Garland, TX Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

The Building and Standards Commission, created by § 32.25 as the successor to the old Property Standards Board, is a nine-member panel appointed by the City Council for staggered two-year terms. Under § 32.28(A), the City itself can open a case by filing a complaint with the board, but so can any private person: anyone who wants a case heard must file it with the City on forms or in a format the City prescribes, and the City opens the case once it determines there are sufficient facts and evidence to proceed. The board's jurisdiction under § 32.26 reaches structural and fire-safety defects, dangerously damaged or deteriorated premises, and conditions from accumulated refuse or vegetation that breed insects and rodents.

Once a case is filed, § 32.28(B) requires notice by certified mail to the record owner and any lienholder, posting on the property for unknown owners, and newspaper publication at least ten days before the hearing. At least five of the nine members must sit on any case, and a majority vote decides it. The board can order repair on a fixed timeline, declare a premises substandard, or order vacation, securing, or demolition under § 32.27, and can assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 a day for commercial or multifamily property or $100 a day for residential property. A person aggrieved by the board's final order can appeal to district court under Texas Local Government Code § 54.039, per § 32.29.