Sherman, TX Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Article 3.06, Substandard Structures, is Sherman's blight and dangerous-building ordinance. Section 3.06.001 defines building broadly to include any fence, awning, canopy, sign, shed, garage, house, tent or trailer. It also declares any unoccupied, unsecured structure a danger to public health and safety and a public nuisance.

Section 3.06.003 lists the minimum standards, and they apply regardless of the date of construction. A building fails if it is dilapidated or unfit for habitation, a fire hazard, infested by insects or rodents, an attractive nuisance to children, built or kept in violation of the building, electrical, plumbing, fire or property maintenance codes, or left on a site after construction or demolition is abandoned. It also fails if it is a blighting influence or an eyesore that deprives neighbors of the use and enjoyment of their premises, or if boarding up is inadequate to prevent unauthorized entry.

The procedure starts when the official the city manager designates inspects a building with probable cause. If the owner refuses entry, the city applies for an administrative search warrant under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure section 18.05. The owner of record receives certified mail notice, and if the violations are not cured after thirty (30) days the official can bring the case to a hearing before the municipal court of record. Notice of that hearing is mailed, posted and published on or before the tenth (10th) day before the hearing, and the owner, lienholder or mortgagee carries the burden of proving the scope and time of any work. The court can order the building secured, repaired, removed or demolished.

An owner who misses the deadline and files no appeal faces city abatement at the owner's expense, secured by a privileged lien filed with the county clerk, subordinate only to tax liens and not reaching a protected homestead. Section 3.06.007 separately lets the inspecting official secure an unsecured building, with notice before the eleventh (11th) day after securing. Section 3.06.010 lets the city seek a receiver for residential property under Texas Local Government Code section 214.003.