Georgetown, TX

Trees growing inside a Georgetown corner's sight triangle cannot have branches or foliage below eight feet, measured from the crown of the adjacent street. Sec. 12.44.040 requires…

Georgetown bans all landscape watering on Mondays year-round and assigns every other property a two-day watering schedule by street address, with the allowed hours shrinking further…

Georgetown caps weeds and grass at six inches on developed lots and 12 inches on undeveloped tracts under City Code Section 8.20.100. The Chief Code Enforcement Officer can order…

Williamson County has no rule on artificial turf. Statewide, an HOA cannot force you to maintain living grass since September 2025, and it may not unreasonably deny water-conserving…

Drought-resistant and native landscaping is protected statewide. Property Code Section 202.007 stops an HOA from banning water-conserving plantings, and since September 2025 an HOA…

Rainwater harvesting is protected statewide. A Williamson County HOA cannot prohibit rain barrels or a rainwater collection system, and the county encourages it. Property Code Section…

Georgetown caps sound at 63 decibels daytime and 56 at night in residential zones, higher on commercial, industrial, or unclassified property. Where a property could fall under more…

Georgetown bars construction, drilling, excavation, and equipment noise at nighttime and on Christmas, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving without a permit, but exempts such work when run…

Georgetown treats nighttime, defined as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., as a heightened quiet period: any noise audible beyond the property line in a residential or noise-sensitive area…

Keeping an animal that makes loud, continual, or unusual noise disturbing the neighborhood's peace and quiet is a Class C misdemeanor in Georgetown under Sec. 7.04.100, with each day…

Georgetown bans radios, boom boxes, musical instruments, and other amplifying devices operated loudly enough to disturb a reasonable person, even below the chapter's decibel caps…

Georgetown bans playing a car radio, tape, CD player, or other sound-making device loud enough to be heard, or felt as a vibration, from 30 feet away on a public right-of-way, street…

Georgetown exempts lawn and landscaping equipment, including leaf blowers, from its noise chapter only when run between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in good working order. Outside that…

Georgetown makes it a Class C misdemeanor to intentionally feed deer or leave food where deer can eat it, anywhere in the city. Placing food outdoors, or on a platform under five feet…

Keeping more than five cats or dogs at a Georgetown address requires a multi-pet ownership permit under Sec. 7.02.030. Puppies and kittens under four months don't count toward the…

Georgetown does not ban retail pet sales outright, but any store selling dogs or cats needs a commercial sales permit under Sec. 7.02.040. Every animal sold must be at least eight…

Georgetown outright bans keeping dozens of named wild and exotic species within City limits, from lions and tigers to venomous reptiles, alligators, and raccoons. Sec. 7.06.020 exempts…

Georgetown doesn't ban dogs by breed. Instead, the Animal Control Unit investigates any documented bite or menacing incident under Sec. 7.05.020 and can formally declare an individual…

Georgetown lets residents keep bees but sets hard placement and density limits. Chapter 7.08 bars hives within ten feet of a property line, requires a flyway barrier inside 25 feet…

Letting a dog, or any animal besides a cat, run loose off the owner's property is unlawful and a nuisance in Georgetown under Sec. 7.04.010. Cats are only restricted from running at…

Georgetown allows backyard hens in residential zones but caps the flock at eight birds and bans roosters outright. Sec. 7.06.010 requires the coop sit at least 20 feet from a…

Renting out a home, condo, or accessory unit in Georgetown for stays under 30 days requires a short-term rental permit under Sec. 6.70.030. Operating without one is unlawful, only one…

Short-term rental permits in Georgetown stay valid only if hotel occupancy taxes are current. Sec. 6.70.100 conditions the permit on paying the tax that Chapter 4.20 levies at 7% of…

Georgetown does not set one city-wide headcount for short-term rentals. Sec. 6.70.090(B) requires every permitted STR to post its occupancy limit at the entrance, and Sec. 6.70.020…

STR guests are bound by the same state law as everyone else: unreasonable noise near a residence is disorderly conduct under Tex. Penal Code §42.01, a Class C misdemeanor up to $500…

Georgetown reserves marked "Loading Zone" spaces for expeditious loading, unloading, delivery, or pick-up of materials or merchandise between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. every day except…

Georgetown bars parking a commercial vehicle overnight on any public street, right-of-way, or publicly-owned parking area under Code of Ordinances Section 10.16.060.C, though…

Georgetown requires every vehicle parked in a front or side yard of a residence to sit on a driveway, a pre-existing gravel driveway, or another approved surface under Code of…

Georgetown treats a wrecked, dismantled or inoperable vehicle as a junked-vehicle nuisance under City Code Chapter 8.28 once it sits inoperable for more than 72 hours on public…

Georgetown Section 10.16.050 bans parking a commercial vehicle, trailer, motor home, or special mobile equipment on any street or right-of-way in a residential zoning district, or…

Georgetown's Section 10.16.020 bars stopping, standing, or parking on streets designated as limited no-parking zones, naming specific streets like Maple, Laurel, Vine, Olive, and 10th…

Georgetown prohibits parking a commercial vehicle, utility trailer, house trailer, travel trailer, camper trailer, boat trailer, motor home, or special mobile equipment on any street…

Georgetown restricts spaces designated for electric vehicle charging to vehicles that are actually charging, under Code of Ordinances Section 10.16.090. Each charging station must…

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…

Georgetown's amended Residential Code requires a smoke alarm in every bedroom, in the hallway outside sleeping areas, and on every additional story, including basements and habitable…

Georgetown allows recreational fires, portable outdoor fireplaces, and cooking fires without a burn permit under Fire Code Sec. 307.2.3. Charcoal and open-flame cookers still can't sit…

Georgetown requires an operational burn permit from the Fire Marshal's office before any open fire on public or private ground, per Fire Code Sec. 307.2. Controlled burns run up to 365…

Consumer 1.4G fireworks are legal in unincorporated Williamson County and sell June 24 through July 4 and December 20 through January 1; the Commissioners Court can restrict skyrockets…

Texas assigns no regulatory wildfire hazard zones and no wildland-urban-interface building code to unincorporated Williamson County; drought burn bans by the Commissioners Court are…

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…

Georgetown lets you build a retaining wall up to 4 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, without pulling a permit. Anything taller, or any wall…

In Georgetown, fences and walls built inside a corner's sight triangle cannot exceed three feet, measured from the crown of the adjacent street. The limit is set by City Code Sec…

Under Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 143, Subchapter F, you cannot tear out a fence you jointly own with a neighbor, or one attached to a neighbor's fence, without mutual consent. To…

Georgetown requires a permit to erect, install, alter, or repair a residential pool under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, adopted by reference at Code of Ordinances…

State law requires a pool yard enclosure at least 48 inches high for pools owned or controlled by a property owners association or multiunit rental complex. Private single-family pools…

Unincorporated Williamson County neither zones nor permits garage conversions. Converting a garage into living space with a bathroom triggers an on-site sewage (OSSF) review under…

A tiny home on wheels is titled as a travel trailer under Texas Transportation Code Section 501.002 and is not used as a permanent dwelling. A tiny home on a foundation with plumbing…

Texas counties cannot zone, so unincorporated Williamson County sets no ADU size, setback, or occupancy limit. An accessory dwelling with plumbing requires an on-site sewage (OSSF)…

Operating a child-care home for pay in Williamson County requires a license, registration, or listing from Texas Health and Human Services under Human Resources Code Chapter 42. The…

Texas cottage food law lets you sell approved home-produced foods from a Williamson County home with no permit, license, or health inspection. Annual food sales are capped at $150,000…

Georgetown residential customers get two free bulky-item pickups a year, up to three cubic yards each, but only by appointment with the City's contractor and only after placing items…

Georgetown requires every residence, business, and commercial establishment to keep a City-contracted Cart or Dumpster in good order and repair, and non-residential accounts may only…

Georgetown collects solid waste from residential carts once a week on a set day and requires every resident to carry and pay for the City contractor's service, with a bag-tag system…

Georgetown collects recycling carts every other week for Tier I and Tier II customers under a single-stream system, so materials do not have to be sorted before pickup, but only…

Georgetown, Texas bans dumping litter, trash, yard waste, appliances or household goods on any public or private property, exempting only legal drop-off at the City's Waste Collection…

Georgetown limits when trash carts and bags can sit at the curb: no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the night before collection, and they must be pulled back by 7:00 a.m. the morning after…

Georgetown collects yard trimmings monthly for in-city residents, capped at 20 bundles or compostable bags per pickup unless a paid bag tag is attached, and every bundle must be tied…

Williamson County runs no municipal trash collection in unincorporated areas. Households contract a private subscription hauler directly. Under Tex. Health & Safety Code §364.011, the…

Georgetown's nuisance chapter makes it unlawful to let carrion, filth, or other unwholesome matter accumulate on any lot, yard or building, and its administrative-hearing chapter…

Georgetown's amended Fire Code requires carbon monoxide detection in dwelling units, sleeping units, and classrooms that contain fuel-burning appliances, fuel-burning fireplaces, or…

Georgetown enforces plumbing work under the 2021 International Plumbing Code, adopted with local amendments at Code of Ordinances Section 15.12.010. Every master plumber must file a…

Georgetown adopts NFPA 70, the 2023 National Electrical Code, by reference, and Section 15.16.040 bars anyone from starting electrical installation, construction, alteration, or wiring…

Georgetown has no dockless scooter-share franchise program, but Section 10.04.045 bans operating any motor assisted scooter on sidewalks, hike-and-bike trails, off-trail in city parks…

Georgetown does not codify separate bike-lane markings, but Section 10.04.040 makes it unlawful to ride a bicycle, unicycle, or velocipede on any sidewalk, street, alley, road, or…

Georgetown Section 10.04.045 defines an electric bicycle as one that cannot exceed 20 mph or 100 pounds, and lets e-bikes use sidewalks, hike-and-bike trails, bike-only paths, and…

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…

From April 1 through October 31 each year, Georgetown Section 10.04.080 bans idling a vehicle's primary propulsion engine for more than five consecutive minutes when it is not in…

Georgetown's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) ordinance makes property owners responsible for keeping stormwater detention and water-quality facilities in working order…

Georgetown requires a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for any construction disturbing an acre or more, and a site-specific erosion and sedimentation control plan for…

Georgetown Chapter 15.44 governs all development within special flood hazard areas mapped on the FEMA-adopted Flood Insurance Study for Williamson County. A development permit is…

Georgetown requires new and substantially improved residential structures in special flood hazard areas to elevate the lowest floor at least 12 inches above base flood elevation…

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…

In Georgetown's Downtown Overlay District, Section 9.12.030 makes it unlawful to sit or lie down on a public sidewalk, street, alley, or property once a person has already received a…

Georgetown's drought contingency rules do not apply to reclaimed water at all: anyone using reclaimed water that is not mixed with City potable water is fully exempt from every…

Anyone going door-to-door or business-to-business in Georgetown to sell goods or solicit orders needs a permit from the Police Services Records Section before starting, under City Code…

Georgetown limits door-to-door peddling and soliciting to the hours between 8:00 a.m. and sunset under City Code Section 6.16.130, and bars anyone from approaching a property posting a…

Georgetown requires a right-of-way permit before anyone trims a protected or heritage tree standing in a public right-of-way or public utility easement. The Public Works Director…

Anyone whose structure or facility sits in, over, or under a Georgetown right-of-way, sidewalk, or easement must obtain a revocable license to encroach. Encroachments into a public…

Georgetown bars obstructing the ADA-defined path of travel on any City sidewalk, intentionally blocking pedestrians, or intentionally blocking entrances to property along the sidewalk…

Georgetown's Parks and Recreation Director sets the fees, rental rates, and rules for reserving park pavilions, meeting rooms, athletic fields, and other reserved facilities. Once a…

Georgetown treats festivals and carnivals as "special events" that trigger the Chapter 12.24 permit whenever the event sells merchandise, food, or drinks on City property, puts up a…

A Georgetown block party can only run 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., must be open to all residents of the street, and the applicant must live on the affected street. Half the residents on…

A parade in Georgetown is any assembly, march, or procession on public streets likely to interfere with normal traffic, and it needs a special event permit before it can be held…

Georgetown parks are open to the public only between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. unless different hours are posted, a lease or rental agreement allows after-hours use, or the Parks…

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…

A food truck selling on a Georgetown street or on public or private property needs an Itinerant Merchant permit from the Events Committee, since the Code defines a vehicle used to sell…

Georgetown restricts where a permitted Itinerant Merchant may set up under City Code Section 6.50.040, barring vending within 1,000 feet of a public park, hospital or school, 500 feet…

Anyone vending food or other commodities from a stand, cart or vehicle on a Georgetown street or sidewalk needs an Itinerant Merchant permit under City Code Section 6.50.020 before…

Georgetown confines sexually oriented businesses to Industrial-zoned property, or to Commercial districts by special permit, under City Code Section 6.30.030. Every such business must…

Georgetown retailers cannot let customers grab electronic vaping devices or liquid nicotine themselves. City Code Section 8.32.060 bans self-service vape displays and requires…

Georgetown's Property Maintenance Code requires any landlord who furnishes heat to a rental unit to supply it year-round, maintaining at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit in every habitable…

Rent control does not exist in unincorporated Williamson County. Texas Local Government Code §214.902 bars any city or county from capping rent unless a declared disaster triggers an…

Texas has no just-cause eviction rule. A landlord in unincorporated Williamson County may end a tenancy without stating a reason. Property Code §24.005 requires only a three-day…

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 places no statutory limit on how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit. However, the landlord must refund the deposit within 30 days after the tenant surrenders 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…

Georgetown's nuisance ordinance flatly bans defecating or urinating on the City's streets, alleys or public grounds, and extends the ban to any open place visible from a private…

Georgetown's smoking ordinance reaches well beyond indoor spaces: Section 8.32.020(A) bans smoking in park and recreation areas with posted no-smoking signs, inside the fenced Creative…

In Georgetown's Downtown Overlay District, sitting or lying on a public sidewalk, street or alley is banned only after a law enforcement officer has warned the same person within the…

Georgetown bans drinking or possessing an open alcoholic beverage in a public place during set overnight hours: 1:15 a.m. to noon on Sundays, and 12:15 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. every other…

Georgetown makes it unlawful to aggressively panhandle or solicit on public streets, sidewalks, or street medians. The ordinance defines six specific behaviors that cross from ordinary…

Georgetown taxes hotel and short-term rental stays at seven percent of the room charge whenever the daily rate is $2.00 or more, under City Code Chapter 4.20. Hotel operators collect…

Georgetown declares any 'dangerous building or structure,' one that's unsecured, unsafe, or more than 33 to 50 percent deteriorated, a public nuisance under Section 15.40.020, subject…

Overgrown weeds on a vacant lot in unincorporated Williamson County are a public nuisance under Tex. Health & Safety Code §343.011(c)(4) when they grow within 300 feet of a residence…

Williamson County has no ordinance regulating holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays in unincorporated areas: those fall to HOA deed restrictions. Property Code §202.018 blocks…

Political signs are protected on private property in unincorporated Williamson County. The county has no sign ordinance, and Election Code §259.003 blocks any local sign rule that…

Garage-sale signs face no county rule on your own property in unincorporated Williamson County: the county has no sign ordinance. But Transportation Code §393.002 makes it illegal to…

Williamson County sets no lot-coverage or impervious-surface limit. Texas counties cannot zone. Coverage caps in unincorporated areas come from HOA deed restrictions and drainage rules…

Williamson County sets no setback rules. Texas counties have no zoning power. Only subdivision platting under Local Government Code Chapter 232 applies, and in platted subdivisions HOA…

Williamson County sets no building height limit. Texas counties lack zoning authority, so height caps in unincorporated areas exist only through HOA deed restrictions. Cities like…

Williamson County has no dark-sky lighting ordinance for private property. Texas has no general outdoor-lighting statute; Health and Safety Code Chapter 425 covers only state-funded…

Texas law bars a property owners' association from prohibiting solar energy devices. Williamson County HOAs like Sun City and Cimarron Hills may set reasonable placement conditions but…

There are no marijuana dispensaries to zone in Williamson County; retail cannabis sale is illegal statewide. The only lawful outlets are licensed low-THC medical dispensers under the…

Growing marijuana at home is illegal everywhere in Texas, including unincorporated Williamson County. Possessing usable marijuana is a crime under Health and Safety Code Section…

Texas Government Code Chapter 423 occupies the field of unmanned aircraft regulation. Cities and counties cannot adopt their own recreational drone ordinances, though limited municipal…

Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 expressly preempts municipal and county minimum wage ordinances. The state minimum wage equals the federal floor of $7.25 per hour, and political…

Texas appellate courts have struck down municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio as preempted under the Texas Minimum Wage Act. HB 2127 (2023) further…

Texas authorizes License to Carry (LTC) holders to carry concealed handguns statewide under Government Code Chapter 411. Since 2021, permitless constitutional carry under HB 1927 also…

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 authorizes open carry of holstered handguns statewide for adults 21 and older under Penal Code 46.02 and HB 910 (2015). Long guns may be openly carried subject to disorderly…

Texas Penal Code 46.02(a-1) lets any non-prohibited adult carry a handgun inside a personally-owned or leased motor vehicle or watercraft without a License to Carry. Since HB 1927…

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 §…

Under the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act, unpaid assessments become a lien (Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0094), but a Texas HOA may not foreclose that lien without first…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs residential subdivision homeowners associations, not condominium associations and not associations that are themselves subject to the Public…

A Texas HOA enforces its recorded restrictive covenants (Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202), but Chapter 209 controls the procedure: § 209.006 requires certified-mail notice and a cure…

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 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 Local Government Code Chapter 212 and Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limit municipal authority to zone or regulate land qualified for agricultural use appraisal. Counties have no…

The Texas Right to Farm Act, Agriculture Code Chapter 251, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and local regulations after one year of operation. HB…

The Texas Supreme Court in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) held that Health and Safety Code Section 361.0961 preempts municipal plastic bag bans. Cities and…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 161 sets the minimum age for purchasing or possessing tobacco and e-cigarette products at 21 statewide, aligned with federal Tobacco 21. Active…

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…