Hutto, TX Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Article 12.03 of the Hutto Code of Ordinances, "Stagnant Water, Weeds, Rubbish or Other Unsanitary Matter," governs every lot or parcel in the city, whether it carries a building or sits vacant. Section 12.03.001 forbids letting a lot accumulate stagnant water, weeds, tall grass, rubbish, garbage, brush, trash, carrion or other unsafe, unsightly or unsanitary matter, and separately bars keeping a lot in a condition liable to breed disease, such as undrained low spots holding stagnant water. The duty extends past the property line to the sidewalk strip between the lot and the established curb or roadway.

Enforcement runs through sections 12.03.002 through 12.03.006: the city can notify an owner in person, by mail, by posting on the property, including a placard on a stake when the lot has no structure, or by newspaper publication on two occasions within ten days. Section 12.03.004 lets the mayor personally issue compliance orders once aware of a violation. If the owner disputes the order, section 12.03.003 allows a written appeal to the city secretary within ten days, followed by a city council hearing on whether the lot actually complied before the notice period ran.

If the city clears the lot itself, section 12.03.005 authorizes billing the owner and, if unpaid, recording a lien against the property that outranks every claim except ad valorem tax and street-improvement liens, accruing 10 percent interest annually. Repeat violations of the same kind within a year let the city skip renotification under section 12.03.008 and act directly at the owner's expense.