It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, harbor or maintain in the city, any of the following animals:
(A) Wild animals. Any wild animal, including but not limited to a monkey or other nonhuman primate, skunk, raccoon, jaguar, leopard, lynx, tiger, lion, ocelot, bobcat, cheetah, sloth, mountain lion, panther, bear, wolf, coyote, fox, armadillo or other carnivorous animal is prohibited.
(1) Hybrid animals, resulting from crossing wild with domestic species, are also prohibited.
(2) It shall be a defense to prosecution under this section that the animal being kept was an infant or injured animal which was not capable of surviving on its own and that such animal was kept for 72 hours or less, or for such reasonable time as was necessary before giving the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian.
(B) Poisonous animals. Any poisonous or venomous biting or injecting species of amphibian, arachnid or reptile, including snakes, shall also be prohibited. Snakes not indigenous to this state are also prohibited.
(C) Livestock. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, harbor or maintain livestock in the city. Any cattle, cow, sheep, goat, donkey, swine, pig (excluding potbelly pigs), hog or other livestock are prohibited on any tract or parcel of land within the city. Any livestock animal being housed and maintained by a Godley Independent School District owned facility for purposes of Future Farmers of America (FFA) student projects is exempted from this subsection. A person, firm or entity that presently keeps, harbors or maintains in the city livestock at the time of the passage of this subsection is exempt from this subsection until the land/property is sold, subdivided, transferred or otherwise changes hands to another person or entity. At such an occurrence the exempted use for keeping, harboring or maintaining livestock terminates.
(D) Fowl. Any duck, goose, turkey, emu, peacock, ostrich or other fowl are prohibited.
(1) Chickens (not roosters) are permitted as follows:
(a) Owner shall not keep or maintain more than four chickens;
(b) Chickens shall be kept a distance of 50 feet or more from any habitation located on another's property;
(c) Chickens shall be kept in a coop or pen and not allowed to run at large outside of that pen or coop enclosure; and
(d) In connection with all of the above, the premises and facilities used for keeping chickens, including pens and/or coops must be kept in such a manner as to prevent the emission of odor offensive to persons of ordinary sensibilities in the neighborhood or the existence of any nuisance to the public health.
(E) Endangered species. Any native or foreign species or subspecies of mammal, bird, amphibian or reptile or the dead body or parts thereof which appear on the United States Department of the Interior or the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife endangered species lists are prohibited.
(F) Bees. No person shall construct, place or maintain any beehive within 500 feet of any residence other than the residence of the owner except with the written, documented consent of the occupants of all residences within the distance restriction.
(G) A person in violation of divisions (A), (B) and/or (D) of this section on the effective date of the passage and approval of this chapter, shall have a period of six months from the effective date to remedy and gain full compliance before enforcement and prosecution may commence.
(Ord. 01-04-2018-ANIMAL, passed 1-4-2018)