Leander, TX

Leander's zoning code defines a 'privacy fence' as an opaque fence at least six feet tall, with gaps no wider than a half inch, capped by the district's height rules.

Leander requires a building permit before erecting, altering or moving a fence anywhere in the city. Appendix A § A3.004(l)(11) sets a $40 permit fee, $50 application fee and $20 plan…

Barbed wire fencing is prohibited in Leander's residential zoning districts, with narrow exceptions for SFR-zoned agricultural uses and repairing existing barbed wire. Article VI…

Leander's building code amendment requires a guard rail on any retaining wall over 48 inches tall with a walkable surface, and retaining walls, unlike fences, need a site development…

Under Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 143, Subchapter F, you cannot tear out a fence you jointly own with a neighbor, or one attached to a neighbor's fence, without mutual consent. To…

Leander limits livestock to properties of three or more acres, caps animal units by lot size, and keeps grazing and livestock structures 50 to 200 feet from neighboring homes and…

Leander bars anyone from keeping, possessing or having custody of a "prohibited animal," wild animal or wildlife within city limits, and bans selling, giving or importing any wild…

Leander bars anyone from constructing, placing or maintaining a beehive within 500 feet of a neighboring residence without the occupants' consent, under Section 2.03.007 of the Code of…

Leander has no breed-specific ban; instead, once a dog is declared dangerous under state law, its owner must register it with animal services within 30 days, post warning signage, and…

Leander treats an animal as a public nuisance whenever the sheer number kept threatens public health, safety, or welfare, giving animal services a case-by-case tool against hoarding…

Leander, Texas bans letting any dog run at large, requiring a leash, chain, cord or fence restraint, with fines up to $500 per day for violations.

Texas lets hunters bait and feed game animals, including deer, on private property statewide. Baiting is unlawful on most public land, for wild turkey in the East Zone, and for all…

Leander's Fire Code amendments let residents keep a recreational firepit at home, but a permanently installed one must sit at least 10 feet from any structure or combustible material…

Leander's building code requires a working smoke detector in every dwelling and nonresidential building, tested by the building official before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Leander bans open burning of grass, trash, and other combustibles citywide, and automatically extends any Williamson County burn ban to the city limits under its outdoor burning…

Consumer 1.4G fireworks are legal in unincorporated Williamson County and sell June 24 through July 4 and December 20 through January 1; the Commissioners Court can restrict skyrockets…

Texas assigns no regulatory wildfire hazard zones and no wildland-urban-interface building code to unincorporated Williamson County; drought burn bans by the Commissioners Court are…

Selling, transporting, dispensing, or storing propane (LP-gas) in Texas requires a license from the Railroad Commission of Texas under Natural Resources Code Chapter 113. Only the…

Leander treats a dog that howls, barks, whines or crows "in an excessive, continuous or unreasonable fashion" at unreasonable hours as a nuisance animal under Section 2.03.006(a)(6) of…

Leander sets a nightly noise curfew running 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends, when any radio, speaker, drum or amplified sound loud enough…

Leander bans unreasonably loud vehicle horns used for anything but a warning, and requires exhaust systems on cars, boats, and stationary engines to stay in good working order so they…

Leander's industrial-zoned districts (HC and HI) may generate up to 75 dBA by day and 65 dBA at night -- the highest ceiling in the city's zone-based sound table -- versus 70/60 dBA…

Within a designated Entertainment Overlay district, Leander bars outdoor amplified music between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. whenever the venue sits within 500 feet of a residentially zoned or…

Leander bars construction and demolition equipment from operating loudly enough to cause a noise disturbance between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., with narrow exceptions for emergencies and…

Leander treats an inoperative vehicle left on public property more than 48 hours, or on private property without the owner's consent more than 48 hours, as abandoned and subject to…

Leander bans outdoor overnight parking or storage of tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and other vehicles rated 17,000+ pounds GVWR in residential districts and on public rights-of-way.

Leander requires one loading space per 10,000 square feet of commercial floor area (first 20,000 sq ft) and one per 20,000 sq ft for industrial buildings, unless planning and fire…

Leander requires a Permits Division permit to store any self-propelled vehicle or towed trailer over 22 feet long, measured including hitches and overhangs, on residential property.

Leander bars parking that blocks traffic flow, driveways, fire hydrants, or crosswalks, and requires drivers to leave at least ten feet of roadway clear.

Leander limits residential storage of boats, RVs, and trailers to one in the front yard (two total, except in SFR districts), and the vehicle must sit perpendicular to the front…

Leander sets its own dollar ceiling on every nonconsent tow that starts inside the city. Under the appendix A fee schedule at Sec. A4.008, a private property impound of a light duty…

Leander allows one accessory dwelling per residential lot, sized between 400 and 900 square feet, with an owner-occupancy requirement.

Leander lets sheds up to 120 square feet go up without a building permit, but caps most accessory buildings at 15 feet tall, sets a 3-foot spacing from other structures, and allows a…

Unincorporated Williamson County neither zones nor permits garage conversions. Converting a garage into living space with a bathroom triggers an on-site sewage (OSSF) review under…

A tiny home on wheels is titled as a travel trailer under Texas Transportation Code Section 501.002 and is not used as a permanent dwelling. A tiny home on a foundation with plumbing…

Leander requires a city permit before any Significant or Heritage Tree is removed from property undergoing platting, site development, or building permits, with mitigation replanting…

Leander's landscape code bars synthetic or artificial lawns and plants from counting toward the mandatory planting and turfgrass requirements for developed property.

Leander's amended Property Maintenance Code requires every property owner to keep trees, shrubs and other vegetation trimmed to at least seven feet of vertical clearance over sidewalks…

Leander runs a four-phase drought contingency plan; phase 1's mandatory watering-day limits apply year-round unless the city manager triggers a tighter phase.

Leander makes it unlawful to let grass or weeds exceed 12 inches on any lot in the city, declaring taller growth a public nuisance subject to city abatement.

Drought-resistant and native landscaping is protected statewide. Property Code Section 202.007 stops an HOA from banning water-conserving plantings, and since September 2025 an HOA…

Rainwater harvesting is protected statewide. A Williamson County HOA cannot prohibit rain barrels or a rainwater collection system, and the county encourages it. Property Code Section…

A Leander home business cannot post any sign advertising itself, on the house or off it. Article IV, Section 8(d) of the Zoning Ordinance bars "exterior advertisement, sign or display"…

Leander allows home occupations by right in residential zones with no separate permit application, as long as the business stays under 25% of the home's floor area.

Leander's Zoning Ordinance caps customer visits to a home-based business at three vehicles in any 24-hour period. The rule sits in Article IV's home occupation standards, alongside…

Operating a child-care home for pay in Williamson County requires a license, registration, or listing from Texas Health and Human Services under Human Resources Code Chapter 42. The…

Texas cottage food law lets you sell approved home-produced foods from a Williamson County home with no permit, license, or health inspection. Annual food sales are capped at $150,000…

Leander requires a building permit before constructing any residential or non-residential swimming pool, in-ground or above-ground, under the city's adopted 2021 International Swimming…

Leander pool yard enclosures must stand at least 48 inches tall with no gap wide enough for a 4-inch sphere, and chain-link fencing is banned on any pool built after January 1, 1994.

STR guests are bound by the same state law as everyone else: unreasonable noise near a residence is disorderly conduct under Tex. Penal Code §42.01, a Class C misdemeanor up to $500…

Short-term rentals owe Texas's 6% state hotel occupancy tax under Tex. Tax Code §156.052, plus Williamson County's county hotel tax. State law defines a 'hotel' to include short-term…

Leander requires water customers to repair leaks within ten days of notice, treating an unrepaired leak that wastes water as unlawful water waste.

Leander's Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan does not apply to customers on the city's reuse water system. Sec. 13.09.007 excludes them, along with private well users and…

Leander caps turfgrass at half of a single-family or two-family lot, after impervious cover, and requires drought-tolerant alternatives for the rest.

Leander requires nonresidential outdoor lighting to be shielded and non-flashing so the light source isn't visible from the right-of-way or neighboring homes, capped at 2 footcandles…

Leander requires every permanent nonresidential exterior fixture to be shielded so the light source itself is never visible from the public right-of-way or an adjacent residential lot.

Leander landlords who agree to furnish heat must keep habitable rooms, bathrooms, and toilet rooms at a minimum 65°F under the amended Property Maintenance Code.

Rent control does not exist in unincorporated Williamson County. Texas Local Government Code §214.902 bars any city or county from capping rent unless a declared disaster triggers an…

Texas has no just-cause eviction rule. A landlord in unincorporated Williamson County may end a tenancy without stating a reason. Property Code §24.005 requires only a three-day…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, a Texas landlord must give a defaulting or holdover tenant at least three days' written notice to vacate before filing a forcible detainer (eviction)…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019 a residential late fee must be reasonable and may be charged only if written in the lease and the rent stays unpaid two full days after due. A fee is…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy by giving notice, and the tenancy ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after notice is…

Texas places no statutory limit on how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit. However, the landlord must refund the deposit within 30 days after the tenant surrenders the…

In Texas a squatter can claim title only through adverse possession, with periods that shorten as the claim strengthens: 3 years under title or color of title (§ 16.024), 5 years with…

Leander's adopted Fire Code requires carbon monoxide detection in Group R dwellings, classrooms, and animal-care facilities with fuel-burning appliances, forced-air furnaces…

Leander requires all plumbing work to follow the city-adopted 2021 International Plumbing Code and be performed under permit by a state-licensed plumber.

Leander requires a permit from the electrical inspector before any wiring, alteration, or repair in the city, and governs the work under the 2023 National Electrical Code adopted by…

Leander requires a permit before any building or structure is constructed, erected, altered, moved, or placed within city limits, including site clearance, excavation, grading, or…

Leander caps garage, lawn, attic, and rummage sales on residential property to one sale per four-month period, running no longer than five consecutive days, under the code's own…

Leander requires an annual massage establishment license approved by police and health officials, and bars the business entirely from residentially zoned districts.

Leander's zoning ordinance confines tattoo and body-piercing parlors to Heavy Commercial and Heavy Industrial districts only; they're not a permitted use in any other zoning component…

Leander bans sexually oriented businesses within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, day cares, parks near residential areas, or residential district lines, and licenses them separately…

Leander requires a city permit for wrecker companies doing non-consent or police-initiated tows, and runs a capped rotation list with strict response-time and fee rules.

Leander zoning limits smoke shops to Local Commercial and heavier commercial districts and requires them to sit at least 1,000 feet from any public or private school, measured property…

Leander doesn't issue its own pawnbroker license but requires state-licensed pawnshops to electronically report every transaction weekly and keep records for two years.

Leander flatly bars vehicle repair shops from operating as a home occupation. Article IV, Section 8(l) of the Zoning Ordinance lists vehicle repair shops alongside contractor's yards…

Sidewalk and outdoor sales on public property in Leander, including vending units, require express permission and a permit from the building official before goods can be displayed or…

Leander keeps mobile food trucks at least 150 feet from any residential dwelling and off public streets, sidewalks and fire lanes entirely. The Zoning Ordinance's Article IV, Section…

Mobile food trucks and trailers operating in Leander must hold a city food vending permit and report their planned operating locations or route to the building official.

Leander exempts holiday lights and decorations from sign permitting citywide, provided they carry no commercial message: no permit, no square-footage cap, and no code-stated removal…

Garage sale signs are exempt from Leander's sign permit under § 3.08.009(15), so residents don't need to apply to the city before posting one for a weekend sale. That exemption doesn't…

Leander bans billboards outright: § 3.08.010(2) states flatly that "No billboards shall be permitted. No other off-premises signs shall be permitted, except as specifically authorized…

Leander limits window signage to half the glass: signs, including 50/50 perforated vinyl and translucent coverings, cannot cover more than 50 percent of a window's area under the…

Political signs are protected on private property in unincorporated Williamson County. The county has no sign ordinance, and Election Code §259.003 blocks any local sign rule that…

Leander's contracted hauler collects residential refuse once a week and recycling every other week for $18.91 a month per unit, using city-issued 95-gallon carts. Customers 65 and…

Leander bans dumping rocks, dirt, refuse, garbage, rubbish or junk on any public street, and extends that ban to any spot within 300 yards of a public road, regardless of who owns the…

Every Leander dwelling must have a solid-waste storage structure that keeps garbage inaccessible to dogs and other animals; nonresidential buildings need a building-official-approved…

Leander requires nonresidential and multifamily dumpsters to sit behind a masonry-style screening wall at least as tall as the dumpster, with a solid gate on the open side.

Leander, Texas has no weekly curbside yard-waste pickup: brush and yard waste are accepted only at the city's twice-yearly citizen cleanup drop-off site, run jointly with its…

Bulky household items that don't fit curbside pickup get hauled by Leander's contracted waste service in this Williamson County, Texas city, but only at a negotiated rate, and the…

Williamson County runs no municipal trash collection in unincorporated areas. Households contract a private subscription hauler directly. Under Tex. Health & Safety Code §364.011, the…

Texas Health and Safety Code Section 361.425 orders every county, municipality, school district, university, and state agency to run a recycling program that separates and collects at…

Leander waives the building permit fee for rooftop and freestanding solar energy systems and requires the Building Permits Division to fast-track review of every application filed for…

Leander caps freestanding solar arrays at 15 feet and roof-mounted panels at 4 feet above the roofline, and requires a Building Permits Division permit for any system.

Texas law bars a property owners' association from prohibiting solar energy devices. Williamson County HOAs like Sun City and Cimarron Hills may set reasonable placement conditions but…

New and substantially improved homes in Leander's mapped flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor built at least two feet above the base flood elevation, a stricter freeboard…

Leander requires a stormwater pollution prevention plan for construction sites disturbing an acre or more, and a lighter erosion control plan for smaller sites down to a quarter acre.

Leander requires a floodplain development permit for any structure or land-use change within its FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, covering both the Williamson County and Travis…

Leander bans discharging anything but stormwater or authorized non-stormwater flows into its municipal storm sewer system, naming motor oil, hazardous waste, wastewater, garbage and…

Texas prohibits damaging, destroying, or removing a sand dune or its vegetation seaward of a dune protection line or within a critical dune area unless a permit authorizes the work…

Any street fair, festival, or public gathering with vendors selling or distributing goods, services, or food on Leander city property triggers the special event permit requirement in…

Parades and other special events on Leander public property need a city special event permit, required whenever a crowd tops 1,000, traffic is blocked, or vendors sell goods.

Leander, Texas requires a city permit for events, gatherings of 100+, amplified sound, sales, or postings in any city park, filed with the parks director at least 7 working days ahead.

Leander requires a special event permit before closing any public street for a block party or neighborhood event, and reviewers may authorize a street closure for up to eight hours per…

Leander treats any unsafe, dilapidated, or vacant-and-unsecured building as a public nuisance under Article 3.04 and V.T.C.A. Local Government Code chapter 214. The building official…

Overgrown weeds on a vacant lot in unincorporated Williamson County are a public nuisance under Tex. Health & Safety Code §343.011(c)(4) when they grow within 300 feet of a residence…

No food establishment in Leander may put a worker on the line until that food handler holds a valid registration certificate from the Williamson County and Cities Health District…

Leander makes it unlawful for a property owner to let weeds, garbage, junk, or other unsanitary matter pile up on a lot: the same ordinance defines weeds as growth that breeds vermin.

Leander bars peddlers and solicitors from knocking, ringing doorbells, or entering property posted with a 'No Peddlers Allowed' or 'No Solicitations Allowed' card, and sets citywide…

Door-to-door peddlers and solicitors in Leander must get a peddler's permit from the building permits division before soliciting business in the city.

Leander bans smoking inside enclosed public places and workplaces citywide, and outdoors it requires smokers to stay at least 20 feet from any entrance, window or ventilation intake of…

Leander bars selling or drinking alcoholic beverages on any city-owned property, parks included, without a permit, under Code of Ordinances Sec. 4.06.004. The article otherwise adopts…

Leander bans skateboards, motor-assisted scooters and motorbikes from any city park trail, sidewalk or area not dedicated to that use, and separately bars bicycles and ramp…

Leander levies a 7% tax on hotel room charges of $2 or more per night, collected by the operator and remitted to the city every quarter.

Leander's Zoning Ordinance protects any tree of 26 caliper inches or more from the City's preferred plant list as a "Heritage Tree." Removing one from land undergoing a plat, site…

Leander caps building height at 35 feet citywide under Article VIII, Section 8(a) of the Zoning Ordinance. The cap applies unless a use qualifies for one of the exceptions in Section…

Leander's zoning ordinance sets minimum building setbacks by residential district: standard single-family lots require a 25-foot front yard, 7-foot side yard, and 15-foot rear and…

Williamson County sets no lot-coverage or impervious-surface limit. Texas counties cannot zone. Coverage caps in unincorporated areas come from HOA deed restrictions and drainage rules…

Leander's zoning ordinance says the city will not monitor or enforce private HOA covenants and deed restrictions, though a stricter zoning standard still controls over a more lenient…

Under the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act, unpaid assessments become a lien (Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0094), but a Texas HOA may not foreclose that lien without first…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs residential subdivision homeowners associations, not condominium associations and not associations that are themselves subject to the Public…

Property Code Section 202.007 voids any homeowners association rule that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, and Section 202.008 bars fines for a brown…

Texas Property Code section 202.012 stops homeowners associations from banning display of the U.S. flag, the Texas flag, or an official U.S. armed forces flag. An association can…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs HOA fines, but only for mandatory-membership subdivisions; condos fall under Chapter 82 instead. State law sets no dollar cap on a fine, only a…

A Texas property owners' association cannot sell your home at a trustee's sale the way a mortgage lender can. Tex. Prop. Code Section 209.0092 requires the association to obtain a…

Texas Property Code Section 209.016 sets no cap on how much of a subdivision an association can rent out, no minimum lease term, and no grandfather clause: a declaration can still ban…

Leander makes it unlawful to camp or sleep in any public area within city limits, backing the Texas public-camping ban with its own class C misdemeanor ordinance and cleanup authority.

Leander city parks are open to the public from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with the Mason Homestead available for evening rentals until midnight. The Code separately defines "park…

Texas HB 1819 (88th Legislature, 2023), codified at Local Government Code 370.008 (originally 370.007), prohibits all Texas municipalities and counties from adopting or enforcing…

Leander's fire code bars charcoal or open-flame grills from combustible balconies and requires 10 feet of clearance from combustible construction, hitting apartments hardest.

There are no marijuana dispensaries to zone in Williamson County; retail cannabis sale is illegal statewide. The only lawful outlets are licensed low-THC medical dispensers under the…

Growing marijuana at home is illegal everywhere in Texas, including unincorporated Williamson County. Possessing usable marijuana is a crime under Health and Safety Code Section…

Texas Government Code Chapter 423 occupies the field of unmanned aircraft regulation. Cities and counties cannot adopt their own recreational drone ordinances, though limited municipal…

Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 expressly preempts municipal and county minimum wage ordinances. The state minimum wage equals the federal floor of $7.25 per hour, and political…

Texas appellate courts have struck down municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio as preempted under the Texas Minimum Wage Act. HB 2127 (2023) further…

Texas authorizes License to Carry (LTC) holders to carry concealed handguns statewide under Government Code Chapter 411. Since 2021, permitless constitutional carry under HB 1927 also…

Texas Local Government Code Section 229.001 broadly preempts municipal regulation of firearms, ammunition, knives, and related accessories. Cities cannot adopt or enforce ordinances…

Texas authorizes open carry of holstered handguns statewide for adults 21 and older under Penal Code 46.02 and HB 910 (2015). Long guns may be openly carried subject to disorderly…

Texas Penal Code 46.02(a-1) lets any non-prohibited adult carry a handgun inside a personally-owned or leased motor vehicle or watercraft without a License to Carry. Since HB 1927…

Texas nonprofits can conduct bingo only under a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which absorbed the Texas Lottery Commission's charitable bingo program on…

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 234, Subchapter E lets any county's commissioners court license, zone, and inspect "game rooms": for-profit businesses with six or more skill or…

Texas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b) supplies a defense: gambling that happens in a private place…

Texas licenses no retail sportsbook and no betting app. Placing a wager on the outcome of a game, contest, or a player's performance is a criminal offense under Penal Code §…

The Texas Legislature has authorized exactly one vehicle checkpoint program, and it has nothing to do with alcohol. Government Code Section 411.0095 lets the Department of Public…

Texas has never enacted an express statutory right to film police, so the legal boundary for a bystander with a phone is set by the offense of Interference with Public Duties, Texas…

Texas Penal Code Section 38.02 makes it a crime to refuse your name, residence address, or date of birth only after a peace officer has already lawfully arrested you. Being detained on…

No Texas statute obliges a driver to consent to a vehicle search, and none requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What Texas law does require is a paper trail: Article…

Texas lets golf carts onto public roads in four defined situations rather than by general permission: inside a platted master planned community, on a beach open to vehicular traffic…

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 212 and Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limit municipal authority to zone or regulate land qualified for agricultural use appraisal. Counties have no…

The Texas Right to Farm Act, Agriculture Code Chapter 251, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and local regulations after one year of operation. HB…

The Texas Supreme Court in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) held that Health and Safety Code Section 361.0961 preempts municipal plastic bag bans. Cities and…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 161 sets the minimum age for purchasing or possessing tobacco and e-cigarette products at 21 statewide, aligned with federal Tobacco 21. Active…

Texas regulates extra lighting by color, count, height and aim rather than by naming underglow. Transportation Code Section 547.305 bars any lamp showing red from directly in front of…

Texas grants no square inches of windshield to a camera. Transportation Code Section 547.613(a)(1) makes it a misdemeanor to operate a vehicle with an object or material placed on or…

Texas banned motorcycle lane splitting in plain words on September 1, 2023. Transportation Code Section 545.0605(a)(3)(B), added by House Bill 4122 of the 88th Legislature, says the…

Texas outlaws license plate covers in Transportation Code Section 504.945(a)(7), which makes it an offense to display a plate carrying a coating, covering, protective substance or…

Texas does not prohibit owning, mounting or using a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. The one radar offense in the vehicle equipment chapter, Transportation Code Section…

Texas is one of the states that never wrote a studded tire calendar. Transportation Code Section 547.612(c) is the whole of the law: a tire on a moving vehicle may not carry a block…

Texas allows film down to 25 percent light transmission on both front side windows and on the windshield strip, with a matching ceiling of 25 percent luminous reflectance, and it sets…