Animal Ordinances in Baytown, TX (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Baytown, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Baytown's lack of traditional zoning means keeping chickens and small livestock on residential property is generally permitted. The city does not impose lot size minimums, coop setback requirements, or bird count limits typical of zoned Texas cities. Animals must be kept in sanitary conditions and not create a nuisance. Roosters may be kept, though crowing complaints can be filed as nuisances.
Baytown Chickens & Livestock Rules
Few RestrictionsTex. Agriculture Code Sec. 161.0411 (Domestic and Exotic Fowl Registration)
Sec. 161.0411. DOMESTIC AND EXOTIC FOWL REGISTRATION. (a) A seller, distributor, or transporter of live domestic or exotic fowl in this state shall register with the commission under this section. The commission may exempt from registration a person participating in a disease surveillance program recognized by the commission.(b) A person may apply for a certificate of registration or a ren...
Dog Leash Laws
Baytown Code of Ordinances Chapter 14 requires dogs to be restrained and not allowed to run at large. Dogs must be confined to the owner's property by fence, enclosure, or leash when off-property. Dogs in public areas must be on a leash under the handler's control. Baytown Animal Control enforces leash laws and impounds stray dogs.
Baytown Dog Leash Laws
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.007 (Local Regulation of Dogs)
Sec. 822.007. LOCAL REGULATION OF DOGS. This subchapter does not prohibit a municipality or county from adopting leash or registration requirements applicable to dogs. Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 669 (H.B. 1355), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2007. SUBCHAPTER B. DOGS AND COYOTES THAT ARE A DANGER TO ANIMALSSec. 822.011. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:(1) "Dog or coyote" includes...
Breed Restrictions
Baytown does not have breed-specific legislation (BSL). No dog breeds are banned or subject to special restrictions within the city. Texas state law does not ban specific breeds and generally preempts local breed bans. Baytown enforces dangerous dog laws based on individual dog behavior rather than breed under Chapter 14 and Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822.
Baytown Dog Breed Restrictions
Few RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.047
Sec. 822.047. LOCAL REGULATION OF DANGEROUS DOGS. A county or municipality may place additional requirements or restrictions on dangerous dogs if the requirements or restrictions: (1) are not specific to one breed or several breeds of dogs; and (2) are more stringent than restrictions provided by this subchapter.
Beekeeping
Baytown bans keeping bees or beehives within 300 feet of a private residence you have no right to occupy, or of a church, school, day care, nursing home, hospital, park, or public place, under Sec. 14-8(a)(6) of the animal code, a restriction that applies citywide, including on ordinary residential lots.
Baytown Beehive 300-Foot Buffer Rule
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-8(a)(6)
(a) Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally or knowingly keep or maintain the following within the city limits: ... (6) Bees or beehives within 300 feet of a private residence the person has no right to occupy, a church, school, a day care, a nursing home, a hospital, a park or a public place.
Exotic Pets
Baytown prohibits keeping dangerous wild animals within city limits under Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances, consistent with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822 Subchapter E. Lions, tigers, bears, primates, and other dangerous species require state registration and are restricted locally.
Baytown Exotic and Wild Animal Regulations
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.103
Sec. 822.103. CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION; FEES. (a) A person may not own, harbor, or have custody or control of a dangerous wild animal for any purpose unless the person holds a certificate of registration for that animal issued by an animal registration agency. (b) A certificate of registration issued under this subchapter is not transferrable and is valid for one year after its date of issua...
Wildlife Feeding
Baytown makes it unlawful to feed, or leave food accessible to, stray or wild animals within the city under Sec. 14-184, with a narrow carve-out for authorized trap-neuter-return caregivers feeding registered community cats and for legally trapping a wild or stray animal using food as bait.
Baytown Stray & Wild Animal Feeding Ban
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-184(a)-(b)
Sec. 14-184. - Feeding of animals prohibited. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to feed, or place food of any kind with the intent to feed stray animals, including stray cats or community cats, notwithstanding item (c)(4) of this section. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to leave, store or maintain food of any kind in a manner or area accessible to stray animals, including stray or...
Pet Limits
Keeping four or more adult dogs anywhere on one property makes the place a "kennel" under Baytown's animal code, and a kennel can't legally operate without an annual license from the animal services director, applied for under Sec. 14-126 and defined in Sec. 14-1 of the Code of Ordinances.
Baytown Four-Dog Kennel License Rule
Some RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-1; Sec. 14-126
Kennel means: (1) Any lot, building, structure, enclosure or premises where four or more adult dogs are kept; or (2) Any premises wherein any person engages in the business of boarding, breeding, buying, letting for hire, training for a fee, or selling dogs, cats, or other animals. ... It shall be unlawful for a person, intentionally or knowingly, to operate or maintain or allow or permit anoth...
Cat Rules
Baytown requires every outdoor cat in the city to be spayed or neutered, making it an offense for an owner to keep an unsterilized cat outside under Sec. 14-183(a), while cats in the city's community cat (trap-neuter-return) program are treated as unowned and exempt from ownership rules under Sec. 14-181.
Baytown Outdoor Cat Sterilization Law
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-183
Sec. 14-183. - Sterilization of outdoor cats. (a) All outdoor cats within the city must be sterilized. An owner of an outdoor cat commits an offense if the cat is not spayed or neutered. (b) It is a defense to prosecution under subsection (1) that: ... (5) The person charged produces to the court proof of sterilization from a licensed veterinarian showing the cat was sterilized at the time the ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
An owner who redeems the same unsterilized dog or cat from Baytown's shelter a second time in any 12-month period must have it spayed or neutered within 30 days, per Sec. 14-38(b), and every animal adopted from the shelter must be sterilized within 30 days of adoption under Sec. 14-38(d).
Baytown Repeat-Impound Spay/Neuter Rule
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-38(b), (d)
(b) Any owner or person redeeming a non-sterilized animal from the animal shelter for the second time within any 12 consecutive-month period must have the animal sterilized within 30 days of the date the animal was released from the shelter. Proof of said sterilization must be provided to the director within ten days of compliance. ... (d) A dog or cat adopted from the city shall be spayed or n...
Microchipping
Every dog and cat kept in Baytown must be implanted with a microchip and registered with a microchip registry under Sec. 14-9, with a 30-day grace period after a puppy or kitten turns four months old, and owners must keep the registered contact information current whenever they move or transfer the animal.
Baytown Mandatory Dog & Cat Microchip Law
Significant RestrictionsBaytown, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-9(a)-(b)
(a) The owner of any dog or cat kept within the corporate limits of the City of Baytown must have the animal implanted with a microchip and registered with a microchip registry. (b) If the dog or cat is less than four months of age, the pet owner must have the animal implanted with a microchip and registered with a microchip registry within 30 days of the animal attaining four months of age.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Baytown's ULDC subjects veterinary clinics and animal hospitals to setback, buffering, and noise-control standards: boarding facilities and dog runs must stay 100 feet from any lot line and 300 feet from schools or day cares, outdoor runs need Type C bufferyard screening, and other clinic activity must happen inside a noise-resistant building.
Baytown Veterinary Clinic Zoning Standards
Some RestrictionsBaytown, TX Unified Land Development Code Subsec. 2.33-2(D)
D. Veterinary Clinic or Veterinary Hospital. 1. Education and Day Care. No boarding facility or dog runs shall be located within 100 feet from any lot line or within 300 feet of any type of Educational Facility Use Category or Day Care Use Category. 2. Buffering. Outdoor dog runs and animal exercise areas shall be screened by a Type C Bufferyard (See Sec. 3.43, Bufferyard Landscaping) around th...
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