Animal Ordinances in New Braunfels, TX (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for New Braunfels, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
New Braunfels allows up to four chicken hens per lot under 40,000 square feet, with registration rather than a permit. Roosters are prohibited, and the covered enclosure must sit 10 feet from property lines and 30 feet from neighboring homes.
New Braunfels Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances § 6-77(d)
A person who wishes to keep or house chickens on his or her property, where that property encompasses an area of less than 40,000 square feet, shall register with the city's animal control services division and shall comply with all of the following requirements: (1) Keep no more than four chicken hens per lot. (2) The principal defined use of the person's property shall be single-family or two...
Breed Restrictions
New Braunfels has no breed ban: dogs are declared dangerous based on documented behavior, then face strict confinement, insurance, and registration rules.
New Braunfels Dangerous Dog Rules
Light RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances § 6-57.1(a)
Not later than the 30th day after a person learns of the official determination that the person is the owner of a dangerous dog, the person shall: (1)Register the dog as a dangerous dog...on an annual basis...; (2)Obtain liability insurance coverage...in the amount of at least $100,000.00...
Exotic Pets
New Braunfels bans keeping wild or vicious animals, including poisonous or dangerous reptiles, as household pets unless state-licensed.
New Braunfels Wild Animal Pet Ban
Some RestrictionsNew Braunfels City Code § 6-78
No person shall own, possess, or have custody of on his premises any wild or vicious animal, including a reptile, for display, training, or exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee... No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animal, including a poisonous or otherwise dangerous reptile, as a pet, unless licensed to do so by the state parks and wildlife department.
Wildlife Feeding
New Braunfels makes it a criminal offense to intentionally feed deer, geese, or other wild animals on private or public property, with narrow exceptions for elevated bird feeders and licensed hunting-permit baiting.
New Braunfels Wildlife Feeding Ban
Significant RestrictionsNew Braunfels City Code § 82-25
(a)Except as provided below in subsections 82-26(a) and (b), a person commits an offense if the person intentionally feeds wildlife by making food available for consumption on private or public property within the territorial limits of the city. (b)A person shall be deemed to have purposely fed or caused wildlife to be fed if the person places food, as defined in this section, in any form, (not...
Pet Limits
New Braunfels caps most households at four dogs, cats, or rabbits over three months old per address, with an exception for feral cats kept in an approved trap-neuter-return colony.
New Braunfels Pet Limit: Four Dogs or Cats
Some RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances § 6-77(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, or harbor more than four dogs, cats, or rabbits over three months of age at any one address or location within the city limits. It shall be an affirmative defense to prosecution under subsection 6-77(a), that the cats are feral cats in a sponsor approved trap, neuter, and return feral cat colony program.
Cat Rules
New Braunfels charges a $5.00 annual license fee for an unneutered cat and a one-time $5.00 lifetime fee for a neutered cat with a current rabies certificate, under the city's Animal Fee Schedule. Impounded cats cost $35.00 (unneutered) or $20.00 (neutered) to reclaim, but a feral cat in an approved trap-neuter-return colony is exempt from impoundment fees entirely.
New Braunfels Cat Licensing & Impound Fees
Light RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances, Appendix D, Animal Fee Schedule
Standard licensing fee. The licensing fee for dogs and cats, as required under this chapter, shall be as follows: Unneutered dog or cat: Annual fee of $5. Neutered dog or cat: Lifetime of animal fee of $5. The lifetime license will only be valid when accompanied by a current rabies vaccination certificate...Impoundment fee. An impoundment fee must be paid for each animal captured, as follows: U...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
New Braunfels city code bars the animal shelter from adopting out an unclaimed dog or cat unless it's already sterilized or the adopter signs a written pledge to sterilize it by a set deadline.
New Braunfels Shelter Pet Sterilization Rule
Light RestrictionsNew Braunfels City Code § 6-85
No unclaimed dog or cat shall be released for adoption from the animal shelter without being sterilized or without written agreement from the adopter guaranteeing that such animal will be sterilized within 30 days for adults and by the specified date in the contract for pups and kittens.
Pet Store Rules
Retail pet shops in New Braunfels cannot sell dogs or cats unless the animals came from a shelter or animal welfare organization.
New Braunfels Retail Pet Shop Sourcing Law
Significant RestrictionsNew Braunfels City Code § 6-27(c)
A retail pet shop may not sell, lease, offer for sale, trade, give away for consideration or otherwise transfer a cat or dog unless the cat or dog was obtained by the retail pet shop from an animal shelter or animal welfare organization.
Pet Groomer Rules
Running a pet grooming business in New Braunfels requires a $50 permit under the city's Animal Fee Schedule, on top of standard business registration. Zoning confines grooming shops to commercial and industrial districts, C-1 through C-4, M-1 and M-2, and their post-1987 equivalents; the use is not permitted in any residential zoning district. Parking must provide one space for every 500 square feet of floor area.
New Braunfels Pet Grooming Shop Permit
Some RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances, Appendix D - Fee Schedule (Animal Fee Schedule); land use matrix, § 144-4.2
Permits. A permit shall be issued after payment of the applicable fee: Kennel authorized to house fewer than ten dogs or cats $50 Kennel authorized to house ten to 49 dogs or cats $100 Kennel authorized to house 50 or more dogs or cats $150 Pet shop $100 ... Grooming Shop $50
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
New Braunfels permits veterinary hospitals by right in its commercial and industrial zoning districts, but attaches a specific operating limit to outdoor kennels. The Code of Ordinances allows a "Veterinary hospital (with or without outside animal runs or kennels)" as a permitted use "with the exception that outdoor kennels may not be used between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and are prohibited adjacent to residential."
New Braunfels Veterinary Hospital Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsNew Braunfels Code of Ordinances § 144-3.3-9(a)(1)
(1)Uses permitted by right. ... Veterinary hospital (with or without outside animal runs or kennels) with the exception that outdoor kennels may not be used between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and are prohibited adjacent to residential. ... Veterinary hospitals One for each 500 sq. ft. of gross floor area