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Unregulated
| Balch Springs |
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| Beaumont | The code makes no mention of ferrets. Animal
control used to tell people that ferrets were illegal. This
practice stopped after they cited a ferret owner and were taken to
court, where they lost. The city council declined at that time
to make ferrets specifically legal, saying that they were legal by
default and that the court decision should make that clear.
Supposedly the superior of the director of animal control had been
unaware of his policy statements to the public prior to this case.
Code dated 10/2000.
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| Carrollton | Carrollton exemplifies the concern in
cities where ferrets are not specifically legal. For several
years the director of animal control there told any who asked that
ferrets were prohibited, and if a complaint was received would remove
the ferrets. In 2001 we have found that there is a new AC director
who acknowledges that there is nothing in the code of ordinances prohibiting
ferrets and therefore will tell folks they are legal. Code dated
1/1998.
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| Cedar Hill | This is a city with code that could be potentially
be taken as friendly or unfriendly depending upon who is enforcing
it. Code defines "small animal" to be a dog, cat,
skunk, raccoon, or other small wild animal. It goes on to require
registration, licensing, and vaccination of all "small animals"
and later to prohibit keeping of wild animals. So supposing
authorities decided to class a ferret as a small animal, it would
be required to have rabies vaccination and to be registered, and a
limit of 4 small animals per household would apply except for those
granted a variance permit at $1 annually. If they mistakenly
class a ferret as wild, it would be prohibited. Code dated 6/2000.
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| Cleburne | The code makes no mention of ferrets. The
definition of pet animal could be interpreted to include ferrets
or the definition of domestic animal could be interpreted to exclude
ferrets depending on the mindset of the authorities involved.
Nothing specifically indicates ferrets by common name or taxonomic
classification. Talk to animal control to find out their thinking
so that you'll be informed. Code dated prior to 1994.
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| Colleyville | Only portion of code as of 1/1999 that could
be applied to ferrets is a requirement for all dogs, cats, and "other
household pets" to be vaccinated against rabies. Note that
the city was reported by the local newspaper to be about to revise
its animal codes in late 2000.
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| The Colony | The code makes no mention of ferrets. Animal
control has been ferret friendly in the past, even holding a membership
in the club at times. The copy of ordinance reviewed was signed
into law 1/1988, and the copy was obtained sometime prior to 1994.
There is a good chance it is out of date, but animal control was still
friendly to ferrets as recently as 1997.
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| Corsicana | The code here is full of potential pitfalls for
the ferret owner but also full of potential loopholes if taken to
court. The definitions of domestic animal, pet animal, and wild animal
could all be interpreted to apply to ferrets depending on the mindset
of the authorities involved. Nothing specifically indicates
ferrets by common name or taxonomic classification. Talk to
animal control to find out their thinking so that you'll be informed.
Code dated 12/2000.
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| Farmers Branch | The code makes no specific mention of ferrets.
Code obtained from Farmers Branch animal control 1/1998 as a collection
of individual ordinances.
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| Forest Hill | The code makes no specific mention of ferrets.
However, it does limit the number of "any type of animal ...
more than 6 months old" to 5 per residence in residentially zoned
areas. It also requires rabies vaccination of "dogs, cats,
and other household pets." Code dated 12/1997.
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| Grand Prairie | The code makes no specific mention of ferrets.
Animal control in this city has been friendly to ferrets, including
them in vaccination clinics, adopting them out or releasing them to
ferret shelters, etc. If AC staff should change, wild animal
definition could be a problem. Code dated 2/2001.
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| Keller |
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| Kennedale | No mention of ferrets in the code. An unfriendly
animal control official might try to interpret ferrets as wild and
therefore prohibited. Code dated 8/2000.
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| McKinney | No mention of ferrets in the code. Code
dated 2/2000.
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| Paris | No mention of ferrets in the code. The
section on dangerous animals could be interpreted to prohibit ferrets
IF the chief of police was to categorize ferrets as dangerous.
In such a case a prohibited animal permit may be applied for with
a minimum fee of $100. Code dated 12/2000.
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| Richardson | Animal Control tells folks that ferrets
are legal and that they require a $1 registration fee. However,
there is no code specifying this. It is just a policy.
Code dated 6/2000.
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| Saginaw | No mention of ferrets in the code. Code
dated 9/1999.
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| Southlake | No mention of ferrets in the code. The
definitions of "wild animal" or "exotic animal"
could be interpreted to include ferrets and would therefore ban them,
so check with animal control for their current state of mind.
Code dated 2/2000.
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| Watauga | No copy of code available. Status reported
on word of club member residing in Watauga after their review of code.
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