Texas counties cannot zone or set a cosmetic lawn-height limit in unincorporated areas. Hidalgo County instead abates high weeds only as a public-health nuisance under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343: weeds over 36 inches, or weeds within 300 feet of another residence, may be ordered cut.
Unlike a Texas city, Hidalgo County has no zoning power and cannot enforce an aesthetic grass-height rule on private lots in the unincorporated county. Its real authority is nuisance abatement under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 343, which applies only to a county's unincorporated area. Section 343.002(11) defines 'Weeds' as rank, uncultivated growth over 36 inches tall, or shorter growth creating an unsanitary pest harborage. Section 343.011(c)(4) makes weeds within 300 feet of another residence a public nuisance. The Commissioners Court adopted an Unincorporated Area Nuisance Abatement Program on August 16, 2016, treating a 'Weedy Lot' as 343.011 C(4). There is no numeric county rule for a rural lot, but overgrown weeds near homes can be abated.
Enforcement is complaint-driven through the Precinct and the Nuisance Abatement Program. Under THSC 343.022 the county gives written notice to the owner to abate; if uncorrected, the county may abate it and assess the cost against the property.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Hidalgo County, TX
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See how Hidalgo County's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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