Local Rules Near Downtown Garland

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's Code of Ordinances bars that same work between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., though emergency repairs to secure a structure or restore utility service are exempt, and the Director of Health can grant a variance.

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. Straight-pipe exhausts, cutouts, and tire-squealing are separately banned.

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 special-event permits.

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 federal EPA and FAA rules, leaving aircraft noise entirely to the agencies that already regulate flight operations nationwide.

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 including kennels and shelters.

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 administers the program.

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 demands liability insurance, a floor plan, and a full property inspection, and the annual fee runs a minimum of $500 for STR use.

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 underage drinking. § 32.09(K)(1)(d) sets the trigger, and repeat violations can lead to revocation of the permit for up to 24 months.

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.

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, outside sleeping areas, and on each floor.

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 maintains an open fire, and the Master Fee and Rate Schedule prices that daily permit at $1,000, the steepest line item on Chapter 21's operational-permit table.

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 Class C misdemeanors.

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 33.46 applies only where signs are erected giving notice, and covers commercial loading zones, school bus loading zones, and public transit bus loading zones citywide.

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 commercial trucks over one ton overnight.

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 removal authorized after notice.

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 pavers, or an approved gravel base instead. The same section caps how much of a front or rear yard a driveway or parking pad can cover, generally 50 percent, and requires a City permit before anyone builds or expands one.

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. wherever notice is given "by signs or painted curbs," a rule already applied on Wagon Wheel Road between North Garland Avenue and Belt Line Road.

Garland restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones with weight, size, and signage limits. Overnight heavy truck storage prohibited. TX Transportation Code §545.307 applies for overnight restrictions where posted.

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 govern parking regulations.

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 Section 32.57(C)(7)-(9). The owner faces a civil penalty even if someone else parked it, and the only defense is active loading or unloading that clears the vehicle from public property inside 24 hours.

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 finished side facing neighbors.

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, compliant fence in-kind, same location, materials and height, without a new permit, as long as it isn't a required pool fence or in a street-adjacent yard.

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 material restrictions for aesthetics.

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 leaning, broken, or rotting fences.

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 residential lots, ten feet in most nonresidential districts, and twelve in the Industrial district, and measures that height from the highest grade at the wall when a fence sits on top of a retaining wall.

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 Section 22.08. Persistent laxness that lets a cat disturb a neighbor "of ordinary sensibilities" is still a citable offense.

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 22.05(E), and any animal legally declared dangerous is chipped under Section 22.20(F). Owners can also request voluntary implantation any time for a fee.

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 Section 22.18(H) bars catching wild fowl off any City lake or pond without written Animal Services permission, unless the water is your own.

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 violations in 12 months and the Supervisor traces those violations to keeping too many animals. Exceeding that individually-set number is then its own offense.

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 Service.

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 lot size.

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 entry in the citywide Land Use Matrix under GDC § 2.50, so a clinic is allowed by right, allowed only with a Specific Use Provision, or barred outright depending on the district and which category the operation actually fits.

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 liability-insurance requirements.

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

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, boarding, or training animals without a valid permit," and any groomer that washes or bathes animals must also install a Supervisor-approved hair trap under Subsection (J).

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, keep it "at all times on a leash in the immediate control of a person or in a secure enclosure," and carry at least $100,000 in liability coverage, or surrender the dog for destruction.

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 entire animal ordinance, and a second provision separately confirms store stock is exempt from the citywide unsterilized-pet ban.

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 cat or dog over six months, but Subsection (B) carves out seven specific defenses, from retail pet stores to registered show animals to a documented medical exemption.

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 harborage for vermin.

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 Development Code.

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 foliage between three and nine feet above the street grade within a 45-foot corner triangle, with a 14-day removal notice from the Transportation Department before the City acts.

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

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 banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the warm months. Hand watering with a shutoff nozzle, soaker hoses and drip irrigation are exempt from both limits.

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), and undeveloped sites need a separate Tree Removal Permit from the Planning Department. Removing or injuring a protected tree without authorization draws a civil penalty of $250 per diameter inch under § 4.57.

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 gross sales without a city food permit.

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, stay compatible with the residential use of the property, and remain a secondary use behind the home itself.

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 if its on-site client and employee count never exceeds the property's municipal occupancy limit. Break either test and the business becomes an outright prohibited use.

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

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.

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 square feet), scales height to 15 or 25 feet by size, and bars renting or selling the unit apart from the main property.

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 § 2.34(G)(2)). Converting that garage into a bedroom, office, or den without providing a code-compliant replacement space violates the parking standard, and the City still requires a repair/remodel building permit for the construction work itself.

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 capped at 30 percent of the main house (never less than 600 square feet), and maximum height steps up with size: 15 feet over 200 square feet, 25 feet over 500 square feet.

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 among items collection crews will never accept at the curb, so grill owners have to let ashes cool completely before disposal.

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 electrical equipment must clear the base flood elevation by at least one foot, and a licensed engineer, architect, or surveyor must certify compliance to the City's floodplain administrator under § 31.104(B)(1).

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 FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas covering parts of Dallas, Collin, and Rockwall Counties. The rule tracks the National Flood Insurance Program under §§ 31.100-31.103, and violations can carry a $500 fine per violation.

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 depot sites citywide. The cap applies to every bus parked at a depot, not just those loading or unloading passengers.

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. A short list of narrow affirmative defenses exists, like firefighting flows or uncontaminated groundwater, but the City can void any defense once it identifies the discharge as a pollutant source, under § 31.171.

Garland requires grading permits for land disturbance activities under the Development Code. All development must manage drainage to prevent adverse impacts on adjacent properties. Post-development stormwater runoff must be detained to match or reduce pre-development flow rates. The city's terrain varies from flat to gently rolling, requiring engineered drainage solutions for developments near creek corridors.

Texas does not permit recreational marijuana dispensaries. The state's Compassionate Use Program allows a very limited number of licensed dispensing organizations statewide. Garland has no local dispensary zoning because recreational dispensaries are illegal. CBD products derived from hemp are legal and sold through regular retail businesses.

Garland requires building permits for solar panel installations on residential and commercial properties. Texas Property Code Section 202.010 protects homeowners' right to install solar energy devices. Garland's building department reviews installations for structural and electrical safety. Inspections are required before utility interconnection with Garland Power & Light, the city-owned electric utility.

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 under a Building Official permit with a mandatory sign-removal exchange elsewhere in the city.

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 § 4.67(G). No sign permit is required for a compliant window sign, but LED and strip lighting used to form letters or borders within 3 feet of a window counts toward that same limit.

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 IH-635, IH-30, or State Highway 190. New digital faces cap at 700 square feet, must sit 1,500 feet from another digital billboard and 300 feet from any residential lot, and cannot exceed 50 feet in height.

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. Signs in the public right-of-way, on utility poles, or on traffic signs are prohibited and actively removed by Code Compliance through the I-Sign program.

Garland does not have specific ordinances restricting holiday displays on private residential property. Seasonal decorations are permitted as temporary displays. The city hosts Garland's annual Christmas on the Square event and has a strong holiday decorating tradition. Displays must not create traffic hazards or violate electrical safety codes.

Garland actively enforces property maintenance standards through its Code Compliance Division. Properties must be kept free of junk, debris, high weeds, abandoned vehicles, and dilapidated conditions. The city operates both complaint-based and proactive code enforcement. Garland has been recognized for its effective code compliance programs in maintaining neighborhood quality.

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 Ordinances Chapter 32. Weeds over 12 inches on any lot are an offense unless the growth is an exempt agricultural crop, a historically significant planting, or ornamental flowers and shrubs. Growth above 48 inches that endangers health or safety can be mowed by the City without advance notice.

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 three feet.

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 a residential lot beyond ambient conditions.

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 accent lighting to curb glare and skyglow.

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 days' written notice without stating a reason. Fixed-term leases may be terminated for breach under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 24.

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 listed materials belong in the bin, and repeated contamination gets the container pulled from service.

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. Carts also must stay at least four feet from mailboxes, gas meters, sprinkler heads and fence lines so collection crews can reach them safely.

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 collection day itself. Service starts only after a customer applies and is approved by the sanitation department.

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 solid metal gate, per Development Code § 4.45. Separately, a commercial solid waste container left in a residential zone for more than 90 days is a code violation under § 32.53(M).

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 that clogs storm drains and pollutes local creeks, and it gives lawn crews and homeowners three specific ways to avoid a citation while doing routine yard work.

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 refuse one of the few violations punishable by the maximum $2,000 fine rather than the standard $500 cap most Code violations carry.

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 bags, household garbage and CFC aerosol cans don't belong in the bin, and containers must sit at least four feet from obstructions and each other.

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 material, concrete, tires, paint, or debris from a major renovation project. Appliance doors must be removed before pickup for safety.

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 MyGarland. When a holiday hits, collection slides one day later for the rest of the week.

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 Community Retail districts and large hubs restricted to Industrial land only. Drone staging areas must sit outside setbacks and stay 150 to 300 feet from homes.

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 mobile food unit permit and be serviced by an approved central preparation facility.

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 service and vendors serving active job sites. Outside residential zones, a dedicated mobile food truck park needs a Special Use Permit under Development Code Section 2.52(A)(37) and can only operate late at night if it sits more than 150 feet from housing.

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 handler certifications. The city has been working to accommodate food trucks while maintaining health and safety standards.

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 method, and any past fraud or theft convictions. Permits cost a nonrefundable fee, last up to a year, and residents can block solicitors with a posted card under §26.53.

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 actively enforces these protections, making Garland one of the more proactive DFW-area cities for solicitation enforcement.

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 schedule. Anyone who remains on park property after closing, absent a permit or posted extension, commits an offense enforceable by Garland Police and Fire.

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: zero-lot-line homes keep a 10-foot minimum on the non-zero side, rising to 15 feet on a standard lot and 20 feet on a key corner lot.

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 and structures combined, not just the main house, count toward that cap under GDC Section 2.40(B)(5)(a). Older or larger lots instead use the coverage figure listed for their specific zoning district in Table 2-3 or Table 2-4.

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 feet on center along each block face, at least 3-inch caliper, single-trunk, and limbed to keep 8 feet of clearance over sidewalks and 14 feet over travel lanes.

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, including American elm, cedar elm, pecan, all oak and walnut species, and persimmon, are further classified as Class 1 Trees once they reach an 18-inch diameter, triggering a 2:1 replacement ratio if removed.

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 days.

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.

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, or altering a permit, is a criminal offense under Chapter 22, Article IX of the city code.

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 backflow-prevention and other regulated plumbing work is installed. Work done to a premises' plumbing system without the required permit can trigger mandatory premises containment under the city's cross-connection rules.

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 the city's electrical-licensing scheme because that work is regulated under the Texas Health and Safety Code. The city licenses only general electrical connections tied to that equipment, not the elevator mechanism itself.

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 with the City may secure building permits, though homeowners may pull permits for a residence they own.

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 inspection before occupancy. § 30.301(R) defines those stages to set refund percentages, and § 31.03 blocks final approval until every Chapter 31 requirement is met.

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. Applications go to the Building Official under Code of Ordinances Article III, and a short list of minor repairs, like reinstalling attachment-plug receptacles or replacing an overcurrent device of the same capacity, is exempt from that requirement.

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 are set annually in the Master Fee and Rate Schedule under Chapter 10, and separate written permits from the Parks and Recreation Director cover overnight camping, ceremonial fires, and vendor sales inside city parks.

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 public property, or sets up tents, stages, or portable toilets. The application, filed at least 45 days ahead with a nonrefundable fee, triggers review by every affected City department.

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 insurance, and bans cooking equipment, enclosed structures, sectional fencing and sofas.

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 may use up to half the sidewalk in front of their business to receive and forward goods, but only for up to one hour.

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, including a two-inch elevation difference between slabs, cross-slopes over 5 percent, and spalled or missing sections, under § 31.134.

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 of Engineering under § 31.117. The license only covers uses that will not significantly affect the public interest or unreasonably interfere with the right-of-way's purpose or other existing uses.

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 rated 5 horsepower or less must stay at or under 74 dBA measured 50 feet away, and larger equipment must stay at or under 82 dBA.

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 only if it posts a conspicuous warning sign at every public entrance stating the sound levels may cause permanent hearing impairment.

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 right to request a City inspection of the home, independent of the mandatory inspection that already happens whenever the dwelling changes hands between renters.

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 every licensed property at least once a year, including a representative sample of individual units.

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 critical violation gets a minimum of 72 hours, and a noncritical violation gets a minimum of 30 days, with the tier fixed by the § 32.01 classification an inspector assigns.

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 inspector assigns during a routine premises check drives everything that follows, including how many hours or days the owner gets to fix the problem before the City escalates to the Building and Standards Commission.

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 forms the City prescribes, opening a case once the City finds enough facts and evidence to proceed.

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 and permit-authorization requirements, so a Tree-of-heaven can be removed from a development site without a Tree Management Plan, Tree Removal Authorization, mitigation, or replacement planting.

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.

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 for development, land used for farming or open space, floodplain-constrained land, and any newly annexed property, which defaults to AG until the City assigns a permanent zoning classification.

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 impounded, cooking or open flame is barred outside a special event permit, and the local ban predates the statewide public-camping law it now runs alongside.

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 to yield to pedestrians wherever sidewalk riding is allowed, while §26.41 sets parking rules for bikes left on a street.

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 anywhere in the city.

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 or bike to sit unmoved for more than 24 hours or block a street or sidewalk, and the City impounds violators and charges the rental company a reclamation fee to get them back.

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 water can never touch the potable supply through any cross connection and must run through its own dedicated pipes from treatment to point of use.

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 same section bars mandating cool-season overseeding outside golf courses and athletic fields, protecting residents who want to replace a lawn with drought-tolerant landscaping instead.

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 design and use standards. Denials can be appealed to the City Council within 30 days.

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.

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 rentals too, since § 40.10's definitions fold short-term rentals into the "hotel" category, but exempts stays under $2 a day, meeting space, and permanent residents.

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 item untouched for seven business days under §26.08. The Police Department can inspect those records without a court order at any time.

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 other tattoo shops under GDC § 2.52(A)(6). Every artist and piercer must hold a valid state license at all times, and the same rule reaches permanent cosmetics offered inside salons and spas.

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 affirmative defense covers vehicles registered to a close relative living at the same address.

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, school, licensed day-care, or public park, or within 1,000 feet of another such business.

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 present, under §26.31. Six affirmative defenses cover offenders who already live nearby, are a present child's parent, or merely drove through.

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 Crossing, the Duckworth Building, the Garland Utility Payment Drive-Thru, and the Granville Arts Center, covering their parking facilities, ramps, loading docks, and other protrusions.

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 square, and inside any area the City Manager posts with a designated no-smoking sign. The rule sits in the same Article IV ordinance that bans smoking indoors citywide.