Midland, TX

Midland's Code declares any "junked vehicle" visible from a public place a public nuisance under Section 6-6-2, one lacking current plates or inspection, wrecked or dismantled, or…

Midland limits marked freight curb loading zones to loading and unloading only, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and caps any single stop at 30 minutes.

Midland requires any vehicle, RV, boat or trailer parked in a front or side yard to sit on a paved all-weather surface, asphalt, gravel, rock, caliche, brick or concrete, not bare dirt…

Midland restricts overnight on-street parking two ways: City Code § 10-13-4 bans parking on any business-district street between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. except for physicians on…

Midland bans parking boats, RVs, trailers and most vehicles in a residential front yard, with narrow exceptions for loading, active use by the owner, or a visiting relative's RV.

Midland prohibits parking any truck, trailer, or truck-trailer combination with more than two axles on residential streets, alleys, or private property at any time except while loading…

Midland requires every parked vehicle to sit parallel to the curb, facing the direction of travel, with its right-hand wheels within 18 inches of the curb (City Code § 10-12-1), and…

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…

Midland doesn't ban leaf blowers outright, but Section 6-6-16(H) only shields their use, along with lawnmowers, weed eaters and edgers, from prosecution under the citywide…

Playing musical instruments, amplified music, or holding a concert in a Midland park or playground requires advance permission from the director of parks and recreation under City Code…

Midland bans loud engine brakes, Jake brakes and similar retarders on any street or highway within city limits under City Code Section 6-1-24, with an exception only for genuine…

Midland's only numeric noise limit citywide applies to oil and gas drilling: engine mufflers must hold sound to 70 decibels or less measured 100 feet from the drill site.

Midland Code Section 6-2-5 makes it a misdemeanor to keep a dog whose loud or unusual barking or howling disturbs, or is reasonably liable to disturb, the peace and quiet of the…

Midland limits construction activity near homes and hospitals to established hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. under Chapter 4-13 of the Code of Ordinances. Working outside those hours…

Midland enforces noise standards balancing a 24/7 oil economy with residential quality of life. Oilfield operations near city limits generate persistent industrial noise. Quiet hours…

Texas law overrides any Midland-area homeowners' association rule that tries to ban drought-resistant landscaping, water-conserving turf, or efficient irrigation. A restriction that…

Midland generally permits artificial turf installation with some requirements for drainage, appearance, and base preparation.

Midland bans weeds, tall grass and brush from accumulating on any lot; the only legal defense is keeping grass and weeds under 12 inches tall and brush under two feet.

Midland requires trees planted in city street rights-of-way to be trimmed clear of branches and leaves below seven feet above the sidewalk, so pedestrians have full headroom to pass.

When new commercial or mixed-use development in Midland can't fit its required street-front or parking-lot shade trees on site, the developer may pay a fee into the city's Parks and…

State law protects a Midland-area homeowner's right to install rain barrels or a rainwater harvesting system even under an HOA's deed restrictions. Any association rule that flatly…

Midland limits how much of your home a home-based business can occupy, no more than 500 square feet or 10 percent of the dwelling, whichever is greater, and no separate permit is…

Midland bans exterior signage for home-based businesses outright. City Code § 11-1-4.04.A.12(d) states plainly that "no sign advertising a home-based business shall be placed on…

Midland's zoning code splits home childcare into two tiers borrowed from Texas Human Resources Code § 42.002: a "Family Home," caring for up to six unrelated children (plus up to six…

A Midland home-based business can't generate client, patient or customer visits "as a daily routine matter," or traffic beyond what's normal for a residential street. City Code §…

Texas does not license cottage food at all. Health and Safety Code Section 437.0191(a) declares that a cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment, and…

Midland bans keeping livestock or poultry within city limits except on land zoned Agriculture-Estate or Country Estate with at least 20,000 square feet per animal unit, under City Code…

Midland caps guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, chickens and ducks at four per premises, and bars keeping any animal in a way that creates a noise, odor or nuisance violation, under City…

Midland doesn't require spay/neuter for all pets, but if animal control impounds your dog, cat, or ferret twice in three years, you must have it neutered before reclaiming it a second…

Midland Code Section 6-2-2 bans letting a dog, cat, ferret or other animal run at large anywhere in the city, and makes it a strict-liability offense: prosecutors don't have to prove…

Midland requires a temporary land use permit -- not a retail ban -- before anyone can sell dogs outside a fixed store, with mandatory vaccinations, city licensing, and spay or neuter…

Midland bans keeping any wild animal or poisonous snake within city limits under Code Section 6-2-6, with narrow carve-outs for a council-approved zoo or circus, schools, licensed…

Texas keeps beekeeping light-touch: registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service is voluntary, not required to own hives. Beekeepers may register annually with the chief…

Texas Health & Safety Code 822.047 prohibits any Texas city or county from regulating dogs based on breed. Local breed bans against pit bulls, Rottweilers, or other breeds are…

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…

Midland STRs must comply with general noise ordinance. Many cities impose stricter quiet hours for rentals. Complaints can trigger permit review.

Midland limits the number of guests allowed in short-term rental properties. Occupancy caps are typically based on bedroom count or square footage to protect neighborhood quality of…

Midland regulates short-term rentals driven by oil industry workforce demand rather than traditional tourism. Oilfield workers on temporary assignments create steady rental demand. The…

Midland taxes short-term rentals the same as hotels: any host renting a room or unit to a non-permanent guest for less than 30 consecutive days must collect and remit a hotel occupancy…

Before non-residential or mixed-use construction can proceed in Midland, the site plan reviewed by the Planning Division Manager must show the location, height, and materials of any…

Midland regulates fence materials by zone. Wood, vinyl, wrought iron, and chain-link common. HOAs often impose stricter material requirements.

Midland requires a building permit before erecting a fence or wall in the front yard or a side yard adjacent to a street; fences confined to interior side or rear yards need no permit…

Midland limits residential fences: typically 6 feet in rear/side, 4 feet in front yard. Corner lots have visibility requirements.

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…

Outdoor burning regulated by TCEQ statewide. Midland may have additional restrictions. Burn bans during drought. DFW nonattainment area limits.

Midland's Fire Code bans open burning, including backyard fire pits, that creates objectionable smoke or turns hazardous under local conditions; the fire marshal can order any…

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…

Midland requires a building permit and health officer sign-off before any swimming pool is erected, constructed, or structurally altered in the city.

Every outdoor swimming pool in Midland with water 24 inches deep or more must be enclosed by a fence or wall at least four feet tall with no gap wider than four inches, under Sec…

Midland caps an accessory dwelling unit, garage apartment or casita built alongside a house, at 1,000 square feet or 30 percent of the main home's floor area, whichever is smaller…

Midland caps residential accessory buildings (sheds, garages, workshops) at 10% of the lot, 15% on lots five acres or larger, under City Code Table 5, § 11-1-4.09(A). A shed on a…

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…

Midland's zoning code classifies smoke and tobacco shops as a 'Retail Tobacco Store' use, permitted by right only in the RR Regional Retail, CB Central Business, and C Commercial…

Only a "restricted massage establishment" -- one with three or more prostitution-related arrests, a resulting conviction, or a history of state license sanctions at that address…

Midland bans vehicle repair outright as a home-based business or accessory use, along with barber shops, beauty parlors, and engine repair, no matter how small the operation or how…

Midland requires every junk or secondhand goods dealer, a definition that expressly includes pawnbrokers, salvage yards and flea-market operators, to hold an annual police-issued…

In Midland, the owner of property abutting a defective, unsafe, or hazardous sidewalk must repair it at their own cost within 30 days of written notice from the Director of Engineering…

Midland presumes anything blocking more than 40 percent or four feet of a sidewalk's width, or hanging lower than seven feet overhead, is an illegal right-of-way obstruction unless the…

Before digging, building, or running utility lines in a Midland street or right-of-way, ROW users must get a ROW license or use permit from Development Services: no work may start…

Midland's health code bans letting filth or unwholesome matter build up on any lot if it is likely to attract rodents or reptiles, backed by misdemeanor fines and a City cleanup lien.

Midland's Health Department scores every food establishment on each inspection, and a failing score triggers immediate closure: operations can't resume until the health officer…

Midland's Minimum Housing Standards Code sets binding habitability rules for every rental dwelling, working plumbing, hot water, heat to 70°F, adequate light and ventilation, enforced…

Texas has no just-cause eviction requirement, and Midland has not enacted one; state law fills the gap. Texas Property Code Sec. 24.005 forces every Midland landlord to serve written…

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 law forbids cities from adopting rent control. A municipality may not establish rent control unless its governing body finds a housing emergency caused by a disaster and the…

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…

Midland requires a special event permit before residents can close a street for a block party, with a 15-day advance application, fees, and City Manager approval.

Midland requires a City Manager-issued special event permit for any parade, march, or procession that blocks a public street, filed at least 15 days ahead with fees and a route map.

Midland regulates street fairs and festivals as 'special events' requiring a City Manager permit whenever a street, alley, or sidewalk in a commercial area or downtown is closed.

Gathering more than 25 people in a Midland public park requires advance authorization from the director of parks and recreation under City Code § 9-5-10(B), whether the park sits…

Midland lets eligible restaurants, bars, and cafes install sidewalk patios or parklets in the public right-of-way, but only through a formal permit under the city's Right-of-Way Patio…

Electronic billboards in Midland need both a sign permit and a City Council-approved specific use permit, and face strict height, spacing, and static-message rules under Chapter 11-7a.

Midland exempts window signs from its sign permit requirement, but only if they are temporary. A window sign is defined in the code as a temporary sign placed on, affixed to, painted…

Midland lets political signs go up on private property without a permit, but caps their size and setback by type: small stake signs, larger four-by-eight signs with curb setbacks, and…

Midland exempts temporary garage sale signs from its sign permit process, but only on the condition that they come down within one day of the sale and never go on public property or…

Midland's Fire Code bars grills and open-flame cookers from combustible balconies and decks, and requires 10 feet of clearance from combustible construction: with exceptions for small…

Midland requires a City-issued permit and license before selling from a fixed sidewalk or street location, with a $100 annual fee per vending vehicle, a police background check, and…

Midland lets a licensed mobile food vendor park and sell from a delineated right-of-way space almost anywhere in the city: except within its residential zoning districts, where…

Midland requires every mobile food vendor, trucks, hot trucks, and pushcarts alike, to hold a Health Department permit displayed on the vehicle. Permits are not transferable and expire…

Midland's zoning code requires nonresidential and multifamily dumpsters to be screened on three sides by an eight-foot masonry wall and placed behind the building line, not in required…

Midland requires the commercial yard crews, nurseries and lawn services that generate grass clippings, tree trimmings and dirt from renovating a lawn to haul that waste to the sanitary…

Midland picks up residential garbage, trash and waste twice a week under City Code § 8-6-7, with additional on-request pickups billed at $20.00 each. Every residential utility account…

Texas Health & Safety Code § 361.421 defines what legally counts as 'recyclable material,' 'recycling' and 'yard waste' for state waste-reduction programs. Midland does not require…

Dumping brick, lumber, dead trees or other bulky waste anywhere other than an approved disposal site is a crime under Texas Health & Safety Code § 365.012, tiered from a Class C…

Midland collects household garbage twice a week (Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday) from alley carts. Call Solid Waste at 432-685-7278 to confirm your days. When a holiday hits…

Midland requires apartment complexes to provide at least three cubic yards of refuse container space per 15 units, and bans letting trash pile up above the container's lip.

Midland bans dumping hazardous, radioactive or noxious material anywhere in the city; each day the material stays is treated as a separate misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,000.

Midland closes most city parks overnight, major lit parks from midnight to 6 a.m., smaller unlit neighborhood parks from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., with police, fire, and permitted groups…

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…

Midland's public-smoking ban only reaches indoor and enclosed spaces: § 8-8-7 defines the 'public area' the chapter regulates as an 'indoor and/or enclosed area... open to or used by…

Midland makes it unlawful to prowl, loiter, or go onto someone else's property, a room, house, hotel, business, or accessory building, without the occupant's express or implied consent.

Midland City Code § 10-10-6 bans jaywalking in three specific situations: crossing anywhere except a crosswalk between two intersections that both have working traffic signals…

Midland makes it unlawful to stand, walk, sit, or remain in a street median, crosswalk approach, or curbside 'clear zone' near an intersection: the tool officers use against roadside…

Midland bans drinking alcohol in nearly all city parks, with narrow carve-outs for Hogan Park's golf course, stadium, and picnic area, plus Ulmer Park's picnic tables, under keg…

Skateboarding, roller-skating, and inline skating on Midland's public streets, alleys, and other public grounds is illegal: sidewalks are the only exception, and crossing at a…

Midland requires a floodplain development permit before any construction, fill, grading, or land change in an area of special flood hazard. The City Engineer, serving as Floodplain…

Midland bans dumping anything but stormwater into its municipal storm drain system, under a Stormwater Management Code that runs its own inspections, spill reporting duties, and…

Midland requires the lowest floor of any new or substantially improved residential structure in a special flood hazard area to sit at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation, a…

Midland's Stormwater Management Code requires an erosion control plan drawing with any construction plans submitted for city review, plus a TPDES notice of intent posted on site at…

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…

Midland requires exterior light sources on private property to be fully shielded from view at the lot line, with the shielding height depending on whether the neighboring property is…

Midland's Zoning Ordinance names preserving the night sky as a lighting purpose and requires shielded, LED-only fixtures with capped light spill onto neighboring residential property.

Midland requires a permit before any electrical installation work begins in the city, with only minor repairs like fuse changes exempted.

Midland requires a plumbing permit under Chapter 4-3 of the Code of Ordinances, which adopts the 2018 International Plumbing Code with Appendices B, C, D and E for all plumbing and…

Midland requires a building permit under Chapter 4-1 of the Code of Ordinances before any construction, alteration, repair or demolition covered by the adopted 2018 International…

Midland levies a 7% hotel occupancy tax on rooms costing $2 or more a night, and its code defines short-term rentals as hotels subject to the same tax.

Midland's boom-bust oil economy creates property maintenance challenges. During busts, properties may be neglected. The city enforces maintenance standards to prevent blight, targeting…

Texas Health & Safety Code § 342.004 lets Midland require owners of vacant and unimproved lots to keep the property free of weeds, brush and conditions the state defines as a public…

Midland's zoning code confines agricultural use, farms, ranches, stables, orchards, and plant nurseries, to the AE Agricultural Estate and CE Country Estate districts, and caps…

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…

No marijuana dispensary can legally operate in Midland: Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 481.120 makes any delivery of marijuana, meaning any transfer whether or not it is sold, a…

Texas has no legal home-grow exemption for marijuana, and Midland is bound entirely by state law: Health and Safety Code Sec. 481.121 makes any knowing or intentional possession of a…

Midland residents in HOA communities benefit from state solar access laws that limit HOA ability to prohibit solar panels. HOAs may regulate placement but cannot effectively ban solar…

Midland requires building permits for solar panel installations. Permit processes vary but most jurisdictions have streamlined solar permitting. Roof-mounted systems must meet…

Midland bars peddlers from entering any residential property between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., or between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. from November 1 through April 1, under Sec. 5-3-8 of…

Midland requires anyone acting as a door-to-door peddler to obtain a license from the Chief of Police under Chapter 5-3 of the Code of Ordinances, unless every item offered is priced…

Midland recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered with the FAA. No flying near airports.

Midland's Zoning Ordinance sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by residential district, from 40 feet on Agricultural Estate lots down to 20 feet in standard single-family…

Midland caps residential building height by zoning district -- 28 feet in Manufactured Housing and Duplex districts, 42 feet in most single-family zones, and up to 56 feet in the…

Midland caps garage and estate sales at three consecutive days per event, twice within any 90-day period, and four times total within 12 months under Code of Ordinances Section 6-1-22…

If a homeowners association in unincorporated Midland County stops enforcing its own covenants and lets infrastructure decay into a public nuisance or safety hazard, the Commissioners…

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…

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…

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…