrier rule is enforced by Animal Care and Control under Chapter 6 as a Class C misdemeanor with fines up to $500. Repeat offenses may lead to abatement orders.

Breed Restrictions

Fort Worth does not ban any dog breed. Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 822.047 preempts cities from enacting breed-specific legislation. Instead, Fort Worth regulates individual dogs under its 'dangerous' and 'aggressive' dog provisions in Chapter 6.

Key details: Code Reference: Fort Worth Code Ch. 6. State Preemption: Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.047. Aggressive Dog Fence: 72-inch perimeter barrier. Breed-Specific Ban: None.

There are no breed-based citations in Fort Worth. Owners of dogs declared dangerous or aggressive under Chapter 6 face strict containment, insurance, and registration requirements, with violations punishable as Class C misdemeanors and potential seizure of the animal.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Fort Worth gives residents more flexibility on breed restrictions.

Exotic Pets

Fort Worth Sec. 6-62 prohibits dangerous animals and TX HSC §822.102 Dangerous Wild Animals (lions, tigers, bears, primates, etc.). Exemptions for zoos, circuses, educational institutions, licensed labs, and wildlife rehabilitators. Miniature swine addressed separately.

Key details: Code Section: Sec. 6-62. State Law: TX HSC §822.102. Prohibited: Lions, tigers, bears, etc.. Mini Swine: Separate provisions.

Prohibited animal: confiscation and criminal penalties. Fine per city and state law.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Fort Worth actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.

Dog Leash Laws

Fort Worth requires dogs on leash in public. Off-leash in designated parks only. License and rabies vaccination required. TX HSC §822.013 covers dogs at large.

Key details: Leash: Required in public. Off-Leash: Designated parks only. License: Required + rabies. State Law: TX HSC §822.013.

Off-leash: $50 to $200. At-large: impound fees + citation. Unlicensed: $50 to $250. Waste: $50 to $500.

The Bottom Line

Fort Worth is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 14 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Fort Worth, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Fort Worth can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.