Fort Worth, TX Code Violation Reporting: Response Times (2026)

Under City Code § 11A-52, the code compliance director may issue a written abatement notice to any owner whose property has a Chapter 11A nuisance. If the owner does not comply within seven days after the notice is received, the director may enter the property, perform or arrange the abatement work, and charge the cost to the owner. Receipt is defined precisely: personal service counts as received the date it's delivered; mailed notice counts as received three days after mailing; notice by publication counts as received on the date the last notice runs (published at least twice within ten consecutive days when personal service or address can't be obtained); and posted notice counts as received ten days after posting.

If a nuisance is an immediate danger to health, life, safety or the environment, § 11A-52(g) lets the director skip notice entirely and abate on the spot. Where the city abates without prior notice, § 11A-53 requires the director to notify the owner within ten days of the abatement, describing the violation and the owner's right to an administrative hearing. The owner has thirty days from the abatement date to file a written hearing request, and once filed, the hearing itself must be held within twenty days.

Costs the city fronts to abate a nuisance become a lien on the property under § 11A-54, accruing interest at 10% per year, subordinate only to tax liens and street-improvement liens, and can't attach to homestead-protected real estate under the Texas Constitution.