A person commits a class A misdemeanor offense under section 42.09 of the Texas Penal Code, if within the city limits, the person sets up or allows to be set up on the person’s property a steel jaw trap, a spring trap with teeth or perforated edges on the holding mechanism, or any type of trap with a holding mechanism designed to reasonably ensure the cutting, slicing, tearing or otherwise traumatizing of the entrapped prey.
A person commits a class A misdemeanor offense under section 42.09 of the Texas Penal Code if the person knowingly exposes any known poisonous substance, whether mixed with food or not, so that the same may be eaten by any animal, excluding rodentia.
A person commits a class A misdemeanor offense under section 42.09 of the Texas Penal Code if the person:
(1) 
Deprives an animal of sufficient good and wholesome food and/or water, adequate shelter and protection from weather, veterinary care, and humane care and treatment;
(2) 
Beats, cruelly ill-treats, overloads, overworks or otherwise abuses an animal as described in section 42.09 of the Texas Penal Code, as amended; or
(3) 
Abandons any animal in the person’s custody.
(a) 
A person commits an offense if the person leaves a dog or other animal outside and unattended by use of a restraint that unreasonably limits the animal’s movement. In this article, a restraint unreasonably limits the movement of a dog or other animal if the restraint:
(1) 
Uses a collar that is pinch-type, prong-type, or choke-type or that is not properly fitted to the animal;
(2) 
Is a chain or tether wrapped directly around an animal’s neck;
(3) 
Is a length shorter than the greater of:
(A) 
Five times the length of the animal, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail; or
(B) 
10 feet;
(4) 
Is in an unsafe condition;
(5) 
Causes injury to the animal; or
(6) 
Is a chain or tether that weighs more than 1/8 of the animal’s body weight.
(b) 
An owner may not leave a dog or other animal outside and unattended by use of a restraint:
(1) 
Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.;
(2) 
Within five hundred (500) feet of the premises of a school; or
(3) 
In the case of extreme weather conditions in which:
(A) 
The actual or effective outdoor temperature is below thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit;
(B) 
A heat advisory has been issued by a local or state authority or jurisdiction; or
(C) 
A hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning has been issued or the jurisdiction by the National Weather Service.
(c) 
No unattended animal shall be restrained by any means on any public property such as city parks or utility easements, or on public access private property such as undeveloped lots or unfenced yards, or on any other plot or tract where the public has unrestricted access.
(d) 
Any restrained animal shall have continuous access to shade and water, and have unrestricted access to a wind and moisture proof shelter.
(e) 
Any restrained animal shall be arranged so that the restraint cannot become tangled around trees, poles or other obstacles nor prevent the access to shade, water and shelter.
(f) 
No animal shall be restrained in a manner whereby the animal is subject to harassment, stings or bites from outdoor insects, attacks by other animals, or in a manner which creates an unsafe condition or causes injury to the animal.
(g) 
Exceptions to the unlawful restraint of animals shall be governed by the provisions of Texas Health and Safety Code, chapter 821.078.
(h) 
Penalties for the unlawful restraint of animals shall be governed by the provisions of Texas Health and Safety Code, chapter 821.079.
A person commits an offense if the person keeps a dog or other animal within a fence/enclosure which is in such a state of disrepair that the animal may escape or be injured or may pose a threat to passers by.
A person commits an offense if the person sells, offers for sale, barters or gives away as toys, premiums or novelties, baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under three weeks old and rabbits under two months old, unless the manner or method of display is first approved by the animal control authority.
A person commits an offense if the person colors, dyes, stains or otherwise changes the natural color of any chickens, ducklings, other fowl or rabbits, or possesses, for the purpose of sale or to be given away, any of the above-mentioned animals which have been so colored.
A person commits an offense if the person gives away or auctions any animal as a prize for, or as an inducement to enter any contest, game or competition, or as an inducement to enter a place of business or amusement, or offer such animal as an incentive to enter into any business establishment whereby the offer was for the purpose of attracting trade.
No person may hunt, trap, wound, kill, maim, torture or otherwise threaten the health and safety of any indigenous wild animal in the city limits, excluding the trapping of nuisance wildlife under the authorization and supervision of the animal control authority; also excluding any person who holds a seasonal hunting license for a species for which there exists a hunting season, and that person’s hunting activities occur on property which is properly zoned, and property owner’s permission has been granted for such activity; or a person holds proper permits issued by the animal control authority or Texas Parks and Wildlife.
A person commits an offense if the person leaves any animal in any standing or parked vehicle in such a way as to endanger the animal’s health, safety or welfare. The animal control authority or peace officer is authorized to use reasonable force to remove an animal from a vehicle whenever it appears the animal’s health, safety or welfare is or soon will be endangered, and said animal shall be impounded. Animals in parked vehicles must not be at large, as defined in section 2.01.001 of this chapter.
The animal control authority shall liberally utilize the authority granted by section 821.022 of the Texas Health and Safety Code to seize and impound any animal, if the animal control authority has reason to believe that an animal has been or is being cruelly treated, pending a hearing before the municipal court on the issues of cruelty and disposition of the animal. Seizure of the subject animal prior to receiving a warrant is hereby authorized if such delay endangers the life of or would unreasonably prolong the suffering of the subject animal.
(a) 
Definition.
In this article, the term “public place” shall mean any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access and includes, but is not limited to, streets, highways, public rights-of-way, sidewalks, open air markets, flea markets, trade days, parking areas and parking lots, the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities and shops.
(b) 
Offense.
A person commits an offense if he/she sells, offers for sale, barters, trades, exchanges, or gives away an animal in a public place as defined herein. A person commits and offense if he/she receives a live animal through sale, barter, trade, exchange or giveaway that is conducted in a public place.
(c) 
Exception.
It is an exception to the provisions of this section that the person or entity is an authorized animal shelter maintained by a government entity or recognized animal welfare organization and offers the animals for adoption at no profit. The animal control authority is hereby authorized to enter onto premises utilized by any animal shelter or animal welfare organization for adoption of animals for the purpose of inspection of the premises for compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
(d) 
Authority for removal of animal.
The animal control authority shall have authority to remove or cause to be removed from the premises on which the animal is offered for adoption any animal which, in the determination of the animal control authority, poses a risk to the health of safety of the public or of other animals.