Animal Ordinances in Waco, TX (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for Waco, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Backyard fowl and rabbits must be kept in an actual pen, coop, or hutch, not just a fenced yard, and that structure has to sit at least 50 feet from any residence besides the owner's own house. Livestock is even more restricted: no pen may sit within 200 feet of a residence unless the property is five acres or larger, though owners can request a variance.
Waco Backyard Chicken Coop and Livestock Setbacks
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances §§ 5-98, 5-99
Sec. 5-98. - Pens and coops; location. (a)All fowl and rabbits shall be kept within a pen, coop, or hutch. A fenced yard shall not qualify as a pen or coop.(b)Any person harboring any animal, other than livestock, shall locate any pen, coop, hutch, or other housing at least 50 feet from any residence, excluding the residence of the person harboring the animals. Sec. 5-99. - Livestock. (a)It sha...
Dog Leash Laws
Waco requires all dogs to be on a leash or under direct control when off the owner's property. Dogs running at large are subject to impoundment by Animal Services.
Waco 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
Waco classifies a dog as dangerous using the state definition in Texas Health and Safety Code § 822.041, and Sec. 5-152.1 folds all of Chapter 822, Subchapter D into city law. Once Animal Control (ACO) declares a dog dangerous, the owner must muzzle it outside a secure enclosure, have it spayed or neutered, and satisfy every state ownership condition before an impounded dog is released.
Waco Dangerous Dog Declaration and Requirements
Significant RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances §§ 5-152, 5-152.1, 5-152.2 (Ch. 5, Art. VI)
(a)Dangerous dog has the meaning in § 822.041 of the Texas Health and Safety Code.(b)Dangerous animal means an animal other than a dog that:(1)Makes an unprovoked attack on a person that causes bodily injury and occurs in a place other than an enclosure in which the animal was being kept...(3)Is trained or harbored for fighting. ... There is hereby adopted as part of this article all of the pro...
Beekeeping
Waco allows beekeeping in residential areas subject to regulations on hive placement, number of colonies, and distance from property lines and public areas.
Waco Beekeeping Regulations
Light RestrictionsTex. Agric. Code Sec. 131.045 (Beekeeper Registration)
Sec. 131.045. BEEKEEPER REGISTRATION. (a) Each beekeeper in this state may register on an annual basis with the chief apiary inspector. A registration under this section expires August 31 following the date the registration is issued. (b) A registration must include: (1) information required by the chief apiary inspector; and (2) the county or counties in which the beekeeper operates. (c) The i...
Exotic Pets
Waco outright bans keeping a wild animal as a pet. Section 5-95 makes it unlawful to possess, keep, or control any wild animal or wildlife in the city, and separately bans selling, giving, transferring, or importing one into Waco, with narrow carve-outs for permitted exhibitors, zoos, schools, and a short grace period for injured wildlife headed to a rehabilitator.
Waco Bans Possession of Wild Animals as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances §§ 5-1, 5-95
Wild animal or wildlife shall mean any nondomestic creature (mammal, amphibian, reptile or fowl) which is of a species which is wild by nature, which can normally be found in a wild state, and which is not naturally tame or gentle, or which, because of its size, vicious nature, and other characteristics, constitutes a danger to human life or property...(a)No person shall possess, keep or have c...
Cat Rules
Waco's general at-large law bans letting any animal roam free off its owner's property, but Section 5-92 carves out real room for cats: a vaccinated, tagged cat, a cat identifiable by collar, microchip, tattoo or a left-ear tip from trap-neuter-return, or a cat whose caregiver can document sterilization is not treated as at large.
Waco Cat At-Large Law and TNR Exemptions
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 5-92
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person who owns, harbors, or otherwise has control over any animal within the city to allow or permit such animal to be at large within the city.(b)The prohibition against an animal being at large shall not apply to:(1)A cat which has been vaccinated as required by this chapter and which is wearing the required vaccination tags;(2)A cat that can be identified as ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
City code requires every dog or cat within Waco's corporate limits to be spayed or neutered, with proof kept by the owner. Sec. 5-210 carves out five narrow exceptions, including animals under four months old, health-exempt animals certified by a veterinarian, police or rescue dogs, and shelter transfers, and requires sterilization before any impounded pet is released.
Waco Mandatory Spay/Neuter for Dogs and Cats
Heavy RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 5-210 (Ch. 5, Art. X)
(a)All dogs or cats in the corporate city limits shall be spayed/neutered. The owner of such animals must retain documentation of the spay/neuter of their animals.(b)All dogs or cats impounded within the corporate city limits will be spayed/neutered prior to being released to the owner. The cost to spay/neuter the animal shall be paid by the owner along with the impound fees.(c)The following an...
Microchipping
Every dog and cat within Waco's corporate limits must carry a microchip. Shelter animals are chipped before release or adoption, and any impounded dog or cat without one gets chipped between the shoulder blades before it goes home, with the owner covering the cost. Community cats and ear-tipped cats are exempt.
Waco Requires Microchipping of All Dogs and Cats
Some RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 5-206
(a)All dogs or cats in the corporate city limits must be microchipped.(b)All dogs or cats will be microchipped prior to leaving the animal shelter.(c)All impounded dogs or cats without a microchip implanted shall have a microchip inserted between its shoulder blades before being released to its owner. The owner of the dog or cat shall pay the cost for this procedure in addition to the impoundme...
Pet Store Rules
A Waco pet shop can only sell or display dogs and cats that came from an animal shelter or an animal welfare group, never from a breeder or broker. Section 5-131 also bars breeders and brokers from supplying pet shops for resale and requires the shop to keep records proving where every dog and cat came from.
Waco Pet Shops May Only Sell Shelter Animals
Significant RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 5-131
(e)A pet shop may only display, sell, trade, deliver, barter, lease, auction, give away, transfer, offer for sale or transfer, or otherwise dispose of dogs or cats that the pet shop has obtained from or displays in cooperation with an animal shelter or an animal welfare group, as defined.(f)All pet shops shall maintain records sufficient to document the animal shelter or animal welfare group so...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
A veterinary clinic isn't a permitted-by-right use in Waco's R-E or R-1B single-family districts; it requires a special permit from the city council, and the code specifically bars any outside kennel as part of the operation. The same special-permit list also covers related uses like kennels, stables, and agricultural feed lots.
Waco Veterinary Clinics Need a Special Use Permit
Significant RestrictionsWaco, Tex., Code of Ordinances § 28-273(18)
Uses which may be allowed in the R-E district by special permit in accordance with the provisions of section 28-121 et seq. are: ...(16)Agriculture, feed lots.(17)Kennels and stables.(18)Veterinarian clinics (no outside kennel).(19)Miniature golf and driving ranges.