A Wild Animal as a Pet
Health & Safety 822.103 — lions to coyotes, kept only with a certificate of registration
A person may not own, harbor or have custody or control of a dangerous wild animal for any purpose without a certificate of registration for that animal from the local animal registration agency, which is the city or county animal control office, or the sheriff where there is none.
Who handles this in Texas: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Texas directory.
- Lions, tigers, ocelots, cougars, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, bobcats, lynxes, servals and caracals.
- Hyenas, bears, coyotes and jackals.
- Baboons, chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas.
- Any hybrid of the animals on the list.
A certificate covers one animal, cannot be transferred, and lasts one year. The fee may not be more than $50 an animal or $500 a person. Keeping one without a certificate, or selling one to someone without one, is a Class C misdemeanor for each animal and each day.
Zoos, research facilities, circuses and some others are outside the subchapter, and a county or city may set its own rules. Whether a particular animal or keeper is covered is a question for local animal control or a licensed Texas attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- Health & Safety 822.103 — Dangerous wild animals; certificate of registration
- Health & Safety 822.101 — Dangerous wild animals; definitions
- Health & Safety 822.113 — Dangerous wild animals; offense and penalty
- Health & Safety 822.102 — Dangerous wild animals; applicability
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Texas attorney.