Galveston County has no wildfire defensible-space code, but under state nuisance law it can order abatement of tall weeds and accumulated brush or rubbish on unincorporated-area lots near other homes.
Coastal Galveston County is not a wildland-urban-interface county, so there is no vegetation-management or defensible-space ordinance. The county's real tool is Health and Safety Code Ch. 343, which lets a commissioners court declare and abate public nuisances in unincorporated areas, including weeds growing within 300 feet of another residence or commercial building, and accumulated rubbish. After notice, the county may clear the property and assess the cost against the owner. Inside cities, the municipal lot-clearing and weed ordinance applies instead. This is a health-and-nuisance measure, not a fire-code brush requirement.
A public nuisance under Ch. 343 is a Class C misdemeanor. The county may abate and place a lien on the property for clearing costs.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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In unincorporated Galveston County, weeds are governed by Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343: uncultivated growth over 36 inches within 300 feet of anoth...
See how Galveston County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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