Brownsville, TX Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Hearing body
- Building and Standards Commission
- Commission size
- Seven members, four alternates
- Vote to issue order
- Four members in favor
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day
- Appeal window
- 30 days to district court
Summary
Brownsville runs blighted structures through a seven-member Building and Standards Commission that holds an evidentiary hearing, then orders repair, vacation or demolition, imposes civil penalties up to $1,000 a day, and liens the property.
The building and standards commission shall hear evidence and shall, upon finding of the conditions and circumstances as set out in this section, declare a building or structure substandard and may order its repair, vacation or demolition as it may deem just, proper and appropriate.
Full Breakdown
The building official inspects structures reported substandard and files a case with the Building and Standards Commission. Section 18-190 sets the grounds: deterioration from exposure, fire hazard from wiring or construction, conditions that harbor rats or disease-carrying pests, structural deformity risking collapse, and inadequate fire safety. Owners and occupants receive certified-mail notice identifying the property and the hearing, with posting on vacant structures and publication when service fails. Four affirmative votes carry an order. Thirty days after a final order goes unheeded, the civil penalty attaches, the city secretary files a certified copy with the district clerk, and the city carries out the work by contract. Residential cases go to a district-court receiver under Local Government Code § 214.003.
Violations & Fines
Civil penalty up to $1,000 per day for disobeying a commission order, filed with the district clerk for judgment. Repair and demolition costs become a privileged lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Brownsville demolish a building without a hearing?
How do I appeal a substandard finding?
Who pays if the city repairs or demolishes the structure?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brownsville
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Brownsville to another location·View the Texas property maintenance overview
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