Record Livestock Marks and Brands With the Webb County Clerk

Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 144 says owners of cattle, hogs, sheep, or goats must record their earmarks, brands, and other identifying marks with the county clerk where the animals are kept. The Webb County Clerk handles this and posts a marks-and-brands memo and application on its website.

In a county with more than two million acres of pasture, this is not a formality. A recorded brand can matter when livestock are sold, moved across pastures, inherited, or disputed. The record is a legal step, not just a design burned onto a gate or painted on a fence.

Brands don't last forever on the books. State law has a periodic re-recording window, and the system is moving toward a centralized digital registry, so an old family brand may need to be renewed. Before you lean on a brand, check the Webb County Clerk's current forms and confirm your registration is up to date.