Rental Property Rules in Plano, TX

If you live in Plano or are thinking about moving there, rental property rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Plano has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of rental property rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Repairs & Habitability

Plano's amended 2024 International Property Maintenance Code requires landlords to heat rental dwellings to at least 68°F between October 1 and May 1. Section 6-54's rewrite of Subsec. 602.3 applies to every owner who rents or leases a unit, covers all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms, and only relaxes to 65°F once the heater is running at full capacity in extreme cold or in a milder climate zone.

Key details: Minimum temperature: 68°F (20°C), Oct. 1 – May 1. Reduced minimum: 65°F where avg. monthly temp >30°F. Who must comply: Any landlord who agreed to furnish heat. Rooms covered: Habitable rooms, bathrooms, toilet rooms. Max fine: $2,000/day (health & sanitation, § 1-4(a)).

Landlords who fail to supply the required 68°F minimum heat commit a misdemeanor under § 6-45, with fines up to $2,000.00 per § 1-4(a) because heat supply is a health-and-sanitation standard; every day the unit stays under-heated is a separate offense. The code official can order repairs, and repeat or unabated violations can proceed to prosecution in municipal court.

Just Cause Eviction

Plano has NO local just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a no-cause termination state under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001: a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by either party on 30 days' written notice without stating a reason. Fixed-term leases may be terminated for breach under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 24.

Key details: Local Ordinance: None: state law governs. Month-to-Month Termination: 30-day notice, no cause required (§ 91.001). Notice to Vacate: 3 days minimum, Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005. Retaliation Window: 6 months from protected act (§ 92.331). Eviction Court: Collin County Justice of the Peace court.

There is no Plano city forum for enforcing just-cause grounds. A tenant may raise retaliation as a defense in the justice-court forcible-detainer suit and may sue under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333 for one month's rent plus $500, actual damages, court costs, and attorney fees. Wrongful lockouts trigger one month's rent plus $1,000 under § 92.0081.

The rules around just cause eviction in Plano lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Rent Control

Plano has NO local rent control ordinance. Tex. Local Gov't Code § 214.902 preempts Texas cities from enacting rent control absent a declared disaster-related housing emergency and governor approval. The Plano Code of Ordinances contains no rent stabilization chapter.

No city overage exists. A retaliatory rent increase, within six months of a protected tenant act, triggers a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500 plus actual damages, court costs, and attorney fees under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333.

Plano is more permissive than most cities when it comes to rent control. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Plano gives residents more room on rental property rules. 2 of the 3 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

All of the above reflects Plano's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.