Fort Worth, TX Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Fort Worth, TX, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Local Ordinance
- None: state law governs
- Month-to-Month Termination
- 30-day notice, no cause required (§ 91.001)
- Notice to Vacate
- 3 days minimum, Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005
- Retaliation Window
- 6 months from protected act (§ 92.331)
- Eviction Court
- Tarrant County Justice of the Peace court
Summary
Fort Worth has NO local just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a no-cause termination state under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001: a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by either party on 30 days' written notice without stating a reason. Fixed-term leases may be terminated for breach under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 24.
Sec. 91.001. NOTICE FOR TERMINATING CERTAIN TENANCIES. (a) A monthly tenancy or a tenancy from month to month may be terminated by the tenant or the landlord giving notice of termination to the other.(b) If a notice of termination is given under Subsection (a) and if the rent-paying period is at least one month, the tenancy terminates on whichever of the following days is the later:(1) the day given in the notice for termination; or(2) one month after the day on which the notice is given.
Full Breakdown
Texas state law does not require a landlord to articulate just cause to end a month-to-month tenancy. Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001 says either party may terminate on notice and the tenancy ends on the later of the day in the notice or one month after notice is given. For fixed-term leases the landlord must wait until expiration unless the tenant breaches, then issue a three-day notice to vacate under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005 before filing in justice court. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331 prohibits retaliatory evictions filed within six months of a tenant exercising a protected right such as requesting repairs or filing a code complaint.
Violations & Fines
There is no Fort Worth city forum for enforcing just-cause grounds. A tenant may raise retaliation as an affirmative defense in the justice-court forcible-detainer case and may sue under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333 for one month's rent plus $500, actual damages, court costs, and attorney fees. Wrongful lockouts trigger one month's rent plus $1,000 under § 92.0081.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fort Worth require just cause to evict?
How much notice must a Fort Worth landlord give to end a month-to-month tenancy?
What if my Fort Worth landlord evicts me right after a repair complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Worth
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Just Cause Eviction in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Tarrant County handle just cause eviction.