Dallas, TX Hotels & Lodging: Hotel Living Wage (2026)
Key Facts
- Dallas hotel wage rule
- None enacted
- Texas preemption
- Labor Code Sec. 62.0515
- Federal floor
- $7.25 FLSA
- Tipped cash wage
- $2.13 plus tips to $7.25
- City worker policy
- Higher wage for direct staff only
Summary
Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 preempts city minimum-wage ordinances. Dallas has never enacted a hotel-specific living wage, and HB 4 (2023) closes the door on industry wage floors, leaving the federal $7.25 floor in place.
Sec. 62.0515. APPLICATION OF MINIMUM WAGE TO CERTAIN GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES; CERTAIN AGREEMENTS WITH GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES. (a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the minimum wage provided by this chapter supersedes a wage established in an ordinance, order, or charter provision governing wages in private employment, other than wages under a public contract. [...] (d) For purposes of this section, 'governmental entity' includes a municipality, a county, a special district or authority, a junior college district, or another political subdivision of this state.
Full Breakdown
Texas Labor Code Chapter 62 ties the state minimum wage to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act rate of $7.25 per hour and Section 62.0515 expressly preempts any municipal wage rule that exceeds the state floor. The 2023 Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (HB 4) reinforces preemption of employer-employee relations. Dallas has therefore never adopted a hotel-industry living wage like Los Angeles ($25 per hour for large hotels) or Long Beach. The city does pay its own direct employees and certain city contractors above the federal floor under Council policy, but that obligation does not extend to private hotel operators. Hotel housekeepers, valet, and front-desk staff in Dallas earn at least $7.25 plus tips per FLSA.
Violations & Fines
No Dallas living-wage citation applies because no ordinance exists. FLSA shortfalls expose hotel employers to back-wage liability, equal liquidated damages, and federal civil penalties up to $1,000 per willful repeat. Tipped-wage employers must make up tips to reach $7.25.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dallas
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