Animal Ordinances in Texarkana, TX (2026)
6 verified animal ordinances for Texarkana, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Texarkana bans backyard swine outright and caps other livestock and fowl by per-acre density, though up to six backyard hens are allowed anywhere.
Texarkana Livestock and Fowl Limits
Some RestrictionsSec. 8-12. - Livestock and fowl.
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep or harbor any livestock or fowl within the city limits except on property defined as a farm or ranch or Agricultural District pursuant to the city's zoning ordinance and in numbers and under the conditions as set out in this section. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any swine within the city limits. (c) The following per acre l...
Dog Leash Laws
Texarkana requires dogs to be confined by fence or building, or leashed, at all times; letting a dog run at large citywide is unlawful.
Texarkana Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsTexarkana, TX Code of Ordinances Sec. 8-5
A dog shall at all times be confined within a building or a fenced area that is at least 100 square feet in size per dog over four months of age and of sufficient strength and construction to confine the dog or keep the dog from running at large. It shall be unlawful for an owner of a dog, to fail to keep the dog from running at large within the city limits. When a dog is on a leash held by a p...
Breed Restrictions
Texarkana has no pit bull or breed-specific ban: dogs are regulated by behavior. A dog declared dangerous after an unprovoked attack triggers mandatory registration, liability insurance, and a secure enclosure requirement.
Texarkana's Dangerous Dog Declaration System
Significant RestrictionsSec. 8-18(a)
The provisions of Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 82, Subchapter D, as amended, are adopted by and incorporated into this section; and further, additional requirements set out below in this section, non-specific to one breed or several breeds of dogs and more stringent restrictions than the restrictions provided by Chapter 82, Subchapter D, shall be placed on dangerous dogs. (b) Additio...
Exotic Pets
Texarkana makes it a criminal offense to own, possess, keep, or harbor any wild, wild-hybrid, vicious, or prohibited animal within city limits.
Texarkana Bans Wild and Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsSec. 8-17
It shall be unlawful to own, possess, keep or harbor any wild, wild-hybrid, vicious or prohibited animal within the city.
Pet Limits
Texarkana makes it a public nuisance to keep any animal, including livestock, in a way that lets waste accumulate and endangers public health: the city's working standard for hoarding-type conditions.
Texarkana Animal Hoarding Nuisance Ban
Some RestrictionsSec. 8-15(1)
The keeping of an animal, including livestock, in such a manner as to endanger the public health by the accumulation of animal waste. (2) To permit or allow an animal to defecate upon private or public property other than the property of the owner of said animal; and to fail to remove and dispose of in a sanitary manner any feces left by such animal. (3) Property not kept free from carrion ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Texarkana requires owners to sterilize animals reclaimed from impoundment or adopted from the city shelter within 30 days, unless the pet is under six months, a vet certifies it's unsafe, or the owner buys an unaltered-pet permit.
Texarkana Mandatory Spay/Neuter After Impound or Adoption
Significant RestrictionsSec. 8-21
Within 30 days of the return of an impounded animal to its owner, the owner shall cause the animal to be sterilized by a licensed veterinarian unless (i) the animal is less than six months of age, (ii) documentation from a licensed veterinarian is provided to the city that sterilizing the animal is detrimental to the health of said animal, or (iii) the owner has obtained a city-issued unaltered...