Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 preempts any city or county from setting a minimum wage above the federal $7.25 per hour floor. Harris County cannot enact a higher local wage for private employers; only the county's own internal payroll policy may exceed the federal rate.
Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 expressly bars municipalities and counties from establishing a minimum wage that exceeds the federal Fair Labor Standards Act rate, currently $7.25 per hour since 2009. Harris County government has no authority to legislate a higher minimum wage for private employers within Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Pearland, Sugar Land, La Porte, or the unincorporated areas. The Commissioners Court has set a county-employee living wage floor (around $15 per hour) that applies only to direct county payroll and certain county contractors. Private workers default to the federal minimum, enforced by the United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division through its Houston district office.
Private employers paying below the federal $7.25 floor face USDOL back-wage liability, liquidated damages equal to back wages, and civil penalties for willful violations. Harris County imposes no additional local minimum wage enforcement on private businesses.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire enforces detailed quiet hours under its noise ordinance adopted in 2023. Quiet hours run Sunday through Thursday from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM (11:00 PM t...
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire prohibits all construction activity during quiet hours regardless of noise level. Construction is permitted only during non-quiet hours: 7:00 AM to ...
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire's noise ordinance prohibits all lawn care activities, including leaf blower use, during quiet hours regardless of noise level. During non-quiet hour...
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire Code Chapter 6 (Animals and Fowl) prohibits keeping dogs that create excessive noise disturbing neighbors. Barking dog complaints are handled by Bel...
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire's noise ordinance sets specific decibel limits for amplified music: 60 dB maximum in residential zones during quiet hours and 75 dB during non-quiet...
Bellaire, TX
Bellaire regulates street parking through Chapter 30 (Traffic and Vehicles) with restrictions on specific streets, time limits, and no-parking zones. The cit...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Harris County.
See how Bellaire's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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