Texas City, TX Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Rental bar
- No renting or occupying after a substandard notice until compliance
- Property maintenance code
- 2021 International Property Maintenance Code
- Housing code
- 2021 International Housing Code
- Appeals board
- City's Board of Adjustment for Property Maintenance Code Section 111
- Unfit-for-habitation finding
- City's designated Health Official
- Civil penalty cap
- $1,000 a day
Summary
In Texas City, Texas, § 150.037 makes it unlawful for an owner, lessor, lessee or agent to let anyone rent, occupy or use a building once notice says it is substandard, until the order is met or dismissed on appeal. Section 150.066 adds the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code as the city's property standard.
It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessor, lessee or agent or representative of the owner, lessor or lessee to allow or authorize any person to rent, occupy or use any building, dwelling or structure as defined in this subchapter, when notice has been given that such building, dwelling or structure is substandard under the terms of this subchapter, until such time as the owner, lessor or lessee has complied with the requirements specified in the notice and the order of the Building and Standards Commission or the order and notice are dismissed on appeal to the District Court as provided by law. ... (A) There is hereby adopted for and by the city a standard code known as the International ... Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition, with appendices and amendments thereto, passed and recommended by the International Code Council, Inc., which code is published in book form and which is referred to, incorporated in this section and made a part of this section for all purposes.
Full Breakdown
Texas City handles unfit rental housing through its substandard building subchapter and its adopted property codes. Section 150.037 of the Texas City Code of Ordinances bars an owner, lessor, lessee or their agent or representative from allowing any person to rent, occupy or use a building, dwelling or structure after notice that it is substandard, until the requirements in the notice and the order of the Building and Standards Commission are met or the order and notice are dismissed on appeal to the District Court.
The trigger is defined in § 150.033(A). A dwelling intended for habitation qualifies when, because of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, decay, damage, faulty construction or arrangement, inadequate light and air or inadequate sanitary facilities, the city's designated Health Official determines it is unsanitary, unfit for human habitation or likely to cause sickness or disease. Other triggers include inadequate egress in case of fire, holes or rotten boards in a floor, exterior wall or roof that leave occupants without protection from the weather, and faulty electric wiring, gas connections or heating apparatus that the Fire Marshal determines to be a fire hazard.
Under § 150.034(E) the city posts a notice on a dangerous building stating that no person shall occupy it until it is brought to standards, and it is unlawful to remove that notice. After a hearing the Building and Standards Commission can order occupants relocated within a reasonable time under § 150.035(D). Section 150.066(A) adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition, with automatic adoption of later editions upon publication by the International Code Council, and § 150.066(B) makes the city's Board of Adjustment the board of appeals under Section 111. Section 150.071 also adopts the 2021 International Housing Code and names the Board of Adjustments and appeals for Section 106.1.
Violations & Fines
Section 150.037 carries the penalty in § 150.999. Under § 150.999(C), an owner, occupant, mortgagee, lessee or agent who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to comply with a Building and Standards Commission notice or order is guilty of a misdemeanor, and the city can seek a civil penalty of no more than $1,000 a day. Removing the posted dangerous-building notice is a misdemeanor punished under § 10.99.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a Texas City landlord rent a cited unit again?
Who decides that a Texas City rental is unfit to live in?
Where does a landlord appeal a property maintenance decision?
What happens to tenants in a substandard building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Texas City
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