Animal Ordinances in Katy, TX (2026)
4 verified animal ordinances for Katy, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Katy prohibits keeping chickens, fowl, or livestock on tracts smaller than one acre, caps the number per acre, and bans swine within city limits except for limited FFA or 4-H exemptions.
Katy Livestock and Fowl One-Acre Rule
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Agriculture Code Sec. 161.001 (Animal Health - Definitions of Livestock, Fowl, Exotic Livestock)
Sec. 161.001. DEFINITIONS. (a) In this chapter:(1) "Animal" includes livestock, exotic livestock, domestic fowl, and exotic fowl.(2) "Commission" means the Texas Animal Health Commission.(3) Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 604,
Dog Leash Laws
Katy requires dogs to be on a leash or securely confined within a fence at all times, prohibits dogs from running at large, and authorizes animal control to impound any unrestrained dog found in the city.
Katy Dog Leash and At-Large Restrictions
Some RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.012 (Dogs Prohibited from Running at Large)
Sec. 822.012. CERTAIN DOGS AND COYOTES PROHIBITED FROM RUNNING AT LARGE; CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) The owner, keeper, or person in control of a dog or coyote that the owner, keeper, or person knows is accustomed to run, worry, or kill livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may not permit the dog or coyote to run at large.(b) A person who violates this section commits an offense. An offense und...
Exotic Pets
Katy classifies exotic animals as livestock subject to the one-acre rule and regulates dangerous wild animals under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822, Subchapter E, with the city as the local enforcement authority.
Katy Exotic and Dangerous Wild Animal Limits
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.101 (Dangerous Wild Animals - Definitions)
Sec. 822.101. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:(1) "Animal registration agency" means the municipal or county animal control office with authority over the area where a dangerous wild animal is kept or a county sheriff in an area that does not have an animal control office.(2) Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1,
Animal Hoarding
Katy declares any livestock, fowl, or animal kept in conditions that disturb neighbors or create unsanitary conditions a public nuisance, allowing animal control to investigate and abate hoarding-type situations.
Katy Animal Nuisance and Welfare Provisions
Heavy RestrictionsTex. Penal Code Sec. 42.092 (Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals)
Sec. 42.092. CRUELTY TO NONLIVESTOCK ANIMALS. (a) In this section:(1) "Abandon" includes abandoning an animal in the person's custody without making reasonable arrangements for assumption of custody by another person.(2) "Animal" means a domesticated living creature, including any stray or feral cat or dog, and a wild living creature previously captured. The term does not include an uncap...
Looking for Fort Bend County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Katy city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Fort Bend County →