Hidalgo County, TX Ordinances (2026)

Texas allows consumer fireworks on private property in the unincorporated area of Hidalgo County, but the Commissioners Court may by order restrict certain aerial and stick-type…

The Hidalgo County Fire Marshal regulates outdoor fires in the unincorporated area under Texas Administrative Code outdoor-burning rules. Contained recreational fires must be attended…

The Hidalgo County Fire Marshal enforces the International Fire Code and requires working smoke alarms in overnight accommodation facilities. Fire and life-safety inspections verify…

Hidalgo County has no wildland-urban-interface defensible-space mandate; brush clearance is addressed through outdoor-burning and burn-permit rules rather than a clearance ordinance…

Outdoor burning in unincorporated Hidalgo County is governed by Chapter 111 of the Texas Administrative Code and requires a burn permit from the Fire Marshal to burn brush. Burning is…

Hidalgo County sets no short-term rental occupancy cap in unincorporated areas because it cannot zone or license STRs. Any guest or maximum-occupancy limit comes from a city ordinance…

Short-term stays under 30 days owe Texas state hotel occupancy tax, and Texas Tax Code Chapter 352 lets an eligible county levy a county hotel occupancy tax of up to seven percent…

No Hidalgo County short-term rental parking rule exists for unincorporated areas, since the county cannot zone STRs. Off-street or guest-parking requirements are set only by city…

Hidalgo County has no amplified-sound permit or decibel ordinance for unincorporated areas. Loud parties, quinceaneras and outdoor amplified music outside city limits are governed only…

Hidalgo County sets no local decibel limits for unincorporated areas because Texas counties cannot adopt a noise-level ordinance. The only numeric standard is the state…

Hidalgo County has no general noise ordinance and no fixed quiet hours for its unincorporated Rio Grande Valley areas. Under Texas law counties cannot set countywide dBA curfews, so…

Hidalgo County has no local vehicle-noise ordinance, but statewide Texas Transportation Code Sec. 547.604 requires every motor vehicle to have a working muffler and bans muffler…

Unincorporated Hidalgo County has no ordinance banning overnight parking on public roads, but a vehicle left too long can become an abandoned vehicle under state law.

Oversized vehicles on unincorporated county roads are governed by state size and weight limits and stopping rules, not a local Hidalgo County parking ordinance.

On unincorporated county roads, street parking is governed by the Texas Transportation Code rather than a local Hidalgo County parking ordinance, which the county cannot broadly adopt.

Abandoned motor vehicles in unincorporated Hidalgo County are governed by Texas Transportation Code Chapter 683, which lets law enforcement take an abandoned vehicle into custody and…

Vacant and weedy lots in unincorporated Hidalgo County are regulated as public nuisances under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343. Overgrown lots, dumped debris, and…

In unincorporated Hidalgo County, blighted property is addressed under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343. The Commissioners Court runs an Unincorporated Area Nuisance Abatement…

Illegal dumping in unincorporated Hidalgo County is a state offense under Texas Health & Safety Code Section 365.012, enforced by the county. Disposing of solid waste anywhere other…

Unincorporated Hidalgo County has no cart-color or set-out ordinance because there is no county curbside service. State nuisance law requires refuse to be kept in a closed receptacle…

Hidalgo County sets no lot-coverage or floor-area ratio limit in unincorporated areas because Texas counties have no zoning authority. The county's land control is subdivision platting…

Hidalgo County has no general zoning, so there is no county-wide numeric building setback in unincorporated areas. Setbacks come from recorded subdivision plat building lines, reviewed…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Hidalgo County has no ADU or second-dwelling zoning ordinance. What does apply to a new accessory dwelling is a septic (OSSF) permit, a…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Hidalgo County has no minimum-dwelling-size or tiny-home ordinance. Placing a tiny home instead triggers a septic (OSSF) permit, a county…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Hidalgo County has no shed size, height, or setback ordinance. A simple storage shed with no plumbing needs no county building permit, but…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Hidalgo County has no garage-conversion ordinance and issues no building permit for interior work. But converting a garage into living…

In unincorporated Hidalgo County, dogs are controlled through the county's Rabies Control Authority and Texas law rather than a published municipal leash code. Texas Health and Safety…

In unincorporated Hidalgo County, tall weeds near homes and businesses are a public nuisance under Texas Health & Safety Code Section 343.011. The county's Nuisance Abatement Program…

Hidalgo County has no zoning, so it sets no neighbor or boundary-fence rules in unincorporated areas. Shared-fence rights come from Texas common law and deed restrictions, not county…

Texas counties have no general zoning authority, so Hidalgo County sets no fence-height limit in unincorporated areas. There is no county-wide maximum fence height. If your property…

Cottage food producers in Hidalgo County follow the Texas Cottage Food Law, not a county ordinance. No permit or inspection is required, and annual gross food income is capped at…

Home daycares in Hidalgo County are licensed by the state, not the county. Texas counties cannot zone. Texas Human Resources Code §42.041 bars operating a child-care facility without a…

Hidalgo County sets no fence rule for residential pools in unincorporated areas. Texas bars counties from building-coding one- and two-family homes. Public and spa pools must be…