Conroe, TX Local Ordinances Guide

Conroe, Texas may not be the biggest city in the state, but it has its own set of local rules that residents need to follow. With 101 tracked ordinances across 33 categories, there is more here than you might expect.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Red-Light Cameras: Conroe cannot run red-light cameras. Texas outlawed photographic traffic-signal enforcement statewide in 2019, stripping every local authority, including this home-rule city, of the power to install or operate them..

Trash & Recycling

Dumpster Rules: Conroe bars any commercial dumpster or roll-off container from being visible from a public street or adjacent residential property. Owners can satisfy this six-foot opaque screening standard, or qualify for one of six listed defenses, such as being 50 feet from the street or property line..

Also covered: Yard Waste Collection (limited), Collection Schedule (limited), Recycling Requirements (limited). See the full trash & recycling guide for Conroe for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Conroe requires a permit before cutting down any protected tree, defined as six inches or more in trunk diameter, anywhere in the city limits. A standard removal permit covers up to five trees and expires after 30 days..

Also covered: Water Restrictions (moderate), Weed Ordinances (moderate), Tree Trimming (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Conroe for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Conroe makes it an offense to camp in any public area, streets, parks, drainage easements or common areas, unless it's a parks-department-designated spot or a permitted commercial campground, and caps permitted camping on private residential or undeveloped land at three days per month..

Also covered: Sit-Lie Rules (restrictive). See the full homelessness & encampment rules guide for Conroe for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: Conroe's subdivision code sets a single citywide setback standard rather than zoning-district tables: a 25-foot front yard, 5-foot interior side yard, and 10-foot rear yard apply regardless of a lot's size or use, with wider setbacks on major thoroughfares..

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Conroe requires owners of any private line, hydrant or irrigation system tied to the municipal water supply to fix leaks once notified, under Code of Ordinances section 70-41. Miss the three-day repair window and the lost water is billed at four times the normal rate.

Also covered: Recycled Water Rules (moderate). See the full water use rules guide for Conroe for details.

Public Conduct

Aggressive Panhandling: Conroe bans aggressive panhandling citywide and flatly bars any solicitation within 25 feet of a bank entrance or ATM, at marked crosswalks, on school blocks, or on a sidewalk cafe or bar patio..

Also covered: Skateboarding Rules (moderate), Loitering Rules (moderate), Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (restrictive). See the full public conduct guide for Conroe for details.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: Conroe requires a city stormwater permit and an engineer-prepared stormwater quality plan before any construction disturbing one acre or more can begin. Illicit discharges into the storm drain system are separately banned citywide..

Also covered: Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate), Erosion Control (limited), Flood Zones (restrictive). See the full environmental rules guide for Conroe for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: An owner whose property abuts a Conroe easement or right-of-way can get a permit for minor private encroachments like paving or parking pads, but the city takes no liability for them and can order their removal at the owner's expense at any time..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Obstruction Rules (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Conroe for details.

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: No one may stage or join a parade in Conroe without a permit from the department of community development, under Code of Ordinances Article V. Applications must be filed 10 to 180 days ahead with a nonrefundable fee, and 40 days ahead if a state highway is involved.

Also covered: Street Fair Rules (limited), Park Event Permits (restrictive), Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Conroe for details.

Curfew Laws

Park Curfew: Conroe parks and playgrounds are open daily only from dawn to dusk. Anyone other than city personnel on official business who is present in a park after closing is committing a violation, though lighted tennis and basketball courts may stay open until 11:00 p.m..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

No-Knock Registry: Conroe bars peddlers, hawkers, solicitors and canvassers from residential doorsteps before 9:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m.

Also covered: Solicitor Permits (limited). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Conroe for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Conroe's Fire Code amendment bans burning trash, leaves, weeds, grass or lumber anywhere in the city outside an approved container or incinerator. A one-time permit lets a property owner burn weeds, grass and timber to clear land for construction..

Also covered: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (moderate), Fireworks (moderate), Wildfire Zones (limited). See the full fire regulations guide for Conroe for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Conroe levies its own 7 percent hotel occupancy tax on room charges of $2.00 or more per day, and its broad definition of "hotel" sweeps in tourist homes and bed and breakfasts, so short-term rental hosts owe the same tax operators collect..

Business Licensing & Operations

Secondhand Dealers: Conroe requires anyone buying scrap metal or wiring from the public to hold a police-issued metal recycling license, post a $5,000 bond, buy from the public only between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and keep photo ID, thumbprint and video records of every transaction for years..

Also covered: Tattoo & Body Modification (moderate), Adult Entertainment (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Conroe for details.

Building Safety

Plumbing Permits: Conroe Code of Ordinances § 14-281 adopts the 2009 International Plumbing Code, with all appendices, as the city's plumbing code, governing every plumbing system's design, construction, and installation. Section 14-282 amends the IPC's fee, refund, appeal, and penalty provisions to route them through the city's own schedule and plumbing appeals board..

Also covered: Building Permits (moderate), Electrical Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Conroe for details.

Noise Ordinances

Vehicle Noise: Conroe makes it unlawful to run a car radio, stereo, or other amplified device mounted in or on a motor vehicle so as to create a sound nuisance. A vehicle sound source exceeding the city dB(A) limits, measured 15 feet from the vehicle, is prima facie a violation..

Also covered: Quiet Hours (permissive), Construction Hours (permissive), Barking Dogs (limited). See the full noise ordinances guide for Conroe for details.

Parking Rules

Loading Zones: Conroe caps stops in marked loading zones under Code of Ordinances section 66-65. Passenger curb loading zones allow three minutes for pickup or drop-off, extended to 15 minutes at hotel-adjacent zones.

Also covered: RV & Boat Parking (moderate), Driveway Rules (moderate), Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (limited). See the full parking rules guide for Conroe for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Conroe caps digital LED sign faces at 150 square feet and imposes strict operating standards on any face over 36 square feet, including an eight-second minimum static display and a two-second maximum transition. Off-premises static billboards may convert to digital only under a multi-year removal-and-agreement program..

Also covered: Window Signs (moderate), Garage Sale Signs (limited), Holiday Displays (permissive). See the full sign regulations guide for Conroe for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Conroe makes it a nuisance offense to let stagnant water, holes or unsanitary conditions accumulate on real property if they're likely to harbor mosquitoes, rodents, vermin or disease-carrying pests, with a $500 fine once the owner ignores a ten-day abatement notice from code enforcement..

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Vending Zones: Conroe confines mobile food courts to private property outside any public right-of-way and layers on site standards: paved pads, ten feet of separation between units, a fire lane, dedicated grease traps and freshwater hookups, plus off-street parking sized to the number of vendors..

Also covered: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (limited), Food Truck Permits (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Conroe for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules: STR guests in Conroe must comply with Chapter 66 parking rules. RVs and oversized vehicles require a police department permit to park on residential streets under Sec.

Also covered: Night Caps (permissive), Short-Term Rental Permits (permissive), Noise Rules (permissive). See the full short-term rentals guide for Conroe for details.

Tree Protection

Heritage & Protected Trees: Conroe defines a heritage tree as a healthy tree of 28-inch diameter or more, or a Texas Big Tree Registry-qualifying native species, and gives it the strongest protection in the tree code: removing one from a previously cleared site requires proving preservation would cause unnecessary hardship..

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: Conroe Code of Ordinances § 14-341 adopts the 1999 Standard Swimming Pool Code to govern residential and public pool construction, including its own fees, permits, and penalties. Section 14-342 replaces the code's fee table with the city's Appendix A schedule, and pools built before June 8, 1989 are grandfathered out of the requirements entirely..

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (limited). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Conroe for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Conroe regulates fencing through Chapter 14 (Building and Building Regulations), Article XI (Accessory Structures). Fence materials must comply with adopted building code standards.

Also covered: Height Limits (permissive). See the full fence regulations guide for Conroe for details.

Animal Ordinances

Breed Restrictions: Texas law bars Conroe from banning or restricting dogs by breed. Instead the city regulates individual dogs its animal control authority formally declares dangerous under Chapter 822 of the Health and Safety Code and Conroe Code §§ 10-80 through 10-82: mandatory microchipping, spay/neuter proof, a rigid secure enclosure, muzzle-and-leash rules in public, and a posted warning sign..

Also covered: Chickens & Livestock (moderate), Dog Leash Laws (limited), Exotic Pets (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Conroe for details.

Home Business

Signage Rules: Conroe Chapter 90 (Signs) governs all business signage. Sign permits are required for most permanent signs.

Also covered: Home Daycare (limited). See the full home business guide for Conroe for details.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: Solar panel installations in Conroe require electrical and building permits under Chapter 14. The adopted NEC 2023 governs solar PV system electrical requirements.

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: Recreational cannabis dispensaries are illegal in Texas. Only three licensed Compassionate Use Program dispensaries exist statewide.

Rental Property Rules

Rent Control: Rent control is prohibited in Texas by state law (TX Property Code Section 214.902). Conroe landlords may raise rent by any amount with proper notice.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Conroe Sec. 26-33 prohibits accumulation of garbage, rubbish, appliances, furniture, and tires unless entirely enclosed.

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (limited). See the full property maintenance guide for Conroe for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Conroe limits residential garage sales to one per year per residence. Each sale may not exceed 72 consecutive hours (3 days).

Drone Rules

Recreational Drones: Conroe does not have a local drone ordinance. Texas state law prohibits municipalities from adopting drone regulations.

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Conroe, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.