Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Does my animal need a city tag?
Yes, If you reside in the City of Rosenberg and you have a dog and/or cat over the age of 4 months, your animal must wear a city tag.

Sec. 4-46. Annual license tag required; fee.
(a) Every owner of a dog or cat must obtain a tag for each dog or cat by presenting to the city a certificate showing that each dog or cat so owned has been vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian with antirabies vaccine within one (1) year prior to the date of the issuance of the dog or cat tag.
(b) Prior to the issuance of the dog or cat tag, each owner of a dog or cat shall pay to the city an annual dog or cat license fee which shall be two dollars ($2.00).
City of Rosenberg animal registration tags cost $2.00 and are issued and renewed annually the same date the rabies vaccination expires every year. Tags may be purchased at Rosenberg Animal Control or at City Hall - Customer Service.

2. What is rabies?
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus carried in the saliva, cerebral, and spinal fluid of animals infected with the rabies virus. Wild animals such as skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes and raccoons are animals that have the highest probability of transmitting the rabies virus.

Care should be taken at all times to avoid situations where your household pet and a wild animal may meet. If you see a wild animal displaying strange behavior, beware. Any slight change in what is normal behavior could be signs that the animal may possibly be infected with the rabies virus.

Extreme caution should be used if you, or anyone in your family is approached by a strange animal. Advise your children of the possible hazards of stray or wild animals.

3. Does my dog or cat need a rabies vaccination?
Yes, All dogs and cats are required by Texas State law to be vaccinated against rabies from the time they are 4 months old, and annually there after.

Sec. 4-61 Vaccinations States:
Every owner of a dog or cat four (4) months of age or older shall have such animal vaccinated against rabies. All dogs or cats vaccinated at four (4) months of age or older shall be revaccinated at one (1) year of age and annually thereafter. Any person moving into the city from a location outside of the city shall comply with this article within thirty (30) days after moving into the city. If the dog or cat has inflicted a bite on any person or another animal within the last ten (10) days, the owner of such dog or cat shall report such fact to the veterinarian, and no rabies vaccine shall be administered until after the ten-day observation period.
Sec. 4-62 Certificate of vaccination.
Upon vaccination, the veterinarian shall execute and furnish to the owner of the pet animal as evidence thereof, a signed certificate of rabies vaccination. The veterinarian shall retain a duplicate copy and such certificate shall contain the following information:

• The name, address, and telephone number of the owner of the vaccinated pet animal.
• The date of vaccination and revaccination.
• The type of rabies vaccine used.
• The year and number of the rabies tag.
• The breed, age, color and sex of the vaccinated pet animal.

4. Is there a leash law?
Yes, if you reside in the City of Rosenberg, any domestic animals that you have on your property must be physically confined to the premises by an enclosed fence, cord, chain, leash, or any other type of physical confinement. Also, animals must be on a leash, chain or restricted and regulated when they are not within the property limits of the owners.

4-1 Definitions states that Running at large shall mean:

• 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.
• Off premises of owner. Any animal which is not physically or continually restrained by some person by means of a leash or chain of proper strength that precludes the animal from making any unsolicited contact with any person, their clothing, their property and/or their premises.
• Confined in cage, etc. Provided, however, that any animal confined within a cage, automobile or other vehicle of its owner shall not be deemed at large.

5. What is considered Running At Large?
Any animal off the premises or unrestrained on the premises of its owner (not on a leash or in a vehicle) is considered running at large.

A animal running free is a danger. It could be hit by a car, eat discarded and possibly poisoned foods or bones, be cut by glass or nails, or can spread diseases to your household pets, or other pets in the neighborhood. Loose dogs and cats can also scatter garbage and cause damage to neighboring lawns.

6. My animal is missing, what should I do?
Call the City of Rosenberg Animal Control at 832-595-3490. All dog and cats running loose are impounded and held for 3 working days from the day they are impounded.

If your dog or cat has been impounded, to reclaim your animal/s the following will apply:

• $ 5.00 impoundment fee
• $ 3.00 per day , per animal kennel fees
• Current rabies vaccination certificate, or estimated $ 9.00 - $ 12.00 per dog or cat will be collected and the animal/s are transported to a Veterinarian to receive current rabies vaccination.
• Current License Tag, or $ 2.00 to purchase one with proof of a current rabies vaccination.

7. What happens to stray animals?
All stray dogs and cats impounded are held for three working days and either:

• Reclaimed by the owner
• Adopted
• Euthanized

Sec. 4-117. Disposition of impounded owner-identified dogs and cats
If the owner of an impounded dog or cat is known, notice must be given to him. Any impounded dog or cat which its owner identified may be redeemed by the owner upon payment of the impoundment fee, care, and feeding charges and such other costs as set by the city. If such animal is not redeemed within three (3) working days, it shall be considered abandoned and may be placed for adoption, subject to payment of the impoundment fee, care and feeding charges, veterinary charges and such other costs as set by the city, or the animal control officer may humanely euthanize such animal.
Sec. 4-118. Disposition of impounded stray animals.
Any stray impounded animal may be redeemed upon payment of the license fee, care and feeding charges, veterinary charges, rabies vaccination charges and such other costs as set by the city. If such animal is not redeemed within three (3) working days, it shall be deemed abandoned and may be placed for adoption subject to payment of the license fee, impoundment fee, care and feeding charges, veterinary charges, rabies vaccination charges and such other costs as set by the city, or the animal control officer may humanely euthanize such animal.

8. How do I adopt an animal from the City of Rosenberg Animal Shelter?
Owner release animals and animals that have cleared their 72 hour hold are tested for potential adoption. This includes temperament testing, and health observations. All animals passing the above testing are held for adoption as space permits.

If you are interested in adopting one of the animals we have available for adoption, the procedure is as follows:

• $ 8.00 adoption fee.
• $ 8.00 - $ 9.00 fee for the rabies shot
• $ 27.50 - $ 65.00 for the spay or neuter

9. How many dogs and cats can I have?
As a resident in the City of Rosenberg, you are allowed to have 4 dogs and/or 4 cats, or a combination of animals not to exceed 4.

Sec. 4-31. Number limited.

• It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, harbor, possess, maintain or allow to be kept, harbored, possessed or maintained more than four (4) dogs or four (4) cats or a combination of such animals with the total number not exceeding four (4), over three (3) months old, upon or within any premises owned, occupied or under the control of such person within the city.
• It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, harbor, possess, maintain or allow to be kept, harbored, possessed or maintained more than two (2) dogs or two (2) cats or a combination of such animals with the total number exceeding two (2), over three (3) months old, upon any premises or within any apartment of a multiple dwelling structure within the city. The animal control officer shall have full authority to limit the number of dogs, cats, and any and all other animals per apartment, in any specific area of the complex, or in the multiple dwelling complex as a whole and he shall have the authority to enforce any such regulation as he may deem necessary for the control of rabies and for the health and safety of the people within such multiple dwelling complexes.
• The provision of this section limiting the number of dogs and cats shall not apply to the following:
• Veterinary hospitals;
• Pet shops;
• Kennels;
• Circuses;
• Animal shelters.
• Any owner of more than four (4) dogs and cats shall be considered a kennel, see section 4-136 et seq.

• Any person conducting, managing, owning or maintaining a kennel within the city shall have a valid permit for such establishment.
• The term commercial kennel shall include any lot, enclosure, structure, building or premises wherein any person or entity engages in the business of boarding, breeding, buying, letting for hire, trading for a fee or selling dogs or cats; provided, however, this definition shall not apply to animal shelters, veterinary clinics or animal hospitals operated by veterinarians duly licensed under the laws of the State of Texas.

• Any person desiring to operate an animal establishment including a kennel under this article shall make written application to the customer service department for permit on forms provided by the city.
• If the applicant has withheld or falsified any information on the application, the city may refuse to issue such permit.
• It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, possess or maintain in the city a kennel within six hundred (600) feet of any actual residence or habitation for human beings, church, school or hospital, other than the residence of the keeper, possessor or owner of such kennel, such distance to be measured as specified in subsection (d) below.