TEXAS CITY, Texas — Nearly 800 new Texas laws went into effect Friday, September 1, including laws specifically approved for animals.
New Texas laws on animals
Service animals: House Bill 4164 increases the penalty for people misrepresenting their dogs as service animals when they are not specially trained. Fines for violating this law have increased from $300 to $1,000.
The Texas Humane Legislation Network said there's been an increase in this in recent years.
Licensing breeders: Senate Bill 876 relates to the licensing and regulation of dog and cat breeders. Breeders with five or more females must become licensed. Previously, that number was 11. A license requires a facility to be inspected.
Animal cruelty: House Bill 598 makes it a crime for a person previously convicted of animal cruelty to own any pet for a period of five years after conviction.
Vet prices: House Bill 4069 requires disclosure of prices by a veterinarian before providing emergency treatment to an ill or injured animal.
Outside of your pets, there are new changes to saltwater fishing regulations. Texas Parks and Wildlife said the use of specialized devices on certain reef fish, like red snapper, is required.
Also, fishermen can now return to previous bag and size limits for spotted seatrout, which was scaled back after the 2021 freeze to help increase fish populations.