Animal Ordinances in Corpus Christi, TX (2026)
15 verified animal ordinances for Corpus Christi, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Corpus Christi allows up to 7 hens for personal egg production in residential areas under Section 6-154. No roosters allowed. Coops limited to 5x5x5 feet within a 20x20-foot fenced pen set back 25 feet from neighboring buildings.
Corpus Christi Chicken and Livestock Ordinance
Some RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Corpus Christi requires all dogs to be restrained by leash, in a fenced yard, properly tethered, or indoors at all times. Standard leash is 6 feet; aggressive dogs require a 3-foot leash. Violations result in impoundment.
Corpus Christi Dog Leash Law
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.007
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.
Breed Restrictions
Corpus Christi does not impose breed-specific bans. Dangerous and aggressive dog designations are behavior-based per Chapter 6 and align with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822 (Lillians Law). Aggressive dogs must wear an orange collar visible at 50 feet.
Corpus Christi Dog Breed Restriction Rules
Some 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
Corpus Christi allows beekeeping under Chapter 6, Article VII. Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 131 requires registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. The city adopted beekeeping provisions in 2004.
Corpus Christi Beekeeping Ordinance
Few RestrictionsExotic Pets
Corpus Christi regulates exotic and wild animals under Chapter 6. Commercial animal exhibitions and zoological parks require annual permits ($100). Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 63 governs exotic wildlife possession at the state level.
Corpus Christi Exotic Pet Regulations
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.103 (Dangerous Wild Animals)
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
Corpus Christi has no blanket wildlife-feeding ban but enforces nuisance provisions under Ch. 6. Feeding that attracts feral cats, rodents, or coyotes may trigger code action.
Corpus Christi Wildlife Feeding Regulations
Some RestrictionsLivestock
Corpus Christi allows up to 7 chickens (no roosters, no permit) for personal eggs under Sec. 6-154. Other livestock need 100-foot setbacks from dwellings and 25 feet from lot lines.
Corpus Christi Livestock and Backyard Chicken Ordinance
Some RestrictionsTex. Agric. Code Sec. 142.003 (Estrays)
Sec. 142.003. DISCOVERY OF ESTRAY; NOTICE. (a) If an estray, without being herded with other livestock, roams about the property of a person without that person's permission or roams about public property, the owner of the private property or the custodian of the public property, as applicable, shall, as soon as reasonably possible, report the presence of the estray to the sheriff of the county...
Animal Hoarding
Corpus Christi limits the number of dogs and cats per residence and treats animal hoarding as cruelty under Chapter 6, with Animal Care Services empowered to seize animals when conditions threaten welfare.
Animal Hoarding and Maximum Animal Limits
Some RestrictionsTex. Penal Code Sec. 42.092(a)(7), (b)(3)-(5)
A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence: ... (3) fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, care, or shelter for an animal in the person's custody; (4) abandons unreasonably an animal in the person's custody; (5) transports or confines an animal in a cruel manner ... 'Necessary food, water, care, or shelter' includes ...
Pet Limits
Corpus Christi limits households to four total adult dogs and cats without a multi-pet permit, and exceeding the cap requires a kennel or hobby breeder license issued by Animal Care Services.
Household Pet Limits and Multi-Pet Permits
Some RestrictionsCat Rules
Corpus Christi requires owned cats to be vaccinated against rabies and registered with Animal Care Services, and free-roaming community cats are managed through a trap-neuter-return program coordinated with local rescue partners.
Cat Licensing, Microchipping, and Outdoor Cats
Some RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 826.021
VACCINATION OF DOGS AND CATS REQUIRED. (a) Except as otherwise provided by department rule, the owner of a dog or cat shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies by the time the animal is four months of age and at regular intervals thereafter as prescribed by department rule. (b) A veterinarian who vaccinates a dog or cat against rabies shall issue to the animal's owner a vaccination certif...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Corpus Christi requires impounded dogs and cats to be sterilized before release on a second impound, and intact-pet permits cost more than altered registrations to encourage spay and neuter.
Mandatory Spay or Neuter for Reclaimed Pets
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 828.002, 828.004(a)
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTION. Except as provided by Section 828.013, a releasing agency may not release a dog or cat for adoption unless the animal has been sterilized or the release is made to a new owner who signs an agreement to have the animal sterilized. ... a new owner who signs an agreement under Section 828.002 shall have the adopted animal sterilized on or before the sterilization complet...
Microchipping
Corpus Christi requires microchipping for impounded dogs and cats before release, and Animal Care Services scans every stray on intake to reunite pets with owners and reduce shelter euthanasia.
Pet Microchipping and Lost Pet Reunification
Some RestrictionsCoyote Management
Corpus Christi follows a hazing-first coyote management approach with public education and habitat modification, and lethal removal is reserved for confirmed aggressive animals through Texas Parks and Wildlife and USDA Wildlife Services.
Coyote and Urban Wildlife Management
Few RestrictionsPet Store Rules
Corpus Christi pet stores selling dogs and cats must source only from licensed shelters, rescues, or USDA Class A breeders, and city kennel licenses require regular inspections by Animal Care Services.
Pet Store and Retail Animal Sales
Some RestrictionsTex. Occ. Code Sec. 802.002(8), 802.003(b)
'Dog or cat breeder' means a person who possesses five or more adult intact female animals and is engaged in the business of breeding those animals for direct or indirect sale or for exchange in return for consideration. ... This chapter does not prevent a municipality or county from prohibiting or further regulating by order or ordinance the possession, breeding, or selling of dogs or cats.
Bird Protection
Corpus Christi sits on the Central Flyway and within key shorebird habitat, so federal and state laws protect migratory birds, with city construction lighting and tree work restrictions to limit nest disturbance during spring and summer.
Migratory Bird and Coastal Bird Protection
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Parks & Wild. Code Sec. 64.002
PROTECTION OF NONGAME BIRDS. (a) Except as provided by this code, no person may: (1) catch, kill, injure, pursue, or possess, dead or alive, or purchase, sell, expose for sale, transport, ship, or receive or deliver for transportation, a bird that is not a game bird; (2) possess any part of the plumage, skin, or body of a bird that is not a game bird; or (3) disturb or destroy the eggs, nest, o...