The Nolan County
Sheriff's Office strives to protect all livestock from
harm, theft or from roaming at large and will enforce
all applicable laws to safeguard the welfare of the public
and the livestock. When reports of estray are received,
deputies in the patrol section are assigned, and are responsible
for enforcing all applicable laws and with particular
emphasis on the Livestock Laws of the State of Texas and
the Texas Agriculture Code. The Texas Agriculture Code
deems "Estray" as stray livestock, stray exotic
livestock, or stray exotic fowl. Loose livestock or estrays
are a major concern in Nolan County as the problem creates
a potential for damage to property and even death on our
roadways. With the continual growth in population and
more cars on the roadways the problem continues to grow.
The Texas Legislature has assigned the duties to the Sheriff
of each county to address the problem.
Discovery of an Estray
It is important to know that if a citizen discovers
livestock on his or her property without their permission
they must report the presence of the estray to the Sheriff
as soon as reasonably possible. It is then the Sheriff's
responsibility to attempt to identify the owner of the
animal and notify them for recovery except that if it
is determined that the Estray is dangerous to the public
then the Estray may be immediately impounded.
Running at Large on Highway Prohibited
A person who owns or has responsibility for the control
of a horse, mule, donkey, cow, bull, hog, sheep or goat,
may not knowingly permit the animal to traverse or roam
at large, unattended, on the right-of-way of a highway.
Estray Act (Stray Livestock)
The Nolan County Sheriff's Office is responsible for
transporting, selling and filing notice of livestock.
The general procedure once livestock is impounded by
the Sheriff's Office is for the Sheriff or deputy to
make a diligent search for the identity of the owner
of the Estray. If the search does not reveal the owner,
a Notice of Estray is filed with the County Clerk's
Office and a Notice of Impoundment is printed in the
local newspaper. If the Estray is not redeemed by the
owner, the Sheriff will sell the Estray at public auction.
Click here
to learn more about the Estray Laws.
Livedex Livestock Registry
The Nolan County Sheriff's Office is encouraging livestock
owners to call
and register today to start utilizing Livedex, a service
that allows deputies to quickly locate, identify and
contact livestock owners in the event of a stray. The
service is free and the information collected will be
classified, stored in a secure device and will only
be used by the office to locate and identify livestock
owners; it will not be shared or disseminated to any
private agency or entity.
Click here to learn more
about the Livedex Livestock Registry.
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