Garland, TX

Garland follows the Texas Cottage Food Law (Health & Safety Code Ch. 437), allowing home production and direct sale of certain non-potentially-hazardous foods up to $50,000 in annual…

Garland zones every home-based business as a 'no-impact' use or bans it outright under GDC § 2.61: the business must follow every applicable fire, building, health, and noise code…

A Garland home-based business only qualifies as a lawful 'no-impact' operation under GDC § 2.61 if it never generates on-street parking or a substantial increase in area traffic, and…

In-home daycares in Garland require Texas HHSC licensing or registration plus compliance with home occupation zoning, fire safety, and parking standards.

No county signage ordinance for home businesses. Texas counties cannot regulate signs through zoning. TX Transportation Code restricts signs on state highway rights-of-way. HOA…

Garland classifies overgrown weeds, brush, and rank vegetation over 12 inches as a public nuisance subject to city abatement, with separate provisions targeting noxious species and…

Garland permits artificial turf in rear and side yards and as a portion of front yard landscaping, subject to product quality, drainage, and percentage limits set in the Unified…

Rainwater harvesting is encouraged in Garland and protected by Texas Property Code 202.007, which prevents HOAs from prohibiting properly screened rain barrels and cisterns.

Garland requires property owners to keep trees, shrubs, and hedges trimmed out of the sight-line triangle at street corners and alley intersections. Code of Ordinances § 33.66 bans…

Garland encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping, and Texas Property Code 202.007 prevents HOAs from prohibiting xeriscaping, drought-resistant plants, or water-conserving…

Garland limits sprinkler and automatic irrigation to two days a week from April through October and one day a week from November through March, with all irrigation-system watering…

Removing a protected tree anywhere in Garland requires City authorization first. Development sites need a Planning Director-approved Tree Management Plan before removal (GDC § 4.56)…

Garland is the rare city that lets cats roam: Section 22.03(A) bars every animal from running at large except a cat, and a cat can only be impounded on a nuisance complaint under…

Garland does not chip every pet up front, but Animal Services makes a microchip mandatory at two checkpoints: every impounded dog or cat is chipped before release under Section…

Garland protects birds two ways: a captive-keeping setback and a wild-catching ban. Pigeon coops must sit at least 30 feet from any neighbor's dwelling under Section 22.16, while…

Garland has no flat cap on pets. Instead, Section 22.21 lets the Supervisor of Animal Services impose a case-by-case ceiling once an owner has racked up more than two article…

Beekeeping is permitted in Garland subject to setback, hive density, water source, and flyway barrier requirements; beekeepers must also register with the Texas Apiary Inspection…

Garland allows backyard chickens with setback and coop requirements under Chapter 6 of the City Code; roosters are prohibited in residential zones and the number of fowl is limited by…

Garland's Development Code treats veterinary care as three separate zoning uses: Veterinary Clinic, Large Animal; Small Animal (Indoors); and Small Animal (Outdoor). Each is a distinct…

Garland does not ban specific dog breeds; instead, the city follows the Texas dangerous dog statute and enforces its own dangerous-dog registration, containment, and…

Garland prohibits keeping dangerous wild animals (big cats, bears, wolves, primates, venomous reptiles) in residential areas and enforces Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822…

No one may groom animals for business in Garland without an Animal Services permit: Section 22.22(A) bans engaging in "the business of selling, grooming, breeding, showing, exhibiting…

Once a dog is legally determined dangerous, Texas law forces a leash on it: Health and Safety Code Section 822.042(a) gives the owner 30 days to register the dog with Animal Services…

Garland runs no puppy-mill ban and no adoption-only mandate on pet stores. Chapter 22, Article I of the City Code exempts anyone "involved in the retail sale of dogs or cats" from the…

Garland bans keeping an unaltered cat or dog past six months old citywide. Section 22.19(A)(1) makes it "unlawful to keep, harbor, sell, transfer, convey or release" an unsterilized…

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…

Garland fences are typically the responsibility of the property owner who installed them; shared fences along property lines often involve cost-sharing under Texas common law, with the…

No one may build a fence in Garland without first applying for and getting a City permit, under the Garland Development Code. A narrow exception lets homeowners replace an existing…

Garland allows wood, masonry, wrought iron, vinyl, and chain link fencing in most residential zones; barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fences are prohibited, with front-yard…

Garland fences must be structurally sound, properly anchored, maintained in good repair, and built to code-allowed materials and heights, with property maintenance enforcement for…

Garland treats a retaining wall as part of the fence-height calculation, not a separate structure with its own height cap. Development Code § 4.106 caps fences at eight feet on…

Garland lets an accessory dwelling share a lot with a single-family home under GDC § 2.58, but caps its floor area at 30% of the main house's floor area (never forcing it below 600…

Garland's Development Code requires every single-family, single-family-attached, and two-family home to keep its required off-street parking inside an enclosed garage (GDC §…

Garland regulates backyard sheds and other accessory buildings under GDC Section 2.58. Any accessory building over 20 square feet needs a Building Permit, total accessory floor area is…

Texas has no tiny-home-specific statute. Any transportable, chassis-mounted dwelling that reaches 320 square feet is manufactured housing under Occupations Code Chapter 1201, built to…

Garland bans stopping, standing, or parking in a posted loading zone unless you are actively loading or unloading passengers or materials. The rule under Code of Ordinances Section…

Garland generally allows overnight on-street parking in residential areas, but restricts vehicles parked continuously in the same spot for more than 48-72 hours and prohibits…

Garland follows Texas Transportation Code Chapter 683, defining vehicles as junked or abandoned if inoperable, unregistered, wrecked, or left on public property over 48 hours, with…

Garland bans parking on bare dirt, gravel runners, or grass in residential zones under Code of Ordinances Section 32.56, requiring a driveway built from reinforced concrete, concrete…

Garland can ban parking on a street simply by painting the curb, no sign required. City Code § 33.52(D) prohibits stopping, standing, or parking between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m…

Garland restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones with weight, size, and signage limits. Overnight heavy truck storage prohibited. TX Transportation Code §545.307…

Garland requires all vehicles to park on improved surfaces per city ordinance. Front lawn parking is prohibited. State Transportation Code §§545.302-305 and Garland Chapters 32-33…

Garland bars parking a recreational vehicle, defined to include travel trailers, boats, and personal watercraft, on public property inside a residential zone under Code of Ordinances…

Texas Occupations Code chapter 2308 sets the statewide rules for nonconsent towing and vehicle booting. A vehicle owner has 14 business days to demand a hearing in the justice court…

Garland bans renting, leasing, or licensing any single-family home as a short-term rental without a permit issued under City Code § 32.09. The single-family rental permit application…

Garland can suspend a short-term rental permit once City officials respond to the same address more than three times in 12 months for prohibited conduct like noise, fireworks, or…

Garland STR guests must park in the driveway or garage; on-street parking is allowed but front-yard and blocked-sidewalk parking are prohibited under city code.

Garland short-term rentals must collect a 7% city Hotel Occupancy Tax and the 6% Texas state HOT on stays under 30 days, totaling 13% on each booking.

Short-term rentals in Garland follow the city's general residential occupancy standards, typically limiting overnight guests to 2 per bedroom plus 2, with no large-event use permitted.

Garland does not impose a city-wide cap on the number of nights a short-term rental can operate per year; HOA rules and zoning are the main constraints.

Garland STRs must comply with the citywide noise ordinance: no plainly-audible amplified sound at 50 feet after 10 PM, with fines up to $500 per violation.

Dallas County imposes no platform-liability requirements on Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar STR hosting sites. Texas has no statewide platform mandate. City rules vary. Dallas Chapter 42B…

Outside construction and repair work next to an occupied residential subdivision, or any occupied residential use including multifamily, may run only between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m…

Garland caps on-road vehicle noise at 80 dBA for vehicles under 10,000 pounds and 96 dBA for heavier motor carriers, measured 25 feet from the near side of the nearest lane…

Outdoor amplified music in Garland - including at the Granville Arts Center plaza, restaurants, and Firewheel Town Center events - is regulated by Chapter 32 noise rules and…

Garland does not set its own decibel limits for aircraft. Section 22.72 of the noise ordinance instead requires every airport, airpark, and aircraft operation in the city to follow…

Garland regulates noise from industrial uses along the I-30 and IH-635 corridors through zoning performance standards and the Code of Ordinances Chapter 32 noise provisions.

Garland prohibits owning or harboring animals that make frequent or habitual noise violating sound levels in §22.69, or that unreasonably disturb neighbors. Applies to all facilities…

Garland Ch 22 noise control limits sound to no more than 15 dBA above ambient (L1 vs L90) at property boundaries. Power equipment prohibited outdoors 10 PM-7 AM. City Health Department…

No county or state regulation on leaf blower use in unincorporated Dallas County. Texas counties lack authority to enact noise ordinances. Only TX Penal Code Section 42.01 applies if…

Garland requires working smoke alarms in every dwelling unit under the adopted International Fire Code and Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 766, with placement in each bedroom…

Garland treats open burning as a fire-code matter, not a free-standing city ban: the city's adopted International Fire Code requires an operational permit before anyone kindles or…

Garland prohibits the sale, possession, and discharge of all consumer fireworks within city limits under Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 (Fire Prevention), with violations enforceable as…

Unincorporated Dallas County bans burning combustible material outside an enclosure that contains all flames and sparks, so an open fire pit without a screen or containment violates…

Outdoor burning is prohibited in unincorporated Dallas County unless a daily burn permit is issued by the Dallas County Fire Marshal. Burns must be at least 300 ft from any building…

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…

Pool barriers in Garland must be at least 48 inches tall, fully enclose the pool, and meet IRC Appendix V plus Texas state pool yard enclosure standards.

Above-ground pools deeper than 24 inches in Garland require permits, barriers or removable ladders, and must meet setback rules from property lines and structures.

Texas is a one-party consent state: you can record a conversation you are part of. Recording others without consent may violate Penal Code Sec. 16.02.

Garland has no ordinance restricting home security cameras. Texas law allows recording of what's visible from your property but prohibits invasion of reasonable privacy.

Properly maintained residential HVAC equipment operating at manufacturer-rated sound levels is permitted even if it exceeds the general ambient limit, with Health Director approval.

Garland bans running outdoor power equipment, generators included, in residential zones between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. no matter how quiet the unit is. Outside that curfew, equipment…

Garland caps sound inside any enclosed place of public entertainment, including bars and nightclubs, at 100 dBA measured where customers normally stand. A venue can exceed that cap…

Garland has no ordinance addressing striped bike lanes specifically; instead §26.40 bars riding a bicycle on sidewalks within any commercial or business district and requires cyclists…

Garland cannot operate red-light cameras. Texas Transportation Code 707.020 bans photographic traffic signal enforcement statewide, so no automated red-light citation can be issued…

Garland treats an abandoned rental bicycle or motorized scooter as a code violation, not just a nuisance. Code of Ordinances Section 32.53(N) makes it an offense for a shared scooter…

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…

Garland requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for new and substantially improved residential structures, exceeding the one-foot federal minimum. Mechanical and…

Garland requires a floodplain development permit from the Director of Engineering, the City's floodplain administrator, before any structure, fill, or land-use change occurs within the…

Garland caps bus idling at transportation depots to thirty minutes under GDC § 2.52(A)(10)(c), a noise and air-quality standard written into the zoning rules for bus and passenger…

Garland bans discharging anything but stormwater into its municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), covering everything from used motor oil to pool water and construction sediment…

Garland requires grading permits for land disturbance activities under the Development Code. All development must manage drainage to prevent adverse impacts on adjacent properties…

Texas has no statewide cool roof mandate, and Dallas County applies cool roof specifications only to its own facilities through capital project standards. Private buildings follow the…

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…

Garland limits garage sale frequency per household per year. Exceeding limits may trigger enforcement and require a business license. Each sale is typically limited to 2-3 consecutive…

Garland requires every child care center to hold a valid permit from the Health Authority before operating, with no permit transferable between owners or sites. Operating without one…

Garland has adopted the 2015 International Plumbing Code, including its appendices B, D and E, as the city's Plumbing Code, and separately requires a plumbing permit before…

Garland's own code does not set separate elevator-maintenance permit rules; its only mention of elevators exempts maintenance, alteration, and repair of elevators and escalators from…

Garland adopts the International Building Code and requires a building permit before you erect, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish any structure. Only contractors registered…

Garland's building code ties every construction permit to a fixed inspection sequence: foundation or plumbing rough-in first, framing or electrical rough-in second, then a final…

Garland has adopted the 2014 National Electrical Code and requires a separate electrical permit before any regulated wiring is installed, altered, repaired, replaced or remodeled…

Texas amended IRC R313 to make residential fire sprinklers optional for one- and two-family homes. Dallas County does not require home sprinklers in unincorporated areas, but…

Garland's Code of Ordinances puts an exact clock on every cited property violation. Under § 32.02(F), a life-safety violation must be corrected within 24 hours of the notice, a…

Garland's Code Compliance Division sorts every property violation it finds into one of three tiers set out in City Code § 32.01: life safety, critical, and noncritical. The tier an…

Garland lets any resident force City action on a suspect property by filing a formal complaint with the Building and Standards Commission under § 32.28(A) of the Code of Ordinances, on…

Garland issues one City-owned single stream recycle container per household and sets exact placement windows and material rules under Code of Ordinances Chapter 52, Article II. Only…

Garland requires trash carts to sit within two feet of a paved alley, or between the sidewalk and curb where there's no alley, at what the code calls the Designated Collection Point…

Garland residents may set trash carts out no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before pickup and, if their collection point is at the curb, must pull them back in by 11 p.m. on…

Nonresidential and multifamily refuse containers in Garland must sit behind the main building or in an interior service court, screened on three sides by an 8-foot masonry wall with a…

Garland bans dumping grass clippings, leaves, and brush into a street, alley, or the municipal storm sewer system under Code of Ordinances Section 32.53(C). The rule targets the runoff…

Throwing or dumping refuse on public or private property in Garland is a criminal offense under Code of Ordinances Section 32.65, and the City's general penalty section makes dumping…

Garland provides one single-stream recycling cart per household for plastics #1-7, metals, glass, paper and cardboard, set out on the same 6 p.m.-to-7 a.m. schedule as trash. Grocery…

Garland collects bulky items like furniture and appliances if piled at the curb no more than a day before pickup and kept separate from bagged trash, but the city won't take roofing…

Garland collects trash and brush/bulky goods weekly in green carts on the same day, with recycling every other week in blue carts. Find your day and recycling week color using…

Anyone in Garland who buys used electronics, tools, jewelry, firearms, musical instruments or other "regulated property" for resale or salvage must record the seller's ID and hold the…

Garland requires tattoo and body piercing establishments to sit at least 500 feet from homes, churches, schools, parks, hospitals, child care centers, senior living facilities, and…

Garland bars visible major auto repair in residential zones outright and bans major or minor repair on any vehicle not registered to the property owner under GDC § 2.61(D)(2). A narrow…

Garland requires a city permit to operate any sexually oriented business, and the Building Official must deny it whenever the site sits within 1,000 feet of a home, place of worship…

Tobacco, cigar, and e-cigarette retailers in Dallas County must hold a Texas Comptroller permit under Tax Code Chapters 154 and 155 and Health & Safety Code Chapter 161. Dallas County…

Texas Occupations Code Chapter 455 makes massage therapy a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation program; Dallas County does not issue its own massage licenses. The Dallas…

Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2308 makes the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation the sole licensing authority for tow operators and vehicle storage facilities in Dallas…

Pawnbrokers in Dallas County are licensed under Texas Finance Code Chapter 371 by the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC). The county adds no parallel license, but the Dallas…

Garland requires payment of a reservation fee and, at recreation centers, a picture ID card before residents can book pavilions, ball fields, or the Jack Coleman Tennis Center. Fees…

Garland requires a special event permit from the Building Official before anyone holds a parade, marathon, walk-a-thon, bike race, or festival that closes a public street, blocks…

Only businesses in Garland's Downtown Historic sub-district may license a public sidewalk Space for outdoor tables under GDC § 7.33. The license runs one year, requires liability…

Garland parks close at 10 p.m. and reopen at 6 a.m. under §25.15, with nine athletic complexes staying open until midnight and Windsurf Bay Park running on its own weekday-only…

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…

Garland makes it unlawful for a registered sex offender to loiter within, or within 500 feet of, a park, school, playground or other place where children gather whenever a minor is…

Garland bans skateboarding, skating, and rollerblading on City Hall grounds and several other downtown civic properties. Code of Ordinances § 33.76(D) names City Hall, 5th Street…

Garland extends its smoking ban outdoors in three spots: within 50 feet of any playground or recreation area inside a city park, along the perimeter sidewalk ringing the downtown city…

Texas Transportation Code 552.005 requires pedestrians crossing outside marked crosswalks to yield right-of-way to vehicles in Dallas County. There is no specific jaywalking offense…

Passive panhandling is constitutionally protected speech in Texas after Reed v. Town of Gilbert. Aggressive panhandling that touches, blocks, or threatens a person can be charged as…

Texas Local Government Code 250.008 lets counties regulate noise only in unincorporated areas. Dallas County's Sheriff enforces state Penal Code 42.01 disorderly conduct (unreasonable…

Texas does not have a stand-alone public urination statute, but Penal Code 42.01 disorderly conduct and 21.08 indecent exposure cover the conduct in Dallas County. The Dallas County…

Garland caps outdoor lighting at 0.5 footcandle above ambient light measured at the property line and bars any light beam from crossing onto neighboring property above a height of…

Garland requires every digital billboard to carry both a dimmer control and a photocell that automatically adjusts brightness to ambient light, and bars any increase in light level at…

Garland requires outdoor light fixtures to be down-light, indirect, diffused, or shielded with at least a 70-degree cutoff from horizontal, and restricts fixture height and low-wattage…

Garland allows conventional billboards facing IH-635, IH-30 or State Highway 190 to convert to digital display only if the existing sign face is at least 350 square feet, and only…

Garland caps window signage at 25 percent of total window surface area per leased space, and 25 percent in aggregate per building facade visible from a public street, under GDC §…

Converting a conventional billboard to digital in Garland requires a Building Official-approved permit under GDC § 4.73, limited to conventional signs of at least 350 square feet along…

Garland regulates temporary signs through its sign ordinance and the I-Sign program that targets illegal signs. Garage sale signs may be placed on the property where the sale occurs…

Garland does not have specific ordinances restricting holiday displays on private residential property. Seasonal decorations are permitted as temporary displays. The city hosts…

Texas Election Code 259.003 and Election Code Section 259.002 protect political signs on private residential property. Cities cannot regulate compliant signs at any time, and HOAs…

It's unlawful in Garland to obstruct any sidewalk by selling merchandise on it, setting up a stand or stall, or leaving a barrel, box or similar object in the path of travel. Merchants…

Garland places the duty to keep sidewalks, parkways, and driveways safe squarely on the abutting property owner, not the City. The Code spells out exactly what counts as hazardous…

Anyone wanting to place a minor or temporary structure, sign, or use into a Garland street, alley, easement, or other City right-of-way needs an encroachment license from the Director…

Garland's Development Code fixes front, side and rear yard setbacks for each residential zoning district in Table 2-4, and locks in specific numeric floors in the text itself…

Garland's development code sets a hard 70 percent lot-coverage ceiling for residential lots of 4,000 square feet or less inside tracts platted on or after September 1, 2025. Buildings…

Garland lets treated sewage effluent be reused as industrial process water once the City Health Department approves the added treatment needed for that specific use. The reclaimed…

Garland makes it a criminal offense for anyone, including a homeowners association acting under a dedicatory instrument, to require a resident to install or irrigate turfgrass. The…

Garland allows commercial drone delivery hubs only by Specific Use Provision under GDC § 2.52(A)(38), with small hubs limited to Industrial, Heavy Commercial, Light Commercial, and…

FAA regulations govern recreational drone use. Texas Government Code Chapter 423 preempts local drone ordinances. Counties cannot create separate drone rules. FAA TRUST test required…

Garland's Downtown District requires street trees as the primary streetscape landscaping under GDC § 7.17. Approved species must come from the Street Tree List in Table 7-6, planted 25…

Garland's Development Code protects any tree of any species with at least a 6-inch diameter unless it falls on the Section 4.55(R) unprotected list. Certain high-value species…

A tenant living in a Garland single-family rental does not need the landlord's permission to get the City involved. Section 32.09(H)(1) of the Code of Ordinances protects a tenant's…

Garland requires anyone renting three or more units in a multifamily dwelling, or operating a lodging establishment, to hold an annual multifamily/lodging license. The city inspects…

Before any site or building permit issues in Garland's Downtown District, a Downtown Development Plan must win Planning Director approval showing the project meets the district's…

Texas counties cannot generally zone land. Dallas County regulates only subdivision plats, floodplains, and on-site sewage facilities in unincorporated areas under Local Government…

Chapter 32, Article I sets minimum property standards for rental housing, covering structural, plumbing, electrical, heating, sanitation, and vermin control requirements.

Garland has NO local just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a no-cause termination state under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001: a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by either party on 30…

Texas has no statewide source of income protection, and Dallas County has not adopted a county-level rule covering its 25 cities. Only the City of Dallas, through 2020 Chapter 46…

Texas has no statewide tenant relocation assistance law, and Dallas County has no county-level relocation ordinance. Tenants displaced by no-fault terminations, condemnation, or sale…

Dallas County does not regulate cash-for-keys voluntary buyout agreements. Texas Property Code Chapter 92 governs landlord-tenant relations and allows landlords and tenants to…

Texas allows landlords to end fixed-term leases at expiration and to terminate month-to-month tenancies with at least 30 days' written notice for any lawful reason. Dallas County has…

Texas Property Code Sections 92.101 through 92.110 set statewide security-deposit rules for all Dallas County rentals. Landlords must return the deposit within 30 days of move-out with…

Dallas County has not adopted a comprehensive tenant anti-harassment ordinance. Tenants countywide rely on Texas Property Code Section 92.331 retaliation rules and Section 92.0081…

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 law forbids cities from adopting rent control. A municipality may not establish rent control unless its governing body finds a housing emergency caused by a disaster and 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…

Garland bans camping outright in the Downtown Overlay District and closes the smaller Downtown Square from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily under §25.16. Unattended property there gets…

Garland levies a 7 percent hotel occupancy tax on the price of any room rented in the City, collected by the hotel operator under Code of Ordinances § 40.11. The tax reaches short-term…

Mobile food vendors in Garland operate under the Texas Food Establishment Rules adopted in City Code Chapter 22, Article II. As of July 1, 2026, food trucks must hold a Texas DSHS…

Garland bans parking a catering truck or mobile food unit in any residential zone under Code of Ordinances Section 32.57(C)(10)-(12), with narrow exceptions for construction-site food…

Garland requires mobile food vendors to obtain a city permit and a Dallas County Health Department food service permit. Food trucks must pass health inspections and maintain food…

Garland does not regulate HOA assessments or collection. Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs notice, payment plans, and foreclosure procedures.

The City does not mediate HOA disputes. Residents use internal HOA processes, civil courts, or alternative dispute resolution under Chapter 209.

Garland does not regulate HOA board procedures. HOAs operate under Texas Property Code Chapter 209 and their own governing documents.

Texas law requires HOAs to provide written architectural guidelines and fair review procedures, with statutory protections for solar, flags, and xeriscape.

Texas HOAs must follow strict notice, hearing, and fine procedures before enforcing covenants, with mandatory cure periods for most violations.

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…

The Garland Development Code prohibits planting species defined as invasive (TPWD/TDA classification) in required landscape areas and references an approved tree list.

Garland's Development Code names Tree-of-heaven, or Ailanthus, as an Unprotected Tree under Section 4.55(R). That classification removes it entirely from the City's tree-preservation…

Under Chapter 32 minimum property standards, multifamily and lodging operators must show proof of pest treatment within six months, by a licensed pest control operator.

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 438 requires food handlers to complete an accredited course within sixty days of hire. DCHHS verifies cards and Certified Food Manager credentials…

Texas Property Code Chapter 92 makes landlords statewide responsible for habitable rentals including bed bug remediation. DCHHS responds to complaints in unincorporated Dallas County…

Garland's sanitation code makes it illegal to dump hot ashes from a fireplace or hot coals from a barbecue grill into a residential trash cart. The same material is separately listed…

Dallas County's outdoor-burning ban under Sec. 38-1 expressly exempts charcoal grills, so grilling is allowed without the enclosure requirement that applies to open fires. The county…

Garland has no standalone right-to-farm ordinance; agricultural land is protected through zoning instead. GDC Section 2.35 creates the Agricultural (AG) district for land not yet ready…

Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 251, the Right to Farm Act, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits when neighbors arrive after farming began. Dallas County…

Garland actively enforces property maintenance standards through its Code Compliance Division. Properties must be kept free of junk, debris, high weeds, abandoned vehicles, and…

Texas Health and Safety Code lets Garland force any landowner to keep a lot free of weeds, brush, and public nuisance conditions, and the City enforces that power through Code of…

Texas does not permit recreational marijuana dispensaries. The state's Compassionate Use Program allows a very limited number of licensed dispensing organizations statewide. Garland…

Cannabis home cultivation is illegal in Texas. TX HSC Chapter 481 classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance. No county exception. Possession of any amount is a criminal offense…

Dallas County has no recreational cannabis dispensary buffer-zone rules because Texas does not allow recreational dispensaries. Compassionate Use Program (CUP) sites face no…

Texas has no recreational cannabis program, so no social-equity licensing exists in Dallas County. The state's narrow Compassionate Use Program (CUP) licenses three dispensing…

Texas prohibits all personal cannabis cultivation. Growing even one plant violates TX Health and Safety Code Section 481.120, treated as possession with intent to deliver based on…

Texas prohibits all recreational cannabis delivery. Compassionate Use Program low-THC products may be delivered to qualifying patients only by the three licensed dispensing…

Garland requires building permits for solar panel installations on residential and commercial properties. Texas Property Code Section 202.010 protects homeowners' right to install…

TX Property Code Section 202.010 prohibits HOAs from banning solar energy devices. HOAs may require prior approval but cannot unreasonably deny. Solar roof tiles included per HB 431…

Garland requires a written permit from the Chief of Police before anyone can go door-to-door selling goods or services under §26.51, with applications covering the seller's ID, sales…

Garland maintains a no-knock/no-soliciting registry that residents can join. Solicitors who ignore posted No Soliciting signs or contact registered addresses face fines. The city…

Texas allows open carry of holstered handguns by adults 21 and older without a permit. House Bill 1927 (2021) ended the License to Carry requirement. Long guns may also be openly…

House Bill 1927 (2021) lets most Texans 21 and older carry a handgun concealed without a permit anywhere in Dallas County. The optional License to Carry through Texas DPS still…

Texas Penal Code section 46.02(a-1), the Motorist Protection Act expanded by HB 1927, lets any adult legally entitled to possess a firearm carry a handgun inside their motor vehicle or…

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 HB 2127, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act effective September 2023, broadly preempts local labor regulation including paid sick leave. Dallas County cannot mandate paid leave…

Texas HB 2127 (2023) preempts local predictable scheduling laws. Dallas County has no scheduling ordinance and is barred from adopting one. Federal FLSA overtime is the only floor.

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.

Filming inside a Dallas County building requires written approval from the commissioners court, plus a copy of the film script submitted with the rental request. Productions pay a…

Texas Health and Safety Code section 361.0961 preempts cities and counties from regulating containers and packages, which the Texas Supreme Court Laredo case extends to polystyrene…

Texas Health and Safety Code section 361.0961 and the 2018 Laredo Supreme Court decision preempt city and county regulation of single-use packaging, which restaurant lawyers extend to…

The Texas Supreme Court ruling in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) invalidated municipal plastic-bag bans under Health and Safety Code section 361.0961. Dallas…

Texas has no statewide E-Verify requirement for private employers. State agencies and contractors must use E-Verify under a 2014 executive order. Dallas County requires it for its own…

Texas SB 4 (2017) prohibits any county, city, or sheriff from adopting sanctuary policies or refusing ICE detainers. Dallas County is not a sanctuary jurisdiction and the Sheriff…

Dallas County designates historic markers and monuments through its 15-member Historical Commission, not through a zoning or landmarks board. A state historical marker cannot be…

California's Mills Act does not exist in Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 11.24 lets cities and counties exempt part or all of designated historic property's appraised value from local…

Federal Tobacco 21 (PL 116-94) and Texas Health and Safety Code section 161.082 ban sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapor products, and any tobacco to anyone under 21 in Dallas…

Texas House Bill 1771 (2023), codified at Health and Safety Code section 161.0876, preempts cities and counties from restricting flavored tobacco, menthol cigarettes, or vape flavors…

Texas Tax Code Chapter 171 imposes a single state franchise tax on most businesses operating in Dallas County. Texas does not allow city or county business gross-receipts taxes, so…

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…

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…