Little Elm, TX

Home daycares require HHSC licensing under 40 TAC Ch. 745 plus home occupation zoning compliance. Listed Homes: 1-3 children. Registered: up to 6. Licensed: up to 12.

TX HSC Ch. 437 allows home kitchen food sales up to $50,000/year without permits. TX LGC 250.008 bars cities from banning cottage food. Direct-to-consumer sales only with required…

Denton County has no sign ordinance for unincorporated areas. No county permits required. TxDOT regulates signs visible from state highways.

Building permit required for all pool construction through Development Services. Plans must include barrier fencing, bonding, drainage, and setbacks. Multiple inspections before pool…

Little Elm requires 48-inch non-climbable pool barriers per 2018 IRC Appendix G AG105. Chain link prohibited for new enclosures. Self-closing, self-latching gates mandatory.

Rainwater harvesting legal and encouraged. TX Property Code 202.007 bars HOA bans on collection systems. TX HSC 341.042 permits potable use. No local permit needed for rain barrels.

No restrictions on native plants. TX Property Code 202.007 limits HOA bans on xeriscaping. Native and drought-adapted plants encouraged under NTMWD water conservation.

Ch. 34 declares weeds and brush over 12 inches a public nuisance. Ten-day abatement notice issued. Town clears and liens cost if owner does not comply. Vacant lots included.

No local prohibition on artificial turf. TX Property Code 202.007 limits HOA authority over water-conserving landscaping. No permit required. Eliminates irrigation demand.

Wood-burning fire pits and bonfires in Little Elm require a burn permit from the Fire Department. Gas/propane fire pits with enclosed flames may be exempt. Grills allowed without…

Northern and western Denton County contains significant wildland-urban interface areas where grasslands and oak woodlands meet rural subdivisions. The Texas A&M Forest Service maps…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 766 requires working smoke detectors in all residential rental properties. Denton County follows state law since it lacks authority to impose…

Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2154 governs fireworks sales and use, while Local Government Code Chapter 352 limits how counties can restrict consumer fireworks during drought. The…

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…

Little Elm specifically prohibits outdoor music in parks, public places, and nonresidential districts without a town-approved special event permit or facility rental agreement under…

Little Elm does not have a standalone leaf blower ordinance or ban on gas-powered blowers. Leaf blowers are regulated under the general power equipment provisions of Sec. 70-55, which…

Little Elm addresses barking dogs under both Chapter 18 (Animals) and Chapter 70 (Noise). Under Sec. 18-42, any animal noise exceeding 15 minutes, even in sporadic bursts, is prima…

Little Elm enforces noise restrictions under Chapter 70, Article III of the Town Code. Sound devices including radios, TVs, and musical instruments are prohibited after 10 PM Sunday…

Denton County has no decibel limits or quantitative noise standards for unincorporated areas. Texas counties cannot establish noise measurement thresholds. The only noise enforcement…

TX Property Code Ch. 26 governs boundary fences statewide. Cost-sharing is customary but not required. Little Elm has no local ordinance beyond state law. Civil mediation recommended.

Unincorporated Denton County has no fence height ordinance. Property owners may build fences of any height on their own land without county approval. HOA deed restrictions in…

Little Elm Ch. 18 prohibits wild, exotic, or dangerous animals in town limits. TX P&W Code Ch. 63 governs non-game wildlife. Venomous snakes require TPWD permits.

Little Elm Ch. 18 Animals requires dogs to be leashed or confined at all times. Running at large is prohibited. Denton County Animal Services handles strays. Fine up to $500.

Little Elm has no breed-specific bans. TX Health and Safety Code Ch. 822 governs dangerous dogs based on behavior, not breed. Dangerous dogs require registration and $100K insurance.

Little Elm Ch. 18 and Ch. 106 Zoning govern chickens and livestock by zoning district. TX HB 1750 (2023) protects backyard poultry. Most newer HOAs prohibit livestock entirely.

Denton County does not regulate beekeeping. State law under TX Ag Code Chapter 131 requires free annual registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service.

Texas has no standalone hoarding statute; officers use Health & Safety Code Chapter 821 to seize animals deprived of necessary food, care, or shelter, and a court can divest the owner…

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…

Little Elm allows overnight street parking for passenger vehicles. Commercial vehicles restricted 10 PM-6 AM in posted subdivisions. Extended parking may trigger abandoned vehicle…

TX Transportation Code 545.307 prohibits overnight commercial vehicle parking (10 PM-6 AM) in posted residential subdivisions. Little Elm Ch. 98 enforces locally. Pickups generally…

Street parking on county-maintained roads in unincorporated Denton County is generally unrestricted. The county may post no-parking signs on specific roads for safety reasons. Rural…

Abandoned vehicles in unincorporated Denton County are handled under Texas Transportation Code Chapter 683. Vehicles left on public property or rights-of-way for more than 48 hours may…

Texas Occupations Code chapter 2308 sets the statewide rules for nonconsent towing and vehicle booting. A vehicle owner has 14 business days to demand a hearing in the justice court…

Little Elm imposes a 7% local hotel occupancy tax on all short-term rentals, collected from guests and remitted to the town. The state of Texas adds a 6% hotel occupancy tax under TX…

Little Elm caps short-term rental occupancy at two adult guests per bedroom plus no more than two additional adults, with an absolute maximum of ten persons including adults and…

Denton County has no STR registration requirement for unincorporated areas. Texas counties cannot require STR registration, licensing, or listing verification. Operators must register…

Denton County has no STR-specific noise rules for unincorporated areas. General noise enforcement through Texas Penal Code 42.01 applies equally to STR guests and all other residents…

Texas has no tiny-home-specific statute. Any transportable, chassis-mounted dwelling that reaches 320 square feet is manufactured housing under Occupations Code Chapter 1201, built to…

Little Elm enforces strict property maintenance standards under the IPMC and local code. Properties must be free of junk, debris, broken windows, peeling paint, and other blight…

Little Elm requires vacant lot owners to keep vegetation below 12 inches and prevent dumping. The town can mow and abate at the owner's expense after notice.

Little Elm enforces no-soliciting signs on residential properties and penalizes solicitors who ignore them. The town may maintain a do-not-knock registry for opt-out residents.

Little Elm requires door-to-door solicitors and peddlers to obtain a town permit before going door to door. Applicants must submit to a background check and comply with designated…

Solar panels require building and electrical permits. Grid-connected systems need CoServ Electric interconnection approval. HOAs cannot ban solar.

Section 202.010 of the Texas Property Code voids any homeowners association rule that bans or restricts installing a solar energy device, a term that under Tax Code Section 171.107…

Little Elm offers periodic bulk item pickup for large items that do not fit in standard trash carts. Residents must schedule bulk pickups in advance through the town or its contracted…

Little Elm provides weekly trash and every-other-week recycling pickup. Carts must be at the curb by 7 AM on collection day with lids closed and handles facing the house.

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…

Little Elm has no rent control. Texas state law preempts all municipalities from enacting ordinances that regulate the amount of rent charged for private residential property.

Little Elm does not currently require landlords to register rental properties with the town. There is no mandatory rental registration program, rental licensing fee, or periodic rental…

Little Elm has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas law allows landlords to end a tenancy at lease expiration or with proper notice for month-to-month agreements without giving a…

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 § 92.052 a landlord must make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect an ordinary tenant's health or safety after proper notice. Section…

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…

Recreational drone use in Little Elm is governed by FAA rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423, which restricts surveillance over private property. DFW Class B airspace applies.

Commercial drone operations in Denton County require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Denton County does not have a county-level commercial drone ordinance. Commercial pilots…

Cannabis cultivation is completely prohibited under TX Health and Safety Code Ch. 481. Possession of any amount is a criminal offense in Texas.

No cannabis dispensaries are permitted in Little Elm. Texas authorizes only three Compassionate Use dispensaries statewide for low-THC products.

Food trucks in Little Elm must obtain a mobile food vendor permit from the town and meet Denton County health department requirements. Permits specify approved locations and hours.

Holiday decorations are exempt from sign permits. The town sets no date limits. Most timing restrictions come from HOA covenants.

Garage sale signs are regulated under Chapter 86. Signs are prohibited on public property and must be removed promptly after the sale ends.

Texas Election Code Section 259.002 protects the right to display political signs in Denton County. HOAs cannot prohibit political signs beginning 90 days before an election through 10…

Denton County and its cities require grading permits for land-disturbing activities and enforce drainage standards to prevent stormwater runoff from adversely affecting neighboring…

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…

Texas Water Code Section 16.3145 orders the governing body of every Texas city and county to adopt the floodplain-management ordinances or orders needed to qualify for the National…

Texas Water Code Section 26.040 lets the TCEQ issue general permits for storm water discharges. Regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems obtain coverage under TPDES…

Anyone selling e-cigarettes to Texas consumers must hold an e-cigarette retailer permit issued by the Comptroller, obtained for each place of business under Health and Safety Code…

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…

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 §…

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…

A Texas HOA enforces its recorded restrictive covenants (Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202), but Chapter 209 controls the procedure: § 209.006 requires certified-mail notice and a cure…

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…

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…