Moving to Tyler, TX?

Tyler's Sec. 4-90 bans sound equipment 'plainly audible' 50 feet from a vehicle and caps amplified music at 75 dB(A) day, 63 dB(A) after 10 PM. Downtown DBAC venues get later hours; permitted events may run to 12:30 AM.

Tyler has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Gas and electric blowers are legal, but their noise must stay within the Sec. 4-90 limits — 75 dB(A) daytime, 63 dB(A) after 10 PM.

Tyler caps noise at 75 dB(A) from 7 AM to 10 PM and 63 dB(A) overnight (10:01 PM to 6:59 AM), with a one-hour Friday/Saturday extension. Set by City Code Sec. 4-90.

Tyler sets no fixed construction-hours window. Construction noise is governed by the Sec. 4-90 decibel limits (75 dB(A) day, 63 dB(A) night), and City-permitted work meeting building best practices is an affirmative defense to a noise charge.

Tyler's noise ordinance (Sec. 4-90) makes it unlawful to keep any animal or fowl whose noise is offensive to reasonable neighbors. Complaints go to Tyler Animal Services and Police; violations are a public nuisance.

Tyler sets no short-term-rental parking requirement. Because the city has no STR ordinance, rentals follow ordinary residential parking rules — no on-lawn parking, and Texas imposes no statewide street-parking time limit.

Tyler requires no short-term-rental permit or registration ordinance. STRs operate as an ordinary residential use; the only city obligation is collecting the 9% hotel occupancy tax. Texas has passed no STR preemption law.

Tyler sets no short-term-rental occupancy cap. With no STR ordinance in place, guest numbers are governed only by building- and fire-code occupancy standards, not a per-bedroom rental limit.

Tyler requires no short-term-rental insurance. Neither the city code nor Texas law mandates STR liability coverage, though hosts should carry it — standard homeowner policies often exclude commercial rental activity.

Short-term stays in Tyler carry a 15% hotel occupancy tax: 6% Texas state HOT plus Tyler's 9% city HOT (a 7% base rate plus a 2% convention-center tax under Sec. 2-16). Airbnb and Vrbo collect both automatically.

Tyler short-term-rental guests must obey the citywide noise ordinance (Sec. 4-90): 75 dB(A) daytime and 63 dB(A) from 10:01 PM to 6:59 AM. There is no separate, stricter STR noise standard.

Tyler bans possessing, selling, and discharging fireworks anywhere inside the city limits. Setting one off is a fire-safety violation carrying a fine up to $2,000. Legal sales and use happen only outside the city.

Tyler requires improved and vacant lots to be kept clear of vegetation over 12 inches and free of fallen limbs and brush. Code Enforcement inspects, tags, and can abate at the owner's expense.

Tyler allows recreational and cooking fires under the International Fire Code it adopts in Sec. 6-122. Smith County burn bans suspend all open flames; gas and propane pits stay exempt.

Tyler prohibits outdoor burning inside the city, with narrow exceptions for large lots. Property of two-plus acres may burn brush for maintenance under a Fire Marshal permit costing $1,000 for seven days.

Tyler sits in the East Texas Piney Woods, where wildfire risk is real during drought but no local defensible-space code or mapped hazard zone applies. Vegetation control runs through nuisance and burn-ban rules.

Tyler prohibits overnight parking of commercial vehicles over 22 feet long, 7.5 feet tall, or 8,000 pounds in residential districts — on streets, driveways, or any improved surface. Loading and short daytime stops are exempt.

Tyler requires vehicles on residential lots to be parked on an improved surface such as concrete or asphalt. Parking on grass, dirt, or the front lawn is prohibited under the Unified Development Code.

Tyler defines a large recreational vehicle as one longer than 22 feet and 'storage' as parking 48 hours or more. Stored RVs and boats in side or rear yards must be screened from neighbors and streets.

Tyler treats a junked vehicle visible from a public place as a public nuisance under Texas Transportation Code Ch. 683. Owners get at least 10 days' notice before the city abates and removes it.

Tyler sets its own street-parking rules through the traffic code and posted signs; Texas imposes no statewide time limit. State law keeps vehicles 15 feet from fire hydrants, and registration must be current.

Tyler has no blanket overnight ban on passenger vehicles parking on public streets, but leaving a vehicle in one spot triggers storage and nuisance limits. Commercial vehicles and large RVs face overnight restrictions.

Installing a home EV charger in Tyler requires an electrical permit for the 240-volt circuit. Texas has no right-to-charge law, so HOAs may set reasonable rules on placement and appearance.

Tyler regulates fences through its development code rather than a standalone fence permit. Conforming wood, masonry, and chain-link fences within height limits need no building permit, but electric fences, pool barriers, and retaining walls carry added requirements.

Tyler caps front-yard fences at 4 feet and requires them 50 percent open, while rear and side fences may reach 8 feet in residential districts. Multi-family front yards allow 6 feet; through-lot yards are limited to 4 feet.

Texas has no Good Neighbor Fence Act, so Tyler property owners each pay for their own fence. City code requires fences to sit entirely on private property; cost-sharing is a private civil matter, not city-enforced.

Tyler allows wood, chain-link, brick, wrought iron, stone, pipe, and concrete fences. Chain-link and pipe are banned in the front-yard setback, barbed and razor wire are prohibited in residential districts, and tires and bumpers are banned everywhere.

Tyler requires every swimming pool to be enclosed by a barrier: at least four feet in single-family residential zones and six feet elsewhere. Gaps must stay under four inches, wire is banned, and gates must self-close and self-latch.

Tyler ties retaining walls to the building code: they combine with fences for height and must follow the adopted 2021 International Building Code. Walls over four feet or carrying a surcharge require an engineered building permit.

Tyler allows up to six fowl per household in non-agricultural zones regardless of lot size, with coops set back 15 feet from side and rear lines. Livestock is one animal per fenced acre, capped at three; hogs and swine are banned citywide.

Tyler prohibits any animal from running at large; loose dogs are a public nuisance subject to impoundment under Sec. 14-11. Households may keep up to four dogs, and off-leash is allowed only under proven voice command.

Tyler bans no dog breed. Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822 (Lillian's Law) makes dangerous-dog status behavior-based, and state law bars cities from breed-specific rules. Trained attack dogs face confinement rules under Sec. 14-22.

Tyler bans keeping dangerous wild animals within city limits or 5,000 feet of them, declaring it a public nuisance. The prohibited list covers big cats, bears, wolves, primates, venomous and constrictor snakes, alligators, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and skunks.

Tyler sets no hive limit or beekeeping permit; bees are neither fowl nor livestock under city code. State law governs through the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, and Tyler is a Bee City USA affiliate that promotes pollinators.

Tyler has no ordinance specifically banning the feeding of wildlife. Attracting animals that create odors, health hazards, or nuisance conditions can be abated under city nuisance rules, and keeping wild animals such as coyotes or raccoons is separately prohibited.

Tyler encourages native and East Texas-adapted landscaping. The development code requires that plants installed to meet landscape rules be native or acclimated species from the city's approved list, and artificial plants do not qualify.

Tyler Water Utilities asks customers to water lawns just two days a week, before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Even-numbered addresses water Sundays and Thursdays; odd-numbered addresses water Saturdays and Wednesdays. Drought stages can make limits mandatory.

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Tyler. Texas Property Code Sec. 202.007 bars HOAs from prohibiting rain barrels or rainwater systems, and Tax Code Sec. 151.355 exempts rainwater harvesting equipment from state sales tax.

Tyler does not ban artificial turf on residential property, but it cannot be used to meet the city's landscape requirements. Section 10-305 states that artificial plants are not acceptable for satisfying the development landscape and tree code.

Tyler caps uncultivated grass and weeds at 12 inches on any lot inside the city or within 5,000 feet of it. Code Enforcement can mow overgrown property, bill the owner, and place a lien.

Tyler homeowners can trim trees on their own single-family property without a permit, but street and park trees are city-managed. Statewide oak wilt guidance urges avoiding oak pruning February through June, when the disease spreads fastest.

Tyler's weed ordinance (Sec. 18-20) bans uncultivated vegetation over 12 inches on vacant and occupied lots citywide. Owners get notice; if ignored, the city clears the property, bills the cost, and can act again within a year without new notice.

Tyler residents can remove trees on their own single-family property without a city permit. Tree-removal controls apply only to development in multifamily, commercial, office, and manufacturing zones, where clearing without a permit triggers mandatory replanting.

Tyler home cooks may sell many non-hazardous homemade foods without a permit under Texas's cottage food law, which SB 541 expanded effective September 1, 2025. The gross-sales cap rose to $150,000 per year, and no local permit or fee may be charged.

A home daycare in Tyler needs a special use permit approved by the planning and zoning commission and city council, plus a state child-care license. Sec. 10-74 caps a day care home at no more than six children or adults.

Tyler home occupations may not alter the home's exterior except for one permitted sign under Sec. 10-408. In single-family districts that means a single wall sign up to one square foot, with no permit required.

Tyler permits home occupations that stay incidental and subordinate to an owner-occupied residence. Up to 25 percent of the home's floor area may be used, with one non-family employee and no walk-in public allowed.

Tyler home occupations may never be open to the public, so walk-in customers are prohibited. Deliveries are limited to vehicles no larger than a one-ton truck, and outdoor storage of business materials is banned.

Tyler treats any pool holding water over 18 inches deep like an in-ground pool: it needs Sec. 6-14 fencing and, on single-family lots, the 5-foot water-line setbacks. A primary-structure permit must exist first.

Tyler requires a building permit before any residential pool or spa is built, obtained from the Building Official, and sets water-line setbacks of 5 feet from the house and side or rear lot lines and 12 feet from a side street.

Tyler treats any neglected or unfenced pool as an unlawful public nuisance. Owners must keep water clear enough to see the bottom, maintain Section 6-14 fencing and latching gates, and lock gates on unoccupied property.

Tyler requires every pool holding water over 18 inches deep to be enclosed. Single-family residential lots (R-1A through R-1D) need at least 4 feet; all other pools need 6 feet. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching.

Tyler defines a spa, including hot tubs, jacuzzis, and whirlpools, as a swimming pool, so it must meet Sec. 6-14 fencing and Sec. 18-50 maintenance. Portable spas are exempt from pool setback distances.

Tyler zoning lists accessory dwelling units and garage apartments as permitted household-living uses. Accessory buildings cannot be used as dwellings except permitted garage apartments, and residential lots range from 3,000 square feet up.

Tyler has no separate tiny-home category. A permanent-foundation tiny house must meet single-family standards, with residential lots starting at 3,000 square feet. An accessory building cannot be a dwelling except a permitted garage apartment.

Tyler allows garage apartments as a permitted use, but converting garage space to living area needs a building permit and must meet dwelling and setback standards. Accessory buildings cannot be dwellings except permitted garage apartments.

A carport is an accessory structure in Tyler, capped at 16 feet high and 50 percent of the main house's floor area, set at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines, and it cannot project past a required side yard along any street.

Tyler caps an accessory building at 50 percent of the main house's floor area and 16 feet in height. It must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines, cover no more than 30 percent of the required rear yard, and cannot be lived in.

Building in Tyler's FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas requires a Floodplain Development Permit under UDC Division G. The city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, enforcing elevation and construction standards through its Floodplain Administrator.

Tyler requires a stormwater management plan for every development. No building permit or subdivision construction plan is approved without one, prepared by a Texas-licensed Professional Engineer and using post-construction Best Management Practices under UDC Sec. 10-543.

Tyler is a landlocked East Texas city in Smith County, roughly 180 miles from the Gulf Coast. It lies outside the Texas Coastal Management Program, so no coastal-zone, dune, or open-beach permitting applies here.

Tyler requires an approved Erosion and Sediment Control Plan before any land-disturbing activity that needs grading. The plan must meet the Texas TPDES Construction General Permit (TXR150000). No grading permit issues without it, under UDC Sec. 10-526 and 10-527.

Tyler requires a clearing and grading permit from the city engineer before any earth change — excavating, grading, filling, or clearing — on any property. Drainage cannot create a public hazard or an unlawful diversion, under UDC Sec. 10-527 and 10-528.

Tyler has no recreational or medical marijuana dispensaries because Texas prohibits marijuana retail. Only low-THC dispensing organizations licensed by the Department of Public Safety may sell cannabis, and none of the state's handful operate as walk-in retail stores.

Growing marijuana at home is illegal in Tyler and everywhere in Texas. State law authorizes only low-THC medical cannabis through the Compassionate Use Program, and even then only licensed dispensing organizations may cultivate the plant.

Tyler requires building and electrical permits for rooftop solar under the International Codes it adopts in Chapter 6. Texas sets no statewide net-metering mandate, so surplus buyback depends on your retail electric provider in the Oncor service area.

In Tyler, Texas Property Code Sec. 202.010 bars a property owners' association from prohibiting or restricting rooftop solar. Any HOA provision that violates it is void. HOAs may impose only the statute's limited conditions, such as roofline and hardware-color rules.

Tyler garage sale signs must be posted only on the property where the sale is held, never in the right-of-way, and must not obstruct traffic. No sign permit is required, and sales are limited to two per year.

Tyler sets no limits on holiday decorations at single-family homes. In multi-family and nonresidential districts, decorations may go up at most 14 days before a federal holiday, must come down right after, and never exceed 45 consecutive days.

Tyler allows political signs on private property with the owner's consent up to 36 square feet and eight feet tall, with no permit or fee. Signs may not be illuminated or have any moving elements.

Tyler carts may be set at the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before collection and must be brought in by 7:00 a.m. the morning after. Carts left at the curb between collections create a code enforcement issue.

Tyler has no snow-removal ordinance; measurable snow is rare in East Texas. Property owners are still responsible for keeping adjacent sidewalks and their yards clear of debris, overgrowth, and hazards under the city's nuisance code.

Tyler prohibits uncultivated vegetation taller than twelve inches on any lot, including vacant ones, inside the city or within 5,000 feet of it. Owners must control weeds, brush, and dumping, or the city mows and bills the owner.

Tyler garage sales must keep the property presentable: signs may be posted only on the sale premises, not on rights-of-way, and merchandise should not become an accumulation. Unsold clutter left out can draw a nuisance citation under Chapter 18.

Tyler's Chapter 18 declares accumulations of rubbish, junk, debris, and overgrown vegetation on a property a public nuisance. Code enforcement issues a notice to abate; unresolved conditions can be cleaned by the city and billed to the owner.

Tyler is not a formal dark-sky city, but its Unified Development Code requires site lighting to be fully shielded and concealed within opaque housing, invisible from the street, with the cone of light kept inside property lines.

Tyler's Unified Development Code prohibits lighting that unnecessarily illuminates and substantially interferes with a neighbor's use or enjoyment of their property, and bars glare aimed at streets. Illumination at a residential property line is capped at 0.2 foot-candles.

Tyler does not require landlords to register or license residential rentals and runs no proactive rental-inspection program. Housing complaints are handled reactively by Code Enforcement under City Code Chapter 18 and the Texas Property Code.

Texas gives Tyler tenants no just-cause eviction protection. A landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy or decline renewal without stating a reason, after at least three days' written notice to vacate under Property Code Section 24.005.

Tyler has no rent control. Texas Local Government Code Section 214.902 bars municipalities from capping rents except during a governor-declared disaster housing emergency, so market rates govern every Tyler rental.

Tyler requires garbage carts placed at the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before collection and removed by 7:00 a.m. the morning after. Bundled brush and limbs go six feet away from the cart.

Tyler's Solid Waste Department collects bulky items like furniture and appliances, limited to 8 cubic yards per pickup, with an extra charge for larger piles. Tires, tree stumps, brush, and construction debris are handled as separate special collections.

Tyler Solid Waste collects household garbage once weekly on your address's assigned day. Look up your day through the free 'Tyler Talks Trash' app or the city's online Solid Waste Calendar. Holiday weeks shift the schedule, with priority given to household garbage.

Recycling in Tyler is not mandatory. Curbside recycling is an opt-in subscription costing $5.96 per month plus tax for twice-monthly pickup. Service resumed in July 2025 under a new hauler. Glass is not accepted.

Recreational drones in Tyler follow FAA rules, not a local ordinance. Register any drone weighing 0.55 pounds or more, pass the TRUST test, and stay below 400 feet. Texas law makes drone surveillance of people or private property a crime.

Commercial drone operators in Tyler need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate; the city issues no separate permit. Texas Government Code Chapter 423 restricts capturing images of people or private property, and state no-fly rules protect critical infrastructure and sports venues.

Tyler bars mobile food units from vacant lots and residential districts, requires an improved parking surface, and limits stops to six consecutive hours before the unit must move at least 50 feet. Units document consent from restaurants within 300 feet.

Tyler requires each mobile food unit to hold a Transient Mobile Food Vendor Permit from the Planning Director plus Northeast Texas Public Health District approval. Permits run up to one year, and units must report to a commissary daily.

Tyler runs no door-to-door solicitor permit or badge program. Its Home Solicitation ordinance instead limits charitable and sales visits to between 10 a.m. and sunset, Monday through Saturday, and bans them entirely on Sundays and major holidays.

Tyler has no opt-out solicitation registry, but a posted no-soliciting sign carries the force of law. Sec. 4-61(b) makes it unlawful to knock or ring for sales or charity at any residence displaying a sign refusing solicitation.

Tyler city parks are open sunrise to sunset, and it is unlawful to enter or remain in a park when it is closed. Public trails like Rose Rudman open at 5:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 p.m.

Tyler no longer has an enforceable juvenile curfew. Texas House Bill 1819, effective September 1, 2023, bars every Texas city and county from adopting or enforcing a curfew on anyone under 18, except during a declared emergency.

In Tyler's common single-family districts (R-1B and R-1C), homes need a 25-foot front setback, 25-foot rear setback, and 6-foot interior side yard. R-1A requires 7.5-foot side yards, and one-acre Residential Estate lots require 50-foot front and rear setbacks.

Tyler caps maximum lot coverage at 50 percent in the common single-family districts (R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2) and 30 percent on one-acre Residential Estate lots. Higher-density R-1D and multifamily R-MF allow up to 60 percent.

Most Tyler residential districts cap building height at 42 feet, including R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, and Residential Estate. Multifamily (R-MF) allows 50 feet. A building may exceed the cap only if every setback increases one foot for each added foot of height.

When trees are cleared without meeting Tyler's buffer rules, the owner must mitigate by replanting. Replacement trees must be at least 2 inches DBH, native or East Texas-adapted species from the city's approved list, and planted within six months.

Tyler requires no tree-removal permit for single-family homeowners. Tree preservation applies only in multifamily, commercial, office, and manufacturing districts, where a Clearing and Grading Permit and a 6-inch-DBH tree inventory are required before clearing.

Tyler has no separate heritage-tree registry. Its development code instead protects trees 6 inches DBH and larger in commercial and multifamily projects through mandatory buffers, and the city manages significant public trees through its Tree City USA urban forestry program.

Tyler caps each garage sale at three consecutive days; a longer event requires a temporary use permit from the planning director. The code limits duration rather than fixed clock hours, and signs may be posted only on the sale property.

Tyler allows no more than one garage sale per residence in any six-month period, capped at two sales per year. Each sale may run up to three consecutive days unless a temporary use permit extends it.

Tyler requires no permit to hold a garage sale, and no sign permit is needed. Sales requiring a sales-tax permit and reselling merchandise bought for resale are prohibited. A sale longer than three days needs a temporary use permit.