Relating to state preemption of and the effect of certain state health and safety laws on certain municipal and county regulations, including a law providing that an elephant is a dangerous wild animal.

HB 5042 prevents Texas cities and counties from creating local regulations that conflict with specific state health and safety laws, including those governing wildlife. It adds elephants to the state’s official definition of "dangerous wild animal" under the Health and Safety Code (Section 1.006), which now explicitly lists elephants as a species requiring state-level regulation. This means local ordinances about elephant ownership or handling would be invalid if they contradict state law. The bill applies only to legal claims arising after its September 2025 effective date.