For the purpose of this chapter, the following phrases, words and their derivatives shall be construed as defined in this section. All other words shall have their usual meaning. Words used in the present tense include the future; the singular number includes the plural, and the plural includes the singular; reference to the male gender includes the female; and references to any person or animal without specifying gender include both male and female. The word “shall” is mandatory and directory wherever it is used in the chapter. Whenever a public official is referred to by only the title of his office, such reference shall be construed as if followed by the words “of the City of Lubbock or his authorized deputy,” unless the context indicates otherwise. Other words defined are:
Leaving any animal(s) in an enclosure or location without providing food, water, adequate shelter from sun, excessive heat or cold, rain, hail, ice or snow, or failing to provide veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering. This definition also includes leaving any animal(s) at a residence or location that is not occupied by any person(s) greater than 50% of any 30-day period, except while on business, vacation or other customary absences.
Any living creature, except human beings, classified as a member of the Kingdom Animalia and including, but not limited to, mammals, birds, reptiles and fish.
Any person, partnership, or corporation engaging in the business of buying, selling, or trading animals to others in any public area, including, but not limited to, sale of any animal at a roadside stand, booth, flea market, or other temporary site. This definition does not include private party animal sales or government-operated animal shelters.
Any facility or business that has custody or control of animals within the city including, but not limited to, pet shops, pet grooming facilities, animal auction facilities, or commercial kennels. This term does not include veterinary or medical facilities, research or other facilities licensed by government agencies.
Any exhibition or act featuring performing animals, including circuses, temporary animal exhibits, petting zoos, and private zoos. Such exhibitions shall not include resident or nonresident dog and cat shows which are sponsored and/or sanctioned by the animal services division.
An establishment operated by the city for the temporary confinement, safekeeping, and control of animals which come into the custody of the city.
Any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with special needs, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
An animal (excluding sterilized and registered cats) that meets one (1) of the following criteria:
On premises of owner. Any animal not confined to the premises of the owner by some physical means of sufficient height, strength, length, and/or manner of construction to preclude the animal from leaving the premises of the owner. Any animal being contained by a fence that, because of the fence’s lack of height or general disrepair, cannot properly restrict the animal shall be considered at large.
Off premises of owner. Any animal which is not physically and continually restrained by some person by means of a leash or chain of proper strength and length that precludes the animal from making unsolicited contact with any person, their clothing, their property, or their premises.
The term shall not include animals, with required permits, being exhibited while under the immediate physical or vocal control of a person, so long as the animal demonstrates complete and immediate compliance with all physical or vocal commands of the person. |
Any place or facility where animals are regularly bought, sold or traded. This definition does not apply to individual sales of animals by private owners.
A domesticated carnivorous mammal that is scientifically known as Felis catus. Cats and related terms are defined as follows:
Ear tipping. A technique for painless removing of a quarter-inch off the top of a feral cat's left ear by a licensed veterinarian while the cat is anesthetized for spaying/neutering for the purpose of permanently identifying a feral cat that has been evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized.
Feral cat. Any cat which is too poorly socialized to be handled (and therefore must be trapped and sedated for examination) and cannot be placed into a typical pet home.
Feral cat caregiver. A person who feeds feral cats, performs trap-neuter-return, and provides long-term care and monitoring for adult feral cats that are returned.
Feral cat colony. Three or more cats, "loosely owned," "quasi-owned," or "marginally owned" who have been fed and cared for at some level but are not claimed by any one person.
Free roaming cats. Cats which are not confined to the house or an enclosure and are at large.
Managed feral cat colony. A group of feral cats living together and having strong blood ties in which all cats have been sterilized and vaccinated and are provided daily food and shelter by a feral cat caregiver. The caretaker follows the most structured form of TVARM. This means to trap, vaccinate, alter, return, and manage.
Registered feral cat colony. A feral cat colony that is registered with animal services and meets all requirements of this chapter.
Stray cat. Cats which are currently or recently owned which may be lost from their homes.
The city director of animal services, their authorized representatives, local rabies control authority, animal control officers, a law enforcement officer, or other authorized employees of the city. The director of animal services shall be responsible for the enforcement of this chapter and any regulations promulgated hereunder, unless otherwise provided by law.
Establishments that engage in activities that include animal dealer, animal establishment, and animal exhibition, as those terms are defined herein.
Any individual animal, other than a dog, which, because of its physical nature and/or vicious propensity, would constitute a danger to human life or property; or any animal that is possessed of tendencies to attack or to injure human beings or other animals;
An animal that commits an unprovoked attack on a human being, that causes bodily injury and occurs in a place other than an enclosure in which the animal was being kept and that was reasonably certain to prevent the animal from leaving the enclosure on its own;
An animal that commits unprovoked acts in a place other than an enclosure in which the animal was being kept and that was reasonably certain to prevent the animal from leaving the enclosure on its own, and those acts cause a person reasonably to believe that the animal will attack and cause bodily injury to that person; or
An animal that makes an unprovoked attack on a domestic animal or domestic fowl that causes bodily injury or death, and which occurs when such animal is at large.
A dog that:
Makes an unprovoked attack on a person that causes bodily injury and occurs in a place other than an enclosure in which the dog was being kept and that was reasonably certain to prevent the dog from leaving the enclosure on its own;
Commits unprovoked acts in a place other than an enclosure in which the dog was being kept and that was reasonably certain to prevent the dog from leaving the enclosure on its own and those acts cause a person to reasonably believe that the dog will attack and cause bodily injury to that person; or
Meets the definition of a dangerous dog under applicable state law.
Any animal not normally considered domesticated which, because of its size, vicious nature, or other natural characteristic would constitute a danger to human life, property, or domestic animals, or any animal that is restricted from ownership by any state or federal law including, but not limited to, the following animals:
Reptiles: venomous reptiles, crocodiles or alligators;
Birds: emus, ostriches, rheas, and any species illegal to own under federal or state law;
Mammals: ocelots, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, cougars, bobcats, wolves, dingoes, coyotes, jackals, elephants, weasels, martins, minks, badgers, pandas, bears, raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, cheetahs, servals, caracals, hyenas, baboons, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, any species illegal to own under federal or state law, and any animal which is, or may be hereafter, listed as a “high risk” animal in the Texas Rabies Control Act; or
Any hybrid of any animal classified as a “dangerous wild animal.”
The City of Lubbock Animal Services.
A domesticated animal that is a member of the canine family and scientifically known as Canis familiaris.
The city director of animal services, their authorized representatives, local rabies control authority, animal control officers, a law enforcement officer, or other authorized employees of the city. The director of animal services shall be responsible for the enforcement of this chapter and any regulations promulgated hereunder, unless otherwise provided by law.
Any unbranded sheep, cattle, horses, or mules found running at large, or any branded sheep, cattle, horses, or mules found running at large, or any swine found running at large. The term does not include any unweaned animal specified in this definition that is running with its mother.
A tag issued by or on behalf of animal services by an authorized issuing agent. Identification tags shall only be issued to animals that are currently vaccinated against rabies and shall expire annually or upon expiration of the rabies vaccination whichever occurs first. Identification tags shall be issued annually to all dogs and cats over the age of four (4) months.
The placing of an animal in the city’s animal services facility or the taking into custody of an animal for the purposes of transportation to the city’s animal services facility.
Any treatment of an animal prohibited by any provision of law including federal, state and local laws, ordinances, or rules.
For purposes of this chapter only, any establishment where a person, partnership or corporation keeps dogs or cats primarily for the purpose of breeding, buying, selling, trading, showing, training or boarding such animals.
Includes, regardless of age, sex or breed, horses, consisting of all equine species including mules, donkeys, and jackasses; cows, consisting of all bovine species; sheep, consisting of all ovine species; llamas or alpacas; goats, consisting of all caprine species; and pigs, consisting of all swine species.
A passive electronic device that is injected into an animal by means of a hypodermic-type syringe device. Each microchip shall contain a unique and original number that is read by an electronic scanning device for purposes of animal identification and recovery by the animal’s owners. The microchip implant shall be supplied with an exterior collar-type tag for purposes of an external means of notifying others that the animal has been implanted with a microchip.
An electronic scanner with an operating frequency that is able to detect a microchip that has been implanted in an animal and display the number of the microchip to its operator. The microchip reader shall be of a type that activates and displays the number of a microchip manufactured by multiple vendors.
Any animal, male or female, rendered incapable of breeding or being bred.
Any person, partnership, corporation, association or legal entity that harbors, shelters, keeps, controls, manages, possesses, or has whole or part interest in any animal. The occupant, owner or head of household of any premises where an animal remains for seventy-two (72) hours or more shall be rebuttably presumed to be the owner of such animal, unless the animal has been reported to the city enforcement agency as a stray animal. An occupant of any premises on which a dog or cat remains or customarily returns is a person responsible for it under this chapter. If a person under the age of seventeen (17) years owns an animal subject to the provisions of this chapter, the head of the household of which such person under the age of seventeen (17) years is a member shall be the person responsible for the animal under this chapter. Such household head may himself be under the age of seventeen (17) years and therefore subject to prosecution under this chapter. There may be more than one person responsible for an animal.
Any animal that may be kept as a pet within the city so long as all of the required provisions of this chapter are met, and is not a dangerous wild animal or a wild animal, including but not limited to the following animals:
Reptiles: any nonvenomous reptile that is not protected from ownership by any state or federal law;
Birds: any birds commonly kept as pets that are not protected from ownership by any state or federal law, or any bird kept for falconry purposes by a state and federally permitted falconer;
Fish: any fish commonly kept as pets that are not protected from ownership by any state or federal law; or
Mammals: includes any mammals commonly kept as pets including dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, rats, mice, chinchillas, and sugar gliders but not limited to these.
The use of any horse, pony, mule, donkey, or burro to provide rides to, or to pull wagons containing, individuals other than the animals’ owners, whether gratuitously or for a fee.
The individual sale of a pet animal by private owners to other private owners that occurs at the residence of either the seller or buyer.
The director of the city health department.
The conduct of any owner in allowing an animal to:
Engage in conduct which establishes such animal as a “dangerous animal”;
Damage, soil, defile or defecate on private property other than the owner’s or on public property, unless such waste is immediately removed and properly disposed of by the owner of the animal;
Be “at large” (excluding sterilized and registered cats that are identified by some means of traceable identification);
Cause a disturbance by excessive barking or noisemaking near the private residence of another;
Produce odors or unclean conditions sufficient to offend a person of normal sensibilities standing or which creates a condition conducive to the breeding of flies or other pests;
Chase vehicles, or molest, attack or interfere with other animals or persons, or is at large on public or private property; or
Create a condition that is dangerous to human life or health; renders the ground, the water, the air or the food a hazard or injurious to human life or health or that is offensive to the senses; or that is detrimental to the public health.
Failure to secure and maintain proper fencing which has or may allow the animal(s) to be at large.
To take into custody, place in confinement, and isolate from human beings and other animals. The quarantine period for a dog, cat, or a domestic ferret for rabies observation is ten (10) days or 240 hours from the date and time of the bite, scratch or other exposure, or as recommended by the regional veterinarian from the department of state health services.
The director of animal services or other designee of the city manager.
A rabies certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian and an identification tag recognized by animal services from an approved issuing agent.
To control an animal by physical means so that it remains on the premises of the owner, or, when off the owner’s premises, by means of a cage or leash or rope under the direct control of a person of sufficient strength to control the animal.
A fenced area or structure that is:
An animal rendered incapable of reproduction by means approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
To chain, tie, fasten, or otherwise secure an animal to a fixed point so that it can move or range only within certain limits.
Identificationby means of an identification tag or microchip that can be readily used by animal services to identify the current ownership of an animal.
The inoculation of an animal with a rabies vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture for use in that species and which is administered according to the label’s directions by a veterinarian for the purpose of immunizing the animal against rabies.
Any establishment maintained and operated by a licensed veterinarian for surgery, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals.
An organization that has met all of the state and federal requirements to possess wildlife for educational purposes.
Any facility, other than a pet shop, kennel, or wildlife education center, displaying or exhibiting one or more species of nondomesticated animals, and operated by a person, partnership, cooperation, or governmental agency.
(1983 Code, sec. 4-1; Ordinance 2006-O0025, sec. 1, adopted 3/8/2006; Ordinance 2013-O0008, sec. 1, adopted 2/14/2013; Ordinance 2025-O0135 adopted 12/2/2025)