10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Cameron County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Cameron County sets no limit on backyard chickens or livestock. Animals may be kept subject only to nuisance and stock-law rules. Inside cities, the municipal code governs how many fowl or animals you may keep.
Texas counties have no automatic leash law. In unincorporated Cameron County, a countywide restraint rule exists only if the commissioners court adopts one under Health & Safety Code Sec. 826.033. Inside cities (Brownsville, Harlingen, etc.) the city leash ordinance applies.
Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 826.033
The governing body of a municipality and the commissioners court of a county may adopt ordinances or rules to require that each dog or cat be restrained by its owner; each stray dog or cat be declared a public nuisance; and each unrestrained dog or cat be detained or impounded by the local rabies control authority.
No. Texas law prohibits breed-specific bans. Cameron County cannot outlaw pit bulls or any other breed. Any extra rules a county places on dangerous dogs must apply regardless of breed under Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.047.
Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.047
A county or municipality may place additional requirements or restrictions on dangerous dogs if the requirements or restrictions: (1) are not specific to one breed or several breeds of dogs; and (2) are more stringent than restrictions provided by this subchapter.
Yes. Unincorporated Cameron County has no county zoning and no county beekeeping ban, so backyard hives are generally allowed subject to nuisance rules. Texas classifies bees as agriculture. Inside cities, the municipal code may regulate hive placement.
Texas regulates dangerous wild animals (lions, tigers, bears, primates, etc.) at the state level under Health & Safety Code Ch. 822, Subchapter E. Owners must register with the county animal registration agency and meet caging and insurance standards. Cameron County administers that registration locally.
Cameron County sets no general county ordinance banning backyard wildlife feeding, because Texas counties cannot zone. Feeding that attracts pests or creates filth can be addressed through county nuisance abatement, and native wildlife is protected and managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas is a right-to-farm state with a common-law open-range default: livestock owners are not automatically required to fence animals in. A county-adopted stock law changes that. Cameron County has no zoning, so livestock is limited by stock-law and nuisance rules, not zoning.
Animal hoarding is addressed through Texas cruelty law and county nuisance abatement rather than a numeric pet cap. Cameron County Animal Control investigates cruelty and hoarding complaints, and neglected animals can be seized under Health & Safety Code Ch. 821.
Unincorporated Cameron County sets no numeric limit on dogs or cats, because Texas counties cannot zone. The practical ceiling is nuisance and hoarding law. Inside cities, the municipal code often caps how many animals a household may keep.
Cats in Cameron County must be vaccinated against rabies by four months of age under state law. Texas has no automatic county cat-leash law, but the county may declare stray cats a nuisance and impound them as the local rabies control authority.
Tex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 826.021
The owner of a dog or cat shall have the animal vaccinated against rabies by the time the animal is four months of age and at regular intervals thereafter as prescribed by department rule.
1 cities in Cameron County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Cameron County Ordinance Hub →