Animal Ordinances in Pharr, TX (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Pharr, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Horses, cattle, hogs, sheep and goats cannot be kept anywhere within Pharr city limits. Chickens and other domestic fowl are treated separately: they're allowed but must stay caged or penned, capped at ten birds per residential property.
Pharr Bans Livestock, Allows Caged Chickens
Some RestrictionsSec. 18-3
It shall be unlawful to raise, keep or pen any livestock or any type of reptiles upon any premises within the city.
Dog Leash Laws
Pharr Code of Ordinances Chapter 18 (Animals) prohibits dogs from running at large within the city; off-property dogs must be under physical restraint and Pharr Animal Control Services impounds violators. Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822 layers on dangerous-dog restraint duties enforced by Pharr PD and Hidalgo County courts.
Pharr Dog Leash Laws
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.042 (Requirements for Owner of Dangerous Dog)
Sec. 822.042. REQUIREMENTS FOR OWNER OF DANGEROUS DOG. (a) Not later than the 30th day after a person learns that the person is the owner of a dangerous dog, the person shall: (1) register the dangerous dog with the animal control authority for the area in which the dog is kept; (2) restrain the dangerous dog at all times on a leash in the immediate control of a person or in a secure enclosure;...
Breed Restrictions
Pharr does not ban dog breeds by name: instead, animal control can declare any individual animal 'vicious' based on its behavior, triggering strict confinement, muzzle, insurance, and warning-sign requirements under Chapter 18.
Pharr Vicious Animal Declaration & Dangerous Dog Rules
Light RestrictionsSec. 18-41
Vicious animal means any animal: (1) With a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack without provocation, to cause injury or to otherwise threaten the safety of human beings or domestic animals; (2) Which, without provocation, has attacked or injured a human being or domestic animal; (3) Owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of fighting, or any animal trained f...
Wildlife Feeding
Pharr makes it unlawful to regularly feed or sustain animals on city property or right-of-way, and bans undomesticated wild animals within city limits outright.
Pharr Bans Feeding Wildlife on City Property
Some RestrictionsSec. 18-34
(a) It is unlawful for any unauthorized person to regularly or routinely harbor, feed, care for or provide any form of sustenance to an animal on city property or right-of-way. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to raise, keep, pen or harbor any domestic fowl, livestock, or feral animal, or other endangered species upon any premises of less than one acre (43,460 square feet) and within ...
Pet Limits
Anyone keeping dogs or cats for boarding, breeding, sale, or training in Pharr needs a commercial animal establishment permit once the operation handles ten or more animals; smaller kennels under ten can license each animal individually instead.
Pharr Requires a Commercial Permit for Kennels of 10+ Animals
Some RestrictionsSec. 18-143.
Persons operating kennels for the breeding of dogs or cats which handle fewer than ten animals may elect to license such animals on an individual basis.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Pharr does not require sterilizing every pet, but a third impoundment triggers mandatory alteration before the animal can be released to its owner.
Pharr Mandatory Spay/Neuter After Repeat Impoundment
Some RestrictionsSec. 18-45(d)
Whenever an owner has had two prior impoundments of any animal it shall be a condition of the release of any subsequently impounded animal owned by that person that such animals shall be altered.
Pet Store Rules
Pharr allows pet shops to sell dogs, cats, and other animals, but only under an annual city permit: no adoption-only or retail sale ban exists here.
Pharr Pet Shop Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsSec. 18-36.
It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain or operate a pet shop without a permit. Application for a pet shop permit shall be on a form prescribed by the animal control officer or designee, provide such information as the animal control officer or designee shall require, and specify the number and type of animals to be maintained. It shall be unlawful to maintain more animals or types of a...
Looking for Hidalgo County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Pharr city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Hidalgo County →