Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 121.006 · Chapter 121. PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
IMPROPER USE OF ASSISTANCE AND SERVICE ANIMALS; OFFENSE.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly represents that an animal is an assistance animal or a service animal when the animal is not specially trained or equipped to help a person with a disability. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not more than $1,000; and
(2) 30 hours of community service to be performed for a governmental entity or nonprofit organization that primarily serves persons with visual impairments or other disabilities, or for another entity or organization at the discretion of the court, to be completed in not more than one year.
(b) A person who habitually abuses or neglects to feed or otherwise neglects to properly care for the person's assistance animal or service animal is subject to seizure of the animal under Subchapter B, Chapter 821, Health and Safety Code.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2427, ch. 842, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3311, ch. 865, Sec. 4, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, Sec. 4, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 838 (H.B. 489), Sec. 5, eff. January 1, 2014.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 757 (H.B. 4164), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HR/htm/HR.121.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 cb0fc714097ed15c41da96002e4ca57219ab9b579c86770891c66ff089be2bb0
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.