Local Rules Near University of North Texas

Denton caps home stereo, TV, and instrument noise at 65 dBA measured 50 feet away during both daytime and nighttime hours, dropping to 50 dBA for adjacent units in multi-family buildings, under Sec. 17-20 of the Property Maintenance Code.

Denton caps outdoor amplified sound at 70 dBA at the event perimeter under Sec. 17-20. Special event permits from the city are required for outdoor concerts, festivals, and block parties. The downtown square and Quakertown Park host major events like Denton Arts & Jazz Festival and 35 Denton. No entertainment-district noise exemption exists.

Denton has no standalone leaf blower ordinance. Leaf blowers are regulated under the general noise provisions of Sec. 17-20 and the construction-hours framework. As of January 1, 2025, Sec. 17-40(k) prohibits blowing yard waste into public streets. Commercial landscaping crews must follow construction-hour time limits.

Homes built or rebuilt near Denton Enterprise Airport in the Airport Compatibility Land Use District must meet FAA noise mitigation standards or grant the city an avigation easement covering aircraft noise, vibration, and fumes.

Denton makes it illegal to play a car radio, stereo, or amplifier loud enough to be clearly audible more than 35 feet from the vehicle. Denton Code Enforcement handles it under the city noise ordinance, and violators face a fine up to $500.

Denton bars building construction and repair noise outside set daily windows that shift with the season and shrink further on weekends.

Denton Code Ch. 17, Art. II (Sec. 17-20) prohibits noise of such character, intensity, and duration as to substantially interfere with comfortable enjoyment of private homes. Outdoor amplified events capped at 70 dBA at the event perimeter. Fry Street and downtown square entertainment areas generate the most complaints. Class C misdemeanor, fines up to $500 per offense.

Denton Code Sec. 6-9 prohibits any animal from creating noise that interferes with neighbors' reasonable enjoyment of their property. Residents within 300 feet may file complaints with Denton Animal Services at (940) 349-7594. Repeat offenders face nuisance declaration requiring permanent removal of the animal from city limits within 30 days.

Denton requires every short-term rental to be registered with Development Services before it can be advertised or rented, with a citywide cap on residential certificates.

Denton bars registered short-term rentals from being used as party venues and requires hosts to give guests written noise rules: three noise notices in 12 months can get the registration revoked.

Denton does not impose a minimum-night requirement for STR bookings. Rentals are defined as 24 hours to 29 consecutive days. One-night stays are permitted under city rules, though individual operators may set their own minimum-night policies. The city regulates density (100-ft separation, 1,000-unit cap) rather than minimum stay length.

STR operators must collect and remit state Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) of 6% plus City of Denton HOT of 7% for a combined 13% tax on all rentals under 30 consecutive days. TX Tax Code Ch. 351 authorizes the city HOT. Annual registration fee is $100. Platforms like Airbnb collect state HOT automatically but operators must remit city HOT directly.

Denton STR operators must advertise the maximum number of guests the property can accommodate and may not exceed that number. The International Property Maintenance Code (adopted by Denton) sets minimum square footage per occupant. Advertisements must state no parties or events are allowed. The 2024 DDC amendment reinforced occupancy controls.

Denton STR listings must disclose available parking and guest vehicle limits. Guest vehicles must park on-site or in legal street parking spaces. No parking on lawns or in fire lanes. STR advertisements must accurately represent the number of vehicles the property can accommodate. General Denton parking rules under Ch. 18 apply to all guest vehicles.

Denton revokes a short-term rental registration after three code violation notices or citations on the property within any 12-month period.

All consumer fireworks are banned within Denton city limits per Chapter 29 Fire Code. TX Occupations Code Ch. 2154 authorizes cities to ban fireworks within city limits and does not preempt local bans. Denton Fire Department actively enforces the ban around July 4th and New Year. The city hosts a professional July 4th show at the Denton Civic Center.

Denton bans recreational fires citywide and sets a strict 300-foot setback for any open burning or bonfire under its amended Fire Code, on top of any county-level TCEQ burn ban.

TX Health & Safety Code Ch. 766 requires smoke detectors in all Denton rentals. Landlords must install and test within 7 days of written request.

Recreational fires, including backyard fire pits and campfire-style gatherings, are banned everywhere inside Denton's city limits under the locally amended fire code, with only a narrow bonfire exception.

Along designated streets bordering Texas Woman's University, Denton requires a valid TWU parking permit displayed on the vehicle wherever curbs are painted black and signage is posted, backing university parking authority with city citations.

Denton prohibits parking or storing a recreational vehicle, travel trailer, boat, or similar large vehicle on any public right-of-way in a residential zoned district: only passenger cars are allowed on those streets.

Denton makes it illegal to park a vehicle in the front, side, or rear yard on anything but an improved parking surface, treating grass and dirt parking as a code nuisance.

Denton has no citywide overnight street parking ban. The 72-hour limit and residential permit zones near UNT/TWU are the primary restrictions.

Denton bans keeping more than one inoperable or junked vehicle on any property, and declares an exposed junked vehicle a public nuisance subject to abatement.

Denton Ch. 28 enforces a 72-hour street parking limit citywide. Residential permit zones near UNT and TWU. Downtown metered at 2-hour limits.

Denton does not set its own non-consent tow rates. The city rewrote its entire towing article on November 19, 2024 by Ord. No. 24-2174, and Sec. 23-102 fixes the drop fee and the tow fee at whatever the Texas Administrative Code § 86.455 maximums allow rather than naming Denton figures. What Denton does control is everything around the price: a $15 local regulation fee added to every tow and every boot, an $85 ceiling on boot removal, a storage facility that must release a vehicle at any hour of any day, and a City of Denton Towing Customer Bill of Rights that must be handed over with every non-consent tow receipt.

Denton bans painting or marking curbs and other public property, with a narrow exception letting property owners paint house numbers on their own curb.

Denton loading zones require a written permit from the citizens traffic safety support commission, and parking in one without authorization is a criminal offense.

Denton restricts vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVWR in residential zones. One light commercial vehicle allowed behind front building line on paved surface.

Texas does not require neighbor notice or cost-sharing for boundary fences. Denton has no local neighbor consent requirement. Disputes are civil matters.

Denton exempts fences from the Certificate of Appropriateness required for other exterior work in the Bell Avenue and West Oak historic districts, but every fence must still meet the citywide material and height standards in the Denton Development Code.

Denton DDC Sec. 7.8 requires fences be structurally sound and maintained. Barbed wire prohibited in residential. Buffer yard screening fences required.

Denton allows wood, masonry, iron, chain link, vinyl, and composite fencing. Tarps, pallets, and corrugated metal prohibited as permanent fencing.

Denton doesn't ban any dog breed. A dog is declared "dangerous" only after an unprovoked attack, triggering strict confinement, insurance, and registry rules.

Denton's zoning code caps veterinary clinics in the MD district at 5,000 square feet per lot and bans on-site livestock veterinary care in the MN, MD, and MR districts entirely, without exception.

Denton regulates pet groomers and similar animal-care businesses as a "Commercial Animal Service" land use, capping outdoor play areas near homes to a 9 p.m. curfew and requiring a 150-foot buffer from neighboring property lines.

Denton requires every cat or dog four months or older kept in the city to be microchipped and registered with the microchip company under Sec. 6-14 of the city code.

Denton Code Section 6-6 prohibits keeping dangerous wild animals within city limits. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822 Subchapter E requires registration, liability insurance, and secure enclosures for listed dangerous wild animals statewide. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 63 requires permits for protected nongame wildlife.

Denton requires proof of sterilization before releasing a dog, cat, or ferret age six months or older that is redeemed from a second or subsequent impound, or the owner pays a sterilization fee.

Denton lets registered caretakers feed and shelter feral cat colonies under a trap-neuter-return policy, but the privilege only holds as long as the colony doesn't become a nuisance or attract wildlife.

Denton Code Section 6-8 requires all dogs to be restrained by leash or confined when off the owner's property. Section 6-14, effective May 2024, replaced pet licensing with mandatory microchipping for all dogs over 4 months. Off-leash dogs permitted only in designated dog parks including South Lakes and North Lakes parks.

Denton Code Chapter 6 Article IV regulates residential beekeeping. Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 131 requires all beekeepers to register apiaries annually with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. Hives must be in movable-frame equipment for state inspection access. HOAs cannot ban beekeeping on lots of 1/4 acre or larger under TX Property Code 202.007.

Denton prohibits livestock including cattle, horses, goats, and sheep in residential zones unless the lot meets minimum acreage for agricultural zoning. Denton Development Code Table 5.2-A governs permitted uses by zoning district. Up to 8 hens allowed per residential parcel under Section 6-26, but roosters are restricted.

Denton does not prohibit artificial turf in residential landscaping. Texas Property Code 202.007 prevents HOAs from requiring natural grass or banning water-conserving landscaping alternatives. Artificial turf installations do not require a building permit but must comply with drainage and stormwater requirements.

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Texas under TX Water Code Section 16.0121. Texas Property Code 202.007 prohibits HOAs from banning rainwater collection systems. Denton imposes no permit requirement for residential rainwater collection barrels or cisterns used for landscape irrigation.

City code requires parkway trees be trimmed so no branch hangs lower than seven feet above the curb, keeping the street and sidewalk clear for vehicles and pedestrians.

Denton requires a tree removal permit before clearing protected trees on development sites, mandates preserving at least 30 percent of heritage and quality tree dbh, keeps 100 percent of landmark trees, and forces replacement planting or a tree-fund mitigation fee for what comes down.

Denton requires all irrigation systems to follow a mandatory twice-weekly watering schedule under the city's Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, with tighter drought-stage limits and fines up to $2,000 for violations.

Texas Property Code 202.007 prohibits HOAs from banning water-conserving natural landscaping including native plants and xeriscaping. Denton encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings through its water conservation program. No city ordinance restricts native plant use in residential landscaping.

Denton Code Section 17-40 treats weeds the same as tall grass. Weeds exceeding 12 inches on improved lots or 18 inches on vacant lots trigger a violation notice. Noxious weeds and invasive species may be cited regardless of height if they create a public health or safety concern.

Denton's Development Code permits a home-based business as an accessory use in every zoning district in the city, but caps it at two off-site employees, four patrons at a time, and daytime-only hours.

Denton Development Code prohibits all external signage for home occupations. No on-premises or off-premises signs, window displays, or any visible indication of business activity is permitted for home-based businesses in residential zones.

Texas HHSC licenses home daycares in two tiers: listed family homes (1-3 unrelated children) require listing only, and registered child-care homes (up to 12 children) require registration with inspection. Denton Development Code treats home daycares as a permitted accessory use in residential zones subject to standard home occupation requirements.

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 Subchapter B (Texas Cottage Food Law) allows home-based food production with annual sales up to $75,000. No city permit, inspection, or food handler certification is required. Products must be sold directly to consumers and labeled with name, address, and the statutory disclaimer.

Denton limits home-based businesses to four patrons on-site at once and bars customer visits after 8 p.m. under the Denton Development Code.

Denton hot tubs fall under TX H&S Code Ch. 757 if they hold 18+ inches of water. A locked ASTM F1346 safety cover may replace barrier fencing. GFCI and a visible disconnect switch are required.

Denton requires a building permit for all in-ground and above-ground swimming pool and spa installations. Applications are submitted through the eTRAKiT online portal. The city has adopted the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Fence inspection must pass before final permit approval. Electrical work requires a separate electrical permit.

Denton caps backyard accessory dwelling units at 800 square feet or 75% of the main home's size, whichever is greater, and allows just one per lot on qualifying residential properties.

Denton's zoning code confines sheds and other accessory structures to the rear yard, requires a 3-foot setback from every property line, and bars them from sitting in any easement.

Denton allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, sized up to 800 square feet or 75 percent of the primary home's floor area, whichever is greater, under the Denton Development Code.

Denton's outside-storage nuisance ordinance carves out a specific defense for smokers and barbeque grills kept in your yard or carport.

Denton requires new homes in the floodway fringe to sit at or above the city's minimum building elevation, a set freeboard above the base flood elevation.

Denton bills a drainage charge against every parcel of real property in the city under the state Municipal Drainage Utility Systems Act, funding the city's stormwater and drainage function as part of the wastewater utility.

Denton bars any construction, alteration, fill, or grading in a mapped floodway or floodplain until the city engineer issues a development permit under Chapter 30.

Denton requires a permit before any clearing, grading, grubbing, stockpiling, excavating, or other earthwork, with a narrow exemption for disturbances under 25 cubic yards and 2,000 square feet outside floodplains and environmentally sensitive areas.

Cannabis home cultivation is illegal in Denton and all of Texas. TX Health and Safety Code Ch. 481 classifies marijuana as Schedule I. Growing plants is charged as manufacture, typically a felony.

Cannabis dispensaries are prohibited in Denton and statewide. Texas has not legalized recreational marijuana. Only DPS-licensed Compassionate Use dispensaries operate, and none are in Denton.

TX Property Code 202.010 bars Denton HOAs from banning solar panels. HOA rules cannot increase cost by more than 10% or cut output by more than 10%. Violations are void under state law.

Denton requires building and electrical permits for solar panels. TX Property Code 202.010 bars HOA bans on solar. Denton Municipal Electric handles grid interconnection approval.

Denton treats garage sale signs as temporary signs. On-site signs need no permit. Signs in the right-of-way or on utility poles are prohibited. Sales are limited in frequency per Code Ch. 17.

Signs along IH-35 in Denton can be measured for height from the principal lanes or frontage road, not just the curb, letting freeway-facing signs stand taller than standard ground signs.

Denton prohibits construction of any new billboard citywide and bars converting existing legal billboards to digital or LED display.

Denton does not require permits for residential holiday displays. Lights, inflatables, and decorations are allowed. Displays must not obstruct sidewalks or create hazards under Code Ch. 17.

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapters 18 and 28 require owners of vacant lots to maintain their property free of tall weeds, accumulated debris, and safety hazards. Vacant lots must have grass and weeds kept below 12 inches. The city conducts regular sweeps of vacant parcels and will abate violations at the owner's expense if not corrected after notice. Denton has seen significant vacant lot activity due to rapid residential development in areas like Robson Ranch and north Denton.

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapter 28 (Property Maintenance) and Chapter 18 (Health and Sanitation) establish comprehensive standards for property upkeep in residential and commercial areas. Properties with accumulated junk, debris, tall weeds, abandoned vehicles, or deteriorated structures can be declared a public nuisance. The City of Denton actively enforces blight standards through its Code Enforcement Division with authority to abate hazards and assess costs against the property.

Denton exempts eave-height soffit and wall-mounted security lights on houses from full lighting review, but only if they're downcast and aimed away from neighboring properties; other building-mounted fixtures need shielding too.

Denton's Development Code requires full cutoff, shielded, downcast fixtures for parking lots and pedestrian paths, capping light spillover onto neighboring properties at one foot-candle at the property line.

Denton bans signs illuminated so intensely or without shielding that they hazard drivers or intrude on nearby homes, and bars flashing, moving, or digital illumination on billboards.

Denton does not have rent control or rent stabilization ordinances. Texas Local Government Code Section 214.902 expressly preempts municipalities from adopting any ordinance, resolution, or regulation that would control the amount of rent charged for private residential or commercial property. Landlords in Denton may set and increase rent without any cap or limitation beyond what is stated in the lease agreement.

Denton does not have a just cause eviction ordinance. Texas law does not require landlords to provide a specific reason for declining to renew a lease or terminating a month-to-month tenancy. Landlords must follow eviction procedures under Texas Property Code Chapter 24, including providing proper written notice, but are not required to demonstrate just cause for ending a tenancy at lease expiration.

City code requires every dwelling unit to have its own working bathtub or shower, lavatory, water closet, and kitchen sink to remain a habitable rental.

Denton requires tree limbs, shrubs, and yard waste to be prepped a specific way before curbside pickup, or the city will skip your pile.

Denton's solid waste department is the exclusive provider of municipal waste collection, so private roll-off dumpsters and commercial containers require an annual city hauler permit before they can be dropped, filled, or serviced anywhere in city limits.

Denton's Solid Waste Department runs a mandatory valet trash collection service in director-designated areas with limited dumpster space, and customers there cannot opt out of the assigned service tier.

Denton makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to dump refuse, trash, or debris on any street, alley, waterway, or public or private property.

Every commercial property in Denton must run an on-site recycling diversion program and file an annual diversion plan with the city.

Trash is collected weekly and recycling every other week. Find your day with the address lookup on the city's Trash Service page. Several holidays delay collection one day, and carts must be out by 7 a.m.

Denton requires recyclables to go loose into city-issued bins, never bagged, and accepts only current 'program materials'; noncompliant containers are simply left uncollected under the city code.

Every residential property owner in Denton must sign up for and maintain city solid waste and recycling service: if any utility is active at the address, trash pickup must be active too, regardless of occupancy.

Denton requires curbside trash and recycling carts to be set out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and by 7 a.m. on collection day, then stored out of public view afterward.

Denton won't collect bulk trash or construction debris over four cubic yards at the regular curb pickup: residents must arrange a temporary container, landfill haul, or recycler.

Recreational drone flights in Denton are governed primarily by federal FAA regulations and Texas Government Code Chapter 423 (privacy protections). Denton city parks prohibit drone operations without permission from the Parks and Recreation Department. The Denton Enterprise Airport (KDTO) creates a controlled airspace zone requiring LAANC authorization or FAA approval for drone flights within its boundaries. Operators must follow FAA recreational drone rules including the TRUST certification requirement.

Commercial drone operations in Denton require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and compliance with Texas Government Code Chapter 423. Flights near Denton Enterprise Airport (KDTO) require LAANC authorization within the Class D airspace. The DFW metroplex Class B airspace shelf over Denton creates additional altitude restrictions. Commercial operators must also comply with any Denton permitting requirements for filming or business activities conducted from public property.

Denton requires every mobile food establishment to hold a 12-month city health permit, operate from an approved commissary, and file an itinerary. Units cannot vend from a street, sidewalk, or park without written City permission.

Denton requires mobile food units to operate only in properly zoned locations, get HOA sign-off for residential stops, and secure written city permission before vending on any street, park, or public property.

Food trucks and mobile food vendors operating in Denton must obtain a Mobile Food Vendor Permit from the City of Denton Development Services Department. Operators must also hold a valid Denton County Health Department food handlers permit and pass a health inspection. Permits are required for all food trucks operating on private property, at special events, and on designated public locations. Denton has cultivated a food truck culture particularly around the downtown square and UNT campus area.

Posting a "No Solicitors" or "No Handbills" card at your door legally bars salespeople from knocking, ringing your bell, or leaving flyers: solicitors who ignore it face citation under Denton's home-solicitation ordinance.

Denton Code of Ordinances Chapter 22 (Peddlers, Solicitors, and Itinerant Merchants) requires door-to-door solicitors, peddlers, and itinerant merchants to obtain a permit from the City of Denton before operating within city limits. Applicants must submit to a background check and carry their permit visibly while soliciting. Religious, political, and nonprofit solicitors are exempt from the permit requirement but must still comply with no-solicitation signage rules.

Denton city parks close to the public every night at 10:00 p.m. and stay closed until 6:00 a.m., with no exceptions for after-hours strolling or hanging out.

Denton's Development Code sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks separately for each zoning district; corner lots must meet the front setback along both streets, and alleys don't count as streets.

In Denton's R4 residential district, a single-family, townhome, or duplex lot can be covered by buildings on no more than 50 percent of its area.

Denton's Development Code limits most single-family residential zoning districts (R1 through R7) to a 40-foot maximum building height, while the low-density RR district allows up to 65 feet.

Denton's Development Code creates a Landmark Tree designation for historically or civically significant trees and requires developers to preserve 100 percent of them, on top of separate protections for large Heritage trees.

Denton's tree code singles out Post Oak by species, granting it Heritage-tree protection at just 6 inches dbh while other species need 18 inches to qualify.

Denton requires street trees in the right-of-way for new development, spaced no more than 50 feet apart, with the adjoining property owner on the hook for upkeep.

Denton treats garage and yard sales as 'occasional sales' under its Development Code, capping residential lots at three sales a year, one every four months, three days each, under a temporary use permit.

Denton city code bars HOAs and other community associations from enforcing bylaws or CC&Rs that prohibit residents from installing window air conditioning units needed for health and safety.

Denton's film permit ordinance regulates recording of moving images, not still photography. City Code defines 'film' as capturing moving images onto video or motion-picture media, so photographers don't need a film permit for still shoots.

Filming that blocks a public right-of-way in Denton requires a separate street closing permit filed at least 14 working days ahead, with a barricade plan and a signed neighbor petition.

Denton requires a permit for commercial filming, and the city manager can deny or condition it if the noise a production requests would unreasonably affect the surrounding neighborhood.

Denton adopted the 2021 International Plumbing Code by ordinance, and any plumbing work here requires a permit from the Building Safety Department that expires if unused within 180 days.

Denton doesn't force sprinklers into an ordinary house, but its amended R313 triggers automatic sprinklers in R-3 buildings that cross size or height thresholds.

Denton requires three scheduled inspections for residential construction: underground, rough-in, and final, before work can proceed or occupancy is granted.

Denton's code official can halt construction work immediately with a stop-work order when it violates the building code or is unsafe, and continuing work after being served brings a fee under the city's schedule.

Denton requires carbon monoxide alarms in existing dwellings whenever a permitted alteration, repair, or addition occurs, or whenever a bedroom is added, with alarms placed the same way as in new construction.

Denton enforces the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code on all new construction and major renovations, with local amendments set by ordinance.

Denton has adopted the 2021 edition of the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), and a permit is required before any electrical work begins on a building or structure in the city.

Denton requires elevators, escalators, and dumbwaiters to meet ASME A17.1 standards with a current inspection certificate posted at all times.

Denton requires a permit from the police chief before any parade, and a special event permit from Parks and Recreation before gatherings of 200+ people, street closures, tents, stages, or alcohol sales in city parks.

Denton requires organizers of neighborhood block parties to get a special event permit from Parks and Recreation, filed at least 14 days before the event date.

Denton requires a Park Use Agreement or facility rental agreement to reserve park spaces, recreation facilities, or athletic fields for group events, with usage fees set by the city council.

In Denton's historic Square District, restaurants and shops can spread tables and retail displays onto the sidewalk, but anything crossing into the public right-of-way needs an approved City of Denton Right-of-Way Use permit first.

Denton requires a special event permit before any street fair, festival, or carnival with 200+ attendees, or one where vendors sell merchandise, food, or drinks on city property.

Denton bans blocking a public street or sidewalk with a vending stand, display, or other obstruction unless the city secretary has issued a permit, keeping walkways and roadways clear for pedestrians and traffic.

Denton requires anyone placing facilities, excavating, or occupying a work area on, in, or over a public right-of-way, sidewalks included, to get a right-of-way permit from the city engineer first.

In Denton, the property owner abutting a sidewalk pays to construct, reconstruct, or repair it once the city council orders the work by resolution: the city only covers excavation and grading.

Denton's noise ordinance makes it a nuisance violation to create loud, excessive noise while loading or unloading a vehicle, including opening or destroying bales, boxes, crates, or containers, anywhere in the city.

Denton outlaws bass reverberation or vibration from speakers or amplifiers that a neighbor can feel, see, or hear inside their own home, with no decibel threshold required to prove a violation.

Denton's Development Code lists General Agriculture as a permitted by-right use in all 16 base zoning districts, and holds farming operations to the state Right to Farm Act's hazard standard instead of imposing a separate local permit.

Denton's vulnerable road user ordinance tells cyclists where to ride on the roadway and requires drivers to give bikes at least 3 feet of passing room, more for trucks.

Denton cannot operate red-light cameras. Texas Transportation Code Section 707.020, added by House Bill 1631 in 2019, bars every local authority from running a photographic traffic signal enforcement system on any street it controls.

Denton's zoning code allows warehouse and modular data centers only in specific commercial and industrial districts, requiring a 100-foot residential setback, opaque screening, and a formal noise study before construction begins.

Denton restricts data center operations, including on-site electrical equipment, to a maximum of 60 dBA measured at the property line, with any increase in ambient noise capped at 3 dBA under the Denton Development Code.

Denton allows reclaimed water for landscape irrigation only with purple pipe, backflow protection, and posted bilingual warning signs.

Denton utility customers who want a bill credit for a water leak must repair it within 30 days of detection and apply within 60 days of the repair.

New commercial, industrial, and multifamily development in Denton must screen from adjacent land uses with a landscaped buffer, and by code that buffer can't be planted in turf grass: it has to be shrubs, trees, or other approved ground cover instead.

Denton lets residential projects that set aside affordable units trade into density-boosting relief: smaller lots, taller buildings, and reduced parking under the Development Code's Affordability Incentive Program.

Denton requires a Certificate of Design Consistency for new construction, exterior changes, or demolition anywhere in the Denton Square District downtown.

Denton property owners must keep structures and yards free of insect and rodent infestation and exterminate promptly when pests are found, per City Code Sec. 17-156.

Denton requires every food service employee to hold a valid food handler card within 10 days of being hired.

Denton charges a 7% hotel occupancy tax on room rates of $2 or more a night, collected by the operator and remitted monthly or quarterly to the city.

Denton's City Council can designate buildings, structures, sites, or land as protected Historic Landmarks through a standalone zoning designation, based on cultural, architectural, or historical significance criteria in the Denton Development Code.

Non-consent tow companies, trucks, and operators in Denton must each hold a separate annual permit from the police department before towing any vehicle without the owner's consent.

Denton allows a sexually oriented business only in the Heavy Industrial district and only with a specific use permit, and bars it from operating adjacent to an arterial street within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, day cares, parks, hospitals, residences, or another adult business.

Denton's Development Code flatly bars auto repair shops from operating as home-based businesses in any residential zoning district.

Denton's zoning code classifies vape and e-cigarette retailers as a 'Smoke Shop' and expressly bars that use from operating as a Home-Based Business, so a vape shop must run out of a properly zoned commercial location, not a house or apartment.

Denton requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer -- buying or selling used vehicles, tires, clothing, machines, firearms, weapons, radios or appliances -- to hold an annual license from the city secretary before operating.

Tattoo and body piercing parlors in Denton must hold current licensing and certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the zoning code limits where these businesses can operate under the Denton Development Code.

Denton bans aggressive solicitation: nonconsensual contact, blocking someone's path, or threats made while asking for money. Violators face a Class C misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine.

Denton prohibits carrying an open or previously opened glass container on streets, sidewalks, or parking areas throughout the Fry Street District unless you're still on the premises where you got it.

Denton bans smoking on or within 30 feet of any city-owned athletic field or parks facility, plus other listed outdoor buffer zones.

Denton bans skateboards, roller skates, and similar toy vehicles from city roadways, except when crossing at a marked crosswalk, where riders must follow pedestrian rules.

Denton police are barred from citing or arresting people for low-level marijuana possession, except in narrow felony-related investigations.