Harris County, TX Immigration Policy: E-Verify Mandates (2026)
Key Facts
- State mandate
- None for private employers
- TX state agencies
- Required by EO RP-80
- Harris County workforce
- E-Verify enrolled
- Federal trigger
- FAR contract clause
- Discrimination penalty
- Up to $4,313 federal
Summary
Texas has no statewide E-Verify requirement for private employers. State agencies and their contractors must use E-Verify under a 2014 executive order. Harris County requires E-Verify for its own workforce and many contracted vendors, but private businesses are not bound countywide.
Sec. 673.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:(1) "E-verify program" means the electronic verification of employment authorization program of the federal Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No. 104-208, reprinted in note, 8 U.S.C. Section 1324a), operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, or a successor employment authorization program designated by the United States Department of Homeland Security or other federal agency authorized to verify the employment authorization status of newly hired employees under the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.).(2) "State agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 659.101. Added by Acts 2015, 84t
Full Breakdown
Federal law mandates E-Verify only for federal contractors under FAR 52.222-54. Texas has no general E-Verify mandate for private employers, but Governor Greg Abbott's 2014 Executive Order RP-80, since extended, requires Texas state agencies and their contractors to enroll in E-Verify. Harris County, as a unit of local government, applies E-Verify to its own approximately 17,000 employees and to selected contracts where the contract terms require it. Private businesses operating in Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, Pearland, Sugar Land, and other municipalities have no county-imposed E-Verify obligation beyond any federal contract requirement they accept. Use of E-Verify must comply with anti-discrimination rules under federal Immigration and Nationality Act Section 274B.
Violations & Fines
Private employers misusing E-Verify to discriminate by national origin face federal Office of Special Counsel penalties up to $4,313 per violation. Harris County imposes no separate E-Verify civil penalty on private businesses absent a contractual requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must my Houston-area private employer use E-Verify?
Does Harris County check E-Verify before hiring?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harris County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Harris County to another location·View the Texas immigration policy overview
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