Can I Bring My Plants? Moving to Texas
Can I bring my plants into Texas?
Texas is relaxed about true houseplants: grown indoors in shop-bought potting mix, they come in without paperwork. Anything that's lived outdoors needs a certificate from the state you're leaving, and citrus trees can't come in at all.
- Checked Sep 2026
What Texas asks for
- HouseplantsHouseplants (no outdoor soil)Fine
- Potted plants in soilPotted plants in soilConditional
- Citrus treesCitrus treesNot allowed
- Other fruit treesOther fruit treesConditional
- Nursery stock & shrubsNursery stock & shrubsConditional
- Cut flowers & bouquetsCut flowers & bouquetsConditional
- Seeds & bulbsSeeds & bulbsConditional
- FirewoodFirewoodDepends
- Hay & strawHay & strawDepends
- Soil & compostSoil & compostDepends
3 of these change depending on where you're leaving. Pick a state to see which.
Plant by plant
Houseplants (no outdoor soil)
Fine
A houseplant grown indoors in shop-bought potting mix, free of pests and disease, can come in without a certificate. Texas only asks that you contact the department.
Source & details
Houseplants that are grown indoors in commercially prepared potting mix, rather than in soil, and that are free of pests and diseases may enter Texas without certification on contacting the department.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026
Potted plants in soil
Conditional
- Certificate
A plant that's been grown or kept outdoors in soil needs a plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving, saying it's free of pests and disease.
You'd need: Plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Imported fire ant (7 CFR 301.81): Leaving a fire ant quarantine area with soil, baled hay or plants rooted in soil needs a federal certificate or permit, attached to the container, wherever you're going. (NM's only county was deregulated in Aug. 2025.) Leaving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or parts of Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. 7 CFR 301.81 Imported Fire Ant: Federal Domestic Quarantine (California PQM 214)
Witchweed (7 CFR 301.80): Witchweed is regulated in a handful of Carolina counties, not the whole of either state. Leaving one of those with soil or plants that carry it needs a federal certificate or permit; the rest of the Carolinas, it doesn't apply. Leaving parts of North Carolina, South Carolina. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart O: Witchweed (eCFR)
Golden nematode (7 CFR 301.85): Golden nematode is regulated in parts of a few New York counties, not the whole state. Leaving one of those with soil or plants that carry it needs a federal certificate or permit; the rest of New York, it doesn't apply. Leaving parts of New York. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart R: Golden Nematode (eCFR)
Houseplants grown or kept outdoors require a phytosanitary certificate from the department of agriculture of the origin state indicating freedom from pests and diseases.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026
Citrus trees
Not allowed
Citrus trees and anything in the citrus family can't come into Texas. The few exemptions are narrow ones for seed, not for the plant.
Because of: Citrus canker, Citrus greening (HLB).
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Citrus greening and Asian citrus psyllid (7 CFR 301.76): Citrus plants may not be moved interstate out of a citrus greening quarantine area unless a specific provision allows it. APHIS asks people not to mail or carry home-grown citrus plants out at all. Leaving Georgia, Florida, or parts of Alabama, California, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart N: Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllid (eCFR)
RESTRCTIONS: Citrus plants and other regulated materials are prohibited entry into Texas. Citrus seed produced in California is exempt from these rules.
Citrus, Orange Jasmine, and plants closely related to Citrus (Family - Rutaceae, Subfamily - Aurantioideae), and certain palm species are prohibited entry under the state quarantines.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026
Other fruit trees
Conditional
- Certificate
A fruit tree needs a plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving, saying it's free of insect pests and plant diseases.
You'd need: Plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Spongy moth (trees and shrubs with roots) (7 CFR 301.45): A tree or shrub with roots needs a federal certificate or permit to leave a spongy moth quarantine area. Anything greenhouse-grown all year is exempt, so this is about what has been living in your garden. Leaving Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, or parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart E: Gypsy Moth (eCFR)
Nursery or floral shipments of plant material originating outside of the state must be accompanied by a phytosanitary document applicable to the commodity from the origin State's Department of Agriculture stating that the plants are free of insect pests and plant diseases.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026
Nursery stock & shrubs
Conditional
- Certificate
- Inspection on arrival
Plants get inspected when they arrive in Texas. Anything covered by a pest rule that turns up without its certificate is turned away or destroyed.
You'd need: A state or federal plant health certificate, or a compliance document
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Imported fire ant (7 CFR 301.81): Leaving a fire ant quarantine area with soil, baled hay or plants rooted in soil needs a federal certificate or permit, attached to the container, wherever you're going. (NM's only county was deregulated in Aug. 2025.) Leaving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or parts of Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. 7 CFR 301.81 Imported Fire Ant: Federal Domestic Quarantine (California PQM 214)
Spongy moth (trees and shrubs with roots) (7 CFR 301.45): A tree or shrub with roots needs a federal certificate or permit to leave a spongy moth quarantine area. Anything greenhouse-grown all year is exempt, so this is about what has been living in your garden. Leaving Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, or parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart E: Gypsy Moth (eCFR)
Witchweed (7 CFR 301.80): Witchweed is regulated in a handful of Carolina counties, not the whole of either state. Leaving one of those with soil or plants that carry it needs a federal certificate or permit; the rest of the Carolinas, it doesn't apply. Leaving parts of North Carolina, South Carolina. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart O: Witchweed (eCFR)
State or federal phytosanitary certificates or compliance documents are inspected for products imported into the pest free areas of Texas.
Quarantined articles without proper certification are denied entry into the state or destroyed at the owner's expense.
Nursery plants, fruits, vegetables, hay, sod or any other article that can harbor a quarantined pest are inspected to ensure that they are free of quarantine pests and meet import requirements of Texas.
Quarantines, Texas Department of Agriculture · Quarantines, Texas Department of Agriculture · Quarantines, Texas Department of Agriculture · checked 14 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Cut flowers & bouquets
Conditional
- Certificate
Cut flowers get treated like any other plant here. They need a plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving, saying they're free of pests and disease.
You'd need: Plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving
Source & details
Nursery or floral shipments of plant material originating outside of the state must be accompanied by a phytosanitary document applicable to the commodity from the origin State's Department of Agriculture stating that the plants are free of insect pests and plant diseases.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Seeds & bulbs
Conditional
- Certificate
Bulbs count as plant material, so they need a plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving, saying they're free of pests and disease.
You'd need: Plant health certificate from the agriculture department in the state you're leaving
Source & details
Nursery or floral shipments of plant material originating outside of the state must be accompanied by a phytosanitary document applicable to the commodity from the origin State's Department of Agriculture stating that the plants are free of insect pests and plant diseases.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Firewood
Depends
This one depends on where you are leaving from. 13 states are treated differently from the rest.
From most states: Ordinary firewood is fine. Only hickory, pecan and walnut wood is restricted, and only heading untreated into a handful of pecan-weevil-free counties out west: El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio.
Because of: State firewood rules.
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Gypsy moth (outdoor household articles) (7 CFR 301.45): Firewood counts as an outdoor household article. Moving it out of a gypsy moth quarantine area needs a certificate, or the self-inspection checklist from the "Don’t Move Gypsy Moth" program aid. Leaving Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, or parts of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart E: Gypsy Moth (eCFR)
MATERIALS REGULATED: All hickory, pecan, and walnut trees and parts thereof, except extracted nut meats, originating from quarantined areas are quarantined. RESTRICTIONS: (a) General. Quarantined articles originating from quarantined areas are prohibited entry into or through the free areas of Texas listed in this subchapter, except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section.
Texas also prohibits the entry of out-of-state hickory, pecan, and walnut wood due to an exterior quarantine on the pecan wee
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · TX firewood rules, Don’t Move Firewood (The Nature Conservancy) · checked 16 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Hay & straw
Depends
This one depends on where you are leaving from. 6 states are treated differently from the rest.
From most states: Ordinary hay and straw come in freely. It's baled hay or straw stored right on the ground, leaving a red imported fire ant quarantined state, that needs a federal certificate or permit.
Because of: Imported fire ant.
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Imported fire ant (7 CFR 301.81): Leaving a fire ant quarantine area with soil, baled hay or plants rooted in soil needs a federal certificate or permit, attached to the container, wherever you're going. (NM's only county was deregulated in Aug. 2025.) Leaving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or parts of Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. 7 CFR 301.81 Imported Fire Ant: Federal Domestic Quarantine (California PQM 214)
Texas treats 6 origins differently
Alabama: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
Florida: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
Georgia: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
Louisiana: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
Mississippi: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
South Carolina: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so baled hay or straw stored on the ground needs a federal certificate or permit before it can cross into Texas.
RESTRICTIONS: Unless an exemption is granted, the movement of quarantined articles from any quarantined area into or through any point outside thereof must accompany a phytosanitary document or a permit.
MATERIALS REGULATED: The imported fire ant in any living state of development; soil, compost, decomposed manure, humus, muck, and peat, separately or with other things; plants with roots with soil attached; grass sod; baled hay and baled straw stored in direct contact with the ground; logs, pulpwood, and stumpwood; used mechanized soil- moving equipment;
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · checked 14 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Soil & compost
Depends
This one depends on where you are leaving from. 6 states are treated differently from the rest.
From most states: Ordinary soil and compost come in freely, and commercially packaged potting mix is always exempt. It's soil or compost leaving a red imported fire ant quarantined state that needs a federal certificate or permit.
Because of: Imported fire ant.
Source & details
Federal quarantines, depending where you are leaving
Imported fire ant (7 CFR 301.81): Leaving a fire ant quarantine area with soil, baled hay or plants rooted in soil needs a federal certificate or permit, attached to the container, wherever you're going. (NM's only county was deregulated in Aug. 2025.) Leaving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or parts of Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. 7 CFR 301.81 Imported Fire Ant: Federal Domestic Quarantine (California PQM 214)
Witchweed (7 CFR 301.80): Witchweed is regulated in a handful of Carolina counties, not the whole of either state. Leaving one of those with soil or plants that carry it needs a federal certificate or permit; the rest of the Carolinas, it doesn't apply. Leaving parts of North Carolina, South Carolina. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart O: Witchweed (eCFR)
Golden nematode (7 CFR 301.85): Golden nematode is regulated in parts of a few New York counties, not the whole state. Leaving one of those with soil or plants that carry it needs a federal certificate or permit; the rest of New York, it doesn't apply. Leaving parts of New York. 7 CFR Part 301 Subpart R: Golden Nematode (eCFR)
Texas treats 6 origins differently
Alabama: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
Florida: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
Georgia: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
Louisiana: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
Mississippi: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
South Carolina: Conditional . Fire ants are the problem with this state, so soil and compost need a federal certificate or permit before they cross into Texas. Commercially packaged potting mix is the exception.
RESTRICTIONS: Unless an exemption is granted, the movement of quarantined articles from any quarantined area into or through any point outside thereof must accompany a phytosanitary document or a permit.
MATERIALS REGULATED: The imported fire ant in any living state of development; soil, compost, decomposed manure, humus, muck, and peat, separately or with other things;
except potting soil that is shipped in original containers in which the soil was placed after commercial preparation.
Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · Texas Summary of Plant Protection Regulations, National Plant Board · 7 CFR 301.81 Imported Fire Ant: Federal Domestic Quarantine (California PQM 214) · checked 14 Sep 2026 · the general rule is clear, this exact case isn’t spelled out
Still stuck? The people who answer this in Texas are Texas Department of Agriculture .