Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 preempts any city or county from setting a minimum wage above the federal $7.25 per hour floor. Dallas County cannot enact a higher local wage.
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. Dallas County government has no authority to legislate a higher minimum wage for private employers within its boundaries, including Dallas, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, and unincorporated areas. The county may set wages for its own employees and contractors, and Dallas County Commissioners Court has adopted a county-employee living wage (around $15 per hour) that applies only to county payroll. Private workers default to the federal minimum, enforced by US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.
Private employers paying below the federal $7.25 floor face USDOL back-wage liability, liquidated damages, and civil penalties. Dallas County imposes no additional local minimum wage enforcement on private businesses.
See how Mesquite's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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