Galveston County, TX Ordinances (2026)

The county has no cat leash or roaming ordinance in the unincorporated area, but state rabies law lets it require restraint and impound strays. Cities may require registration and…

Texas counties cannot enforce a countywide leash law in unincorporated areas. Cities set leashing: Galveston bans running at large. Statewide, the county enforces dangerous-dog…

The county cannot zone livestock in the unincorporated area, but state law bars letting animals roam a highway right-of-way and lets voters adopt a stock law. Right-to-farm protects…

Texas treats animal hoarding through criminal cruelty law: unreasonably failing to provide food, water, care, or shelter is a Class A misdemeanor. The county can also abate the…

You cannot keep a dangerous wild animal (big cats, bears, most primates, venomous species) without a state-required certificate of registration. Galveston County's animal registration…

Texas law bars breed-specific bans. Galveston County and its cities cannot outlaw pit bulls or any breed. Dogs are regulated by behavior through the state dangerous-dog law, not by…

Home childcare is licensed by the State of Texas (HHSC), not by the county, which cannot zone. In the City of Galveston a residential day care may serve no more than six children…

The county cannot regulate signs by zoning. In the City of Galveston, a home based occupation is flatly barred from signs: 'No signage or on-site advertising permitted.' Unincorporated…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Galveston County places no zoning limit on a home business. Inside a city the city code governs; Galveston's Land Development Regulations…

Texas cottage food law lets you sell many homemade foods with no permit if gross income stays at $50,000 or less. Health & Safety Code 437.0191 says a cottage food operation is not a…

In unincorporated Galveston County, weeds are governed by Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343: uncultivated growth over 36 inches within 300 feet of another residence or business is…

Galveston County does not regulate plant choices on private property. Texas Property Code 202.007 protects owners' right to use drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving…

Rainwater harvesting is legal statewide and encouraged in Texas. Galveston County sets no permit for home rain barrels, and Texas Property Code 202.007 bars homeowners associations…

Composting is legal and encouraged in Texas. Galveston County sets no composting rule, and Property Code 202.007 stops an HOA from banning backyard composting of vegetation or leaving…

Consumer fireworks are broadly legal in unincorporated Galveston County under state law, but the commissioners court may restrict certain aerial fireworks during a declared drought…

Galveston County sets no smoke-alarm ordinance. Statewide, Texas Property Code requires landlords to install at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom of a rental dwelling; new…

Outdoor burning is allowed in unincorporated Galveston County only when no burn ban is active and only within TCEQ limits. The commissioners court can prohibit outdoor burning during…

Backyard recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Galveston County when no burn ban is active. State law bars igniting fireworks or open flames within 600 feet of churches…

Galveston County has no wildfire defensible-space code, but under state nuisance law it can order abatement of tall weeds and accumulated brush or rubbish on unincorporated-area lots…

Galveston County parks are open only during hours posted at each entrance, and overnight camping is banned except in designated campgrounds. A 2023 state law (HB 1819) abolished all…

Texas counties cannot zone, but state law bans public nuisances in unincorporated areas: accumulated rubbish, junk vehicles, and debris visible from the street. Inside cities like…

This is a real county power. Under Texas Transportation Code sec. 683.002, a vehicle left too long on public or private property is abandoned and can be taken and sold. Galveston…

The county sets no decibel limit. Statewide, Texas Penal Code 42.01 presumes noise unreasonable above 85 dB after a warning. City limits are tighter: Galveston caps sound at 75 dB(A)…

Galveston County has no county noise ordinance and cannot zone unincorporated areas. Inside a city the city code governs: Galveston caps sound at 75 dB(A) daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and…

Loud vehicles are governed statewide, not by the county. Texas Transportation Code 547.604 requires a working muffler that prevents excessive or unusual noise and bans muffler cutouts…

The county sets no outdoor-music rule. In Galveston, loudspeakers and amplifiers are barred outside the downtown district between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. and any time Sunday. League…

Illegal dumping is a state crime enforceable countywide: disposing of litter or solid waste at an unapproved site is an offense under Texas law, escalating from a Class C misdemeanor…

State law, not the county, sets pool-fence rules. Texas Health & Safety Code 757.003 requires a pool-yard enclosure at least 48 inches high measured from the ground on the side away…

A permanent above-ground pool over 18 inches deep is a 'pool' under Texas Health & Safety Code 757.001 and must have the same 48-inch enclosure and self-latching gate. The county sets…