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.
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See how Harris County's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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