Denton, TX

Denton caps home stereo, TV, and instrument noise at 65 dBA measured 50 feet away during both daytime and nighttime hours, dropping to 50 dBA for adjacent units in multi-family…

Denton caps outdoor amplified sound at 70 dBA at the event perimeter under Sec. 17-20. Special event permits from the city are required for outdoor concerts, festivals, and block…

Denton has no standalone leaf blower ordinance. Leaf blowers are regulated under the general noise provisions of Sec. 17-20 and the construction-hours framework. As of January 1, 2025…

Homes built or rebuilt near Denton Enterprise Airport in the Airport Compatibility Land Use District must meet FAA noise mitigation standards or grant the city an avigation easement…

Denton makes it illegal to play a car radio, stereo, or amplifier loud enough to be clearly audible more than 35 feet from the vehicle. Denton Code Enforcement handles it under the…

Denton bars building construction and repair noise outside set daily windows that shift with the season and shrink further on weekends.

Denton Code Ch. 17, Art. II (Sec. 17-20) prohibits noise of such character, intensity, and duration as to substantially interfere with comfortable enjoyment of private homes. Outdoor…

Denton Code Sec. 6-9 prohibits any animal from creating noise that interferes with neighbors' reasonable enjoyment of their property. Residents within 300 feet may file complaints with…

Denton doesn't ban any dog breed. A dog is declared "dangerous" only after an unprovoked attack, triggering strict confinement, insurance, and registry rules.

Denton's zoning code caps veterinary clinics in the MD district at 5,000 square feet per lot and bans on-site livestock veterinary care in the MN, MD, and MR districts entirely…

Denton regulates pet groomers and similar animal-care businesses as a "Commercial Animal Service" land use, capping outdoor play areas near homes to a 9 p.m. curfew and requiring a…

Denton requires every cat or dog four months or older kept in the city to be microchipped and registered with the microchip company under Sec. 6-14 of the city code.

Denton Code Section 6-6 prohibits keeping dangerous wild animals within city limits. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822 Subchapter E requires registration, liability insurance…

Denton requires proof of sterilization before releasing a dog, cat, or ferret age six months or older that is redeemed from a second or subsequent impound, or the owner pays a…

Denton lets registered caretakers feed and shelter feral cat colonies under a trap-neuter-return policy, but the privilege only holds as long as the colony doesn't become a nuisance or…

Denton Code Section 6-8 requires all dogs to be restrained by leash or confined when off the owner's property. Section 6-14, effective May 2024, replaced pet licensing with mandatory…

Denton Code Chapter 6 Article IV regulates residential beekeeping. Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 131 requires all beekeepers to register apiaries annually with the Texas Apiary…

Denton prohibits livestock including cattle, horses, goats, and sheep in residential zones unless the lot meets minimum acreage for agricultural zoning. Denton Development Code Table…

Texas has no standalone hoarding statute; officers use Health & Safety Code Chapter 821 to seize animals deprived of necessary food, care, or shelter, and a court can divest the owner…

Texas lets hunters bait and feed game animals, including deer, on private property statewide. Baiting is unlawful on most public land, for wild turkey in the East Zone, and for all…

Denton caps backyard accessory dwelling units at 800 square feet or 75% of the main home's size, whichever is greater, and allows just one per lot on qualifying residential properties.

Denton's zoning code confines sheds and other accessory structures to the rear yard, requires a 3-foot setback from every property line, and bars them from sitting in any easement.

Denton allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, sized up to 800 square feet or 75 percent of the primary home's floor area, whichever is greater, under the Denton Development Code.

All consumer fireworks are banned within Denton city limits per Chapter 29 Fire Code. TX Occupations Code Ch. 2154 authorizes cities to ban fireworks within city limits and does not…

Denton bans recreational fires citywide and sets a strict 300-foot setback for any open burning or bonfire under its amended Fire Code, on top of any county-level TCEQ burn ban.

TX Health & Safety Code Ch. 766 requires smoke detectors in all Denton rentals. Landlords must install and test within 7 days of written request.

Recreational fires, including backyard fire pits and campfire-style gatherings, are banned everywhere inside Denton's city limits under the locally amended fire code, with only a…

Northern and western Denton County contains significant wildland-urban interface areas where grasslands and oak woodlands meet rural subdivisions. The Texas A&M Forest Service maps…

Selling, transporting, dispensing, or storing propane (LP-gas) in Texas requires a license from the Railroad Commission of Texas under Natural Resources Code Chapter 113. Only the…

Denton requires every short-term rental to be registered with Development Services before it can be advertised or rented, with a citywide cap on residential certificates.

Denton bars registered short-term rentals from being used as party venues and requires hosts to give guests written noise rules: three noise notices in 12 months can get the…

Denton does not impose a minimum-night requirement for STR bookings. Rentals are defined as 24 hours to 29 consecutive days. One-night stays are permitted under city rules, though…

STR operators must collect and remit state Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) of 6% plus City of Denton HOT of 7% for a combined 13% tax on all rentals under 30 consecutive days. TX Tax Code…

Denton STR operators must advertise the maximum number of guests the property can accommodate and may not exceed that number. The International Property Maintenance Code (adopted by…

Denton STR listings must disclose available parking and guest vehicle limits. Guest vehicles must park on-site or in legal street parking spaces. No parking on lawns or in fire lanes…

Denton revokes a short-term rental registration after three code violation notices or citations on the property within any 12-month period.

Denton does not prohibit artificial turf in residential landscaping. Texas Property Code 202.007 prevents HOAs from requiring natural grass or banning water-conserving landscaping…

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Texas under TX Water Code Section 16.0121. Texas Property Code 202.007 prohibits HOAs from banning rainwater collection systems. Denton…

City code requires parkway trees be trimmed so no branch hangs lower than seven feet above the curb, keeping the street and sidewalk clear for vehicles and pedestrians.

Denton requires a tree removal permit before clearing protected trees on development sites, mandates preserving at least 30 percent of heritage and quality tree dbh, keeps 100 percent…

Denton requires all irrigation systems to follow a mandatory twice-weekly watering schedule under the city's Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, with tighter drought-stage…

Texas Property Code 202.007 prohibits HOAs from banning water-conserving natural landscaping including native plants and xeriscaping. Denton encourages native and drought-tolerant…

Denton Code Section 17-40 treats weeds the same as tall grass. Weeds exceeding 12 inches on improved lots or 18 inches on vacant lots trigger a violation notice. Noxious weeds and…

Denton hot tubs fall under TX H&S Code Ch. 757 if they hold 18+ inches of water. A locked ASTM F1346 safety cover may replace barrier fencing. GFCI and a visible disconnect switch are…

Denton requires a building permit for all in-ground and above-ground swimming pool and spa installations. Applications are submitted through the eTRAKiT online portal. The city has…

Along designated streets bordering Texas Woman's University, Denton requires a valid TWU parking permit displayed on the vehicle wherever curbs are painted black and signage is posted…

Denton prohibits parking or storing a recreational vehicle, travel trailer, boat, or similar large vehicle on any public right-of-way in a residential zoned district: only passenger…

Denton makes it illegal to park a vehicle in the front, side, or rear yard on anything but an improved parking surface, treating grass and dirt parking as a code nuisance.

Denton has no citywide overnight street parking ban. The 72-hour limit and residential permit zones near UNT/TWU are the primary restrictions.

Denton bans keeping more than one inoperable or junked vehicle on any property, and declares an exposed junked vehicle a public nuisance subject to abatement.

Denton Ch. 28 enforces a 72-hour street parking limit citywide. Residential permit zones near UNT and TWU. Downtown metered at 2-hour limits.

Denton does not set its own non-consent tow rates. The city rewrote its entire towing article on November 19, 2024 by Ord. No. 24-2174, and Sec. 23-102 fixes the drop fee and the tow…

Denton bans painting or marking curbs and other public property, with a narrow exception letting property owners paint house numbers on their own curb.

Denton loading zones require a written permit from the citizens traffic safety support commission, and parking in one without authorization is a criminal offense.

Denton restricts vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVWR in residential zones. One light commercial vehicle allowed behind front building line on paved surface.

Denton's Development Code permits a home-based business as an accessory use in every zoning district in the city, but caps it at two off-site employees, four patrons at a time, and…

Denton Development Code prohibits all external signage for home occupations. No on-premises or off-premises signs, window displays, or any visible indication of business activity is…

Texas HHSC licenses home daycares in two tiers: listed family homes (1-3 unrelated children) require listing only, and registered child-care homes (up to 12 children) require…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 Subchapter B (Texas Cottage Food Law) allows home-based food production with annual sales up to $75,000. No city permit, inspection, or food…

Denton limits home-based businesses to four patrons on-site at once and bars customer visits after 8 p.m. under the Denton Development Code.

Texas does not require neighbor notice or cost-sharing for boundary fences. Denton has no local neighbor consent requirement. Disputes are civil matters.

Denton exempts fences from the Certificate of Appropriateness required for other exterior work in the Bell Avenue and West Oak historic districts, but every fence must still meet the…

Denton DDC Sec. 7.8 requires fences be structurally sound and maintained. Barbed wire prohibited in residential. Buffer yard screening fences required.

Denton allows wood, masonry, iron, chain link, vinyl, and composite fencing. Tarps, pallets, and corrugated metal prohibited as permanent fencing.

Denton requires new homes in the floodway fringe to sit at or above the city's minimum building elevation, a set freeboard above the base flood elevation.

Denton bills a drainage charge against every parcel of real property in the city under the state Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act, funding the city's stormwater and drainage…

Denton bars any construction, alteration, fill, or grading in a mapped floodway or floodplain until the city engineer issues a development permit under Chapter 30.

Denton requires a permit before any clearing, grading, grubbing, stockpiling, excavating, or other earthwork, with a narrow exemption for disturbances under 25 cubic yards and 2,000…

Texas prohibits damaging, destroying, or removing a sand dune or its vegetation seaward of a dune protection line or within a critical dune area unless a permit authorizes the work…

Denton city parks close to the public every night at 10:00 p.m. and stay closed until 6:00 a.m., with no exceptions for after-hours strolling or hanging out.

Texas HB 1819 (88th Legislature, 2023), codified at Local Government Code 370.008 (originally 370.007), prohibits all Texas municipalities and counties from adopting or enforcing…

Denton bans blocking a public street or sidewalk with a vending stand, display, or other obstruction unless the city secretary has issued a permit, keeping walkways and roadways clear…

Denton requires anyone placing facilities, excavating, or occupying a work area on, in, or over a public right-of-way, sidewalks included, to get a right-of-way permit from the city…

In Denton, the property owner abutting a sidewalk pays to construct, reconstruct, or repair it once the city council orders the work by resolution: the city only covers excavation and…

Denton adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code by ordinance, and any plumbing work here requires a permit from the Building Safety Department that expires if unused within 180…

Denton doesn't force sprinklers into an ordinary house, but its amended R313 triggers automatic sprinklers in R-3 buildings that cross size or height thresholds.

Denton requires three scheduled inspections for residential construction: underground, rough-in, and final, before work can proceed or occupancy is granted.

Denton's code official can halt construction work immediately with a stop-work order when it violates the building code or is unsafe, and continuing work after being served brings a…

Denton requires carbon monoxide alarms in existing dwellings whenever a permitted alteration, repair, or addition occurs, or whenever a bedroom is added, with alarms placed the same…

Denton enforces the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code on all new construction and major renovations, with local amendments set by ordinance.

Denton has adopted the 2021 edition of the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), and a permit is required before any electrical work begins on a building or structure in the city.

Denton requires elevators, escalators, and dumbwaiters to meet ASME A17.1 standards with a current inspection certificate posted at all times.

Denton requires a permit from the police chief before any parade, and a special event permit from Parks and Recreation before gatherings of 200+ people, street closures, tents, stages…

Denton requires organizers of neighborhood block parties to get a special event permit from Parks and Recreation, filed at least 14 days before the event date.

Denton requires a Park Use Agreement or facility rental agreement to reserve park spaces, recreation facilities, or athletic fields for group events, with usage fees set by the city…

In Denton's historic Square District, restaurants and shops can spread tables and retail displays onto the sidewalk, but anything crossing into the public right-of-way needs an…

Denton requires a special event permit before any street fair, festival, or carnival with 200+ attendees, or one where vendors sell merchandise, food, or drinks on city property.

Denton charges a 7% hotel occupancy tax on room rates of $2 or more a night, collected by the operator and remitted monthly or quarterly to the city.

Denton bans aggressive solicitation: nonconsensual contact, blocking someone's path, or threats made while asking for money. Violators face a Class C misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine.

Denton prohibits carrying an open or previously opened glass container on streets, sidewalks, or parking areas throughout the Fry Street District unless you're still on the premises…

Denton bans smoking on or within 30 feet of any city-owned athletic field or parks facility, plus other listed outdoor buffer zones.

Denton bans skateboards, roller skates, and similar toy vehicles from city roadways, except when crossing at a marked crosswalk, where riders must follow pedestrian rules.

Denton police are barred from citing or arresting people for low-level marijuana possession, except in narrow felony-related investigations.

Denton requires tree limbs, shrubs, and yard waste to be prepped a specific way before curbside pickup, or the city will skip your pile.

Denton's solid waste department is the exclusive provider of municipal waste collection, so private roll-off dumpsters and commercial containers require an annual city hauler permit…

Denton's Solid Waste Department runs a mandatory valet trash collection service in director-designated areas with limited dumpster space, and customers there cannot opt out of the…

Denton makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to dump refuse, trash, or debris on any street, alley, waterway, or public or private property.

Every commercial property in Denton must run an on-site recycling diversion program and file an annual diversion plan with the city.

Trash is collected weekly and recycling every other week. Find your day with the address lookup on the city's Trash Service page. Several holidays delay collection one day, and carts…

Denton requires recyclables to go loose into city-issued bins, never bagged, and accepts only current 'program materials'; noncompliant containers are simply left uncollected under the…

Every residential property owner in Denton must sign up for and maintain city solid waste and recycling service: if any utility is active at the address, trash pickup must be active…

Denton requires curbside trash and recycling carts to be set out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and by 7 a.m. on collection day, then stored out of public view afterward.

Denton won't collect bulk trash or construction debris over four cubic yards at the regular curb pickup: residents must arrange a temporary container, landfill haul, or recycler.

Denton's zoning code allows warehouse and modular data centers only in specific commercial and industrial districts, requiring a 100-foot residential setback, opaque screening, and a…

Denton restricts data center operations, including on-site electrical equipment, to a maximum of 60 dBA measured at the property line, with any increase in ambient noise capped at 3…

Denton lets residential projects that set aside affordable units trade into density-boosting relief: smaller lots, taller buildings, and reduced parking under the Development Code's…

Denton requires a Certificate of Design Consistency for new construction, exterior changes, or demolition anywhere in the Denton Square District downtown.

Denton treats garage and yard sales as 'occasional sales' under its Development Code, capping residential lots at three sales a year, one every four months, three days each, under a…

Denton exempts eave-height soffit and wall-mounted security lights on houses from full lighting review, but only if they're downcast and aimed away from neighboring properties; other…

Denton's Development Code requires full cutoff, shielded, downcast fixtures for parking lots and pedestrian paths, capping light spillover onto neighboring properties at one…

Denton bans signs illuminated so intensely or without shielding that they hazard drivers or intrude on nearby homes, and bars flashing, moving, or digital illumination on billboards.

Denton's Development Code sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks separately for each zoning district; corner lots must meet the front setback along both streets, and alleys…

In Denton's R4 residential district, a single-family, townhome, or duplex lot can be covered by buildings on no more than 50 percent of its area.

Denton's Development Code limits most single-family residential zoning districts (R1 through R7) to a 40-foot maximum building height, while the low-density RR district allows up to 65…

Denton's noise ordinance makes it a nuisance violation to create loud, excessive noise while loading or unloading a vehicle, including opening or destroying bales, boxes, crates, or…

Denton outlaws bass reverberation or vibration from speakers or amplifiers that a neighbor can feel, see, or hear inside their own home, with no decibel threshold required to prove a…

TX Property Code 202.010 bars Denton HOAs from banning solar panels. HOA rules cannot increase cost by more than 10% or cut output by more than 10%. Violations are void under state law.

Denton requires building and electrical permits for solar panels. TX Property Code 202.010 bars HOA bans on solar. Denton Municipal Electric handles grid interconnection approval.

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapters 18 and 28 require owners of vacant lots to maintain their property free of tall weeds, accumulated debris, and safety hazards. Vacant lots must have…

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapter 28 (Property Maintenance) and Chapter 18 (Health and Sanitation) establish comprehensive standards for property upkeep in residential and commercial…

Posting a "No Solicitors" or "No Handbills" card at your door legally bars salespeople from knocking, ringing your bell, or leaving flyers: solicitors who ignore it face citation under…

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 (Peddlers, Solicitors, and Itinerant Merchants) requires door-to-door solicitors, peddlers, and itinerant merchants to obtain a permit from the…

Cannabis home cultivation is illegal in Denton and all of Texas. TX Health and Safety Code Ch. 481 classifies marijuana as Schedule I. Growing plants is charged as manufacture…

Cannabis dispensaries are prohibited in Denton and statewide. Texas has not legalized recreational marijuana. Only DPS-licensed Compassionate Use dispensaries operate, and none are in…

Denton does not have rent control or rent stabilization ordinances. Texas Local Government Code Section 214.902 expressly preempts municipalities from adopting any ordinance…

Denton does not have a just cause eviction ordinance. Texas law does not require landlords to provide a specific reason for declining to renew a lease or terminating a month-to-month…

City code requires every dwelling unit to have its own working bathtub or shower, lavatory, water closet, and kitchen sink to remain a habitable rental.

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, a Texas landlord must give a defaulting or holdover tenant at least three days' written notice to vacate before filing a forcible detainer (eviction)…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019 a residential late fee must be reasonable and may be charged only if written in the lease and the rent stays unpaid two full days after due. A fee is…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy by giving notice, and the tenancy ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after notice is…

Texas places no statutory limit on how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit. However, the landlord must refund the deposit within 30 days after the tenant surrenders the…

In Texas a squatter can claim title only through adverse possession, with periods that shorten as the claim strengthens: 3 years under title or color of title (§ 16.024), 5 years with…

Denton's Development Code creates a Landmark Tree designation for historically or civically significant trees and requires developers to preserve 100 percent of them, on top of…

Denton's tree code singles out Post Oak by species, granting it Heritage-tree protection at just 6 inches dbh while other species need 18 inches to qualify.

Denton requires street trees in the right-of-way for new development, spaced no more than 50 feet apart, with the adjoining property owner on the hook for upkeep.

Denton's Development Code lists General Agriculture as a permitted by-right use in all 16 base zoning districts, and holds farming operations to the state Right to Farm Act's hazard…

The Texas Right to Farm Act, Agriculture Code Chapter 251, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and local regulations after one year of operation. HB…

Denton's film permit ordinance regulates recording of moving images, not still photography. City Code defines 'film' as capturing moving images onto video or motion-picture media, so…

Filming that blocks a public right-of-way in Denton requires a separate street closing permit filed at least 14 working days ahead, with a barricade plan and a signed neighbor petition.

Denton requires a permit for commercial filming, and the city manager can deny or condition it if the noise a production requests would unreasonably affect the surrounding neighborhood.

Non-consent tow companies, trucks, and operators in Denton must each hold a separate annual permit from the police department before towing any vehicle without the owner's consent.

Denton allows a sexually oriented business only in the Heavy Industrial district and only with a specific use permit, and bars it from operating adjacent to an arterial street within…

Denton's Development Code flatly bars auto repair shops from operating as home-based businesses in any residential zoning district.

Denton's zoning code classifies vape and e-cigarette retailers as a 'Smoke Shop' and expressly bars that use from operating as a Home-Based Business, so a vape shop must run out of a…

Denton requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer -- buying or selling used vehicles, tires, clothing, machines, firearms, weapons, radios or appliances -- to hold an annual…

Tattoo and body piercing parlors in Denton must hold current licensing and certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the zoning code limits where these…

Denton treats garage sale signs as temporary signs. On-site signs need no permit. Signs in the right-of-way or on utility poles are prohibited. Sales are limited in frequency per Code…

Signs along IH-35 in Denton can be measured for height from the principal lanes or frontage road, not just the curb, letting freeway-facing signs stand taller than standard ground…

Denton prohibits construction of any new billboard citywide and bars converting existing legal billboards to digital or LED display.

Denton does not require permits for residential holiday displays. Lights, inflatables, and decorations are allowed. Displays must not obstruct sidewalks or create hazards under Code…

Texas Election Code Section 259.002 protects the right to display political signs in Denton County. HOAs cannot prohibit political signs beginning 90 days before an election through 10…

Denton requires every mobile food establishment to hold a 12-month city health permit, operate from an approved commissary, and file an itinerary. Units cannot vend from a street…

Denton requires mobile food units to operate only in properly zoned locations, get HOA sign-off for residential stops, and secure written city permission before vending on any street…

Food trucks and mobile food vendors operating in Denton must obtain a Mobile Food Vendor Permit from the City of Denton Development Services Department. Operators must also hold a…

Denton's vulnerable road user ordinance tells cyclists where to ride on the roadway and requires drivers to give bikes at least 3 feet of passing room, more for trucks.

Denton cannot operate red-light cameras. Texas Transportation Code Section 707.020, added by House Bill 1631 in 2019, bars every local authority from running a photographic traffic…

Texas lets golf carts onto public roads in four defined situations rather than by general permission: inside a platted master planned community, on a beach open to vehicular traffic…

Recreational drone flights in Denton are governed primarily by federal FAA regulations and Texas Government Code Chapter 423 (privacy protections). Denton city parks prohibit drone…

Commercial drone operations in Denton require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and compliance with Texas Government Code Chapter 423. Flights near Denton Enterprise Airport…

Denton property owners must keep structures and yards free of insect and rodent infestation and exterminate promptly when pests are found, per City Code Sec. 17-156.

Denton requires every food service employee to hold a valid food handler card within 10 days of being hired.

Denton allows reclaimed water for landscape irrigation only with purple pipe, backflow protection, and posted bilingual warning signs.

Denton utility customers who want a bill credit for a water leak must repair it within 30 days of detection and apply within 60 days of the repair.

New commercial, industrial, and multifamily development in Denton must screen from adjacent land uses with a landscaped buffer, and by code that buffer can't be planted in turf grass…

Denton's outside-storage nuisance ordinance carves out a specific defense for smokers and barbeque grills kept in your yard or carport.

Denton city code bars HOAs and other community associations from enforcing bylaws or CC&Rs that prohibit residents from installing window air conditioning units needed for health and…

Under the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act, unpaid assessments become a lien (Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0094), but a Texas HOA may not foreclose that lien without first…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs residential subdivision homeowners associations, not condominium associations and not associations that are themselves subject to the Public…

Property Code Section 202.007 voids any homeowners association rule that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, and Section 202.008 bars fines for a brown…

Texas Property Code section 202.012 stops homeowners associations from banning display of the U.S. flag, the Texas flag, or an official U.S. armed forces flag. An association can…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs HOA fines, but only for mandatory-membership subdivisions; condos fall under Chapter 82 instead. State law sets no dollar cap on a fine, only a…

A Texas property owners' association cannot sell your home at a trustee's sale the way a mortgage lender can. Tex. Prop. Code Section 209.0092 requires the association to obtain a…

Texas Property Code Section 209.016 sets no cap on how much of a subdivision an association can rent out, no minimum lease term, and no grandfather clause: a declaration can still ban…

Denton's City Council can designate buildings, structures, sites, or land as protected Historic Landmarks through a standalone zoning designation, based on cultural, architectural, or…

Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 expressly preempts municipal and county minimum wage ordinances. The state minimum wage equals the federal floor of $7.25 per hour, and political…

Texas appellate courts have struck down municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio as preempted under the Texas Minimum Wage Act. HB 2127 (2023) further…

Texas authorizes License to Carry (LTC) holders to carry concealed handguns statewide under Government Code Chapter 411. Since 2021, permitless constitutional carry under HB 1927 also…

Texas Local Government Code Section 229.001 broadly preempts municipal regulation of firearms, ammunition, knives, and related accessories. Cities cannot adopt or enforce ordinances…

Texas authorizes open carry of holstered handguns statewide for adults 21 and older under Penal Code 46.02 and HB 910 (2015). Long guns may be openly carried subject to disorderly…

Texas Penal Code 46.02(a-1) lets any non-prohibited adult carry a handgun inside a personally-owned or leased motor vehicle or watercraft without a License to Carry. Since HB 1927…

Texas nonprofits can conduct bingo only under a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which absorbed the Texas Lottery Commission's charitable bingo program on…

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 234, Subchapter E lets any county's commissioners court license, zone, and inspect "game rooms": for-profit businesses with six or more skill or…

Texas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b) supplies a defense: gambling that happens in a private place…

Texas licenses no retail sportsbook and no betting app. Placing a wager on the outcome of a game, contest, or a player's performance is a criminal offense under Penal Code §…

The Texas Legislature has authorized exactly one vehicle checkpoint program, and it has nothing to do with alcohol. Government Code Section 411.0095 lets the Department of Public…

Texas has never enacted an express statutory right to film police, so the legal boundary for a bystander with a phone is set by the offense of Interference with Public Duties, Texas…

Texas Penal Code Section 38.02 makes it a crime to refuse your name, residence address, or date of birth only after a peace officer has already lawfully arrested you. Being detained on…

No Texas statute obliges a driver to consent to a vehicle search, and none requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What Texas law does require is a paper trail: Article…

The Texas Supreme Court in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) held that Health and Safety Code Section 361.0961 preempts municipal plastic bag bans. Cities and…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 161 sets the minimum age for purchasing or possessing tobacco and e-cigarette products at 21 statewide, aligned with federal Tobacco 21. Active…

Texas regulates extra lighting by color, count, height and aim rather than by naming underglow. Transportation Code Section 547.305 bars any lamp showing red from directly in front of…

Texas grants no square inches of windshield to a camera. Transportation Code Section 547.613(a)(1) makes it a misdemeanor to operate a vehicle with an object or material placed on or…

Texas banned motorcycle lane splitting in plain words on September 1, 2023. Transportation Code Section 545.0605(a)(3)(B), added by House Bill 4122 of the 88th Legislature, says the…

Texas outlaws license plate covers in Transportation Code Section 504.945(a)(7), which makes it an offense to display a plate carrying a coating, covering, protective substance or…

Texas does not prohibit owning, mounting or using a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. The one radar offense in the vehicle equipment chapter, Transportation Code Section…

Texas is one of the states that never wrote a studded tire calendar. Transportation Code Section 547.612(c) is the whole of the law: a tire on a moving vehicle may not carry a block…

Texas allows film down to 25 percent light transmission on both front side windows and on the windshield strip, with a matching ceiling of 25 percent luminous reflectance, and it sets…