The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would ax local rules banning dogs at restaurant patios.

Senate Bill 476 by Kelly Hancock would prohibit cities from passing ordinances that ban or significantly restrict patrons from bringing their dogs to local eateries. The dog would still have to remain outside, on a patio or other outdoor eating area, on a leash on the floor and not on a "seat, table, (or) countertop."

The restaurant would have to post a sign stating dogs are permitted and would ensure no food is being prepared in the area.

Hancock, a Republican whose districts snakes around Fort Worth, Arlington and Irving, is usually critical of policies in liberal cities like Austin. But he said his effort to allow dogs at restaurants was based on the capital's local rules.

"A good idea is a good idea," Hancock said on the Senate floor Tuesday. Several North Texas cities have passed local ordinance restricting dogs at restaurants.

The bill promptly passed by a vote of 30-1. Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, cast the one dissenting vote. Afterward, Seliger said his vote doesn't mean he opposes dogs at restaurants but that he thinks cities should be able to set their own rules.

"It's a local control thing," he said, noting he was a dog owner until his pup was hit by a car.

The bill now heads to the House for further debate.