Richmond, TX

Short-term rental operators in Richmond, Texas must collect and remit the City's Hotel Occupancy Tax in addition to state and Fort Bend County hotel occupancy taxes.

Richmond TX has no STR-specific occupancy cap. Guest counts are bounded by International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) habitable-floor-area minimums and IRC/IFC fire-egress rules…

Richmond TX has no STR-specific noise ordinance. Guests and operators must comply with the city's general nuisance provisions in Chapter 22 of the Code of Ordinances and Texas Penal…

Richmond requires rental properties, including short-term rentals, to register with the City and obtain a Certificate of Occupancy before being lawfully offered for paid lodging.

Fort Bend County does not regulate STR parking in unincorporated areas. The county has not adopted zoning and does not impose minimum off-street parking requirements for vacation…

Richmond, as an incorporated city in Fort Bend County, bars outdoor burning of brush, debris, and trash inside the city limits regardless of state burn-ban status.

Fireworks are allowed in unincorporated Fort Bend County with strict distance limits, and aerial fireworks may be banned during drought conditions by Commissioners Court.

Selling, transporting, dispensing, or storing propane (LP-gas) in Texas requires a license from the Railroad Commission of Texas under Natural Resources Code Chapter 113. Only the…

Richmond's Chapter 28 governs use of streets, sidewalks, and public places, restricting obstruction and authorizing parking regulations on city right-of-way.

Richmond's Chapter 22 nuisance code declares junked vehicles visible from public places a public nuisance subject to abatement and removal.

Texas Occupations Code chapter 2308 sets the statewide rules for nonconsent towing and vehicle booting. A vehicle owner has 14 business days to demand a hearing in the justice court…

Richmond residents may keep chickens and limited livestock if animals are properly enclosed, kept sanitary, and do not become a public nuisance under Chapter 6 of the city code.

Richmond's Chapter 6 animal code sets minimum care standards and authorizes seizure of animals kept in cruel or unsanitary conditions, the local backstop for hoarding-type cases.

Richmond requires dogs to be restrained, leashed, or under direct control when off the owner's property under Chapter 6 of the city code, with animal control enforcement and…

Fort Bend County follows Texas state law allowing beekeeping as a qualifying agricultural use on tracts of 5 to 20 acres, granting agricultural valuation for property tax purposes when…

Fort Bend County cannot ban or restrict any dog breed. Texas Health and Safety Code 822.047 forbids breed-specific local rules; a county may only add stricter requirements on…

Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822 Subchapter E governs ownership of dangerous wild animals: lions, tigers, bears, primates, and more. Owners must register with their county or…

Texas lets hunters bait and feed game animals, including deer, on private property statewide. Baiting is unlawful on most public land, for wild turkey in the East Zone, and for all…

Richmond classifies overgrown weeds and rank vegetation as public nuisances under Chapter 22, requiring property owners to abate them or face city action.

Texas Property Code 202.007 prohibits HOAs from banning rainwater harvesting systems, and Health & Safety Code 341.042 sets statewide standards for harvested rainwater used as a…

Richmond regulates above-ground pools through Chapter 103 by applying ISPSC barrier and permit standards once the pool can hold 24 inches or more of water.

Richmond regulates hot tubs and spas through its adoption of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code in Chapter 103 of the city ordinances.

Richmond requires the finished side of any fence to face outward toward neighbors and the right-of-way, and forbids placing a fence outside surveyed lot lines or on public land without…

Richmond requires durable fence materials and bans scrap lumber, plywood, sheet metal, plastic, fiberglass, barbed wire, welded wire, agricultural fencing, and chicken wire on…

Fort Bend County does not regulate fence heights in unincorporated areas. The county has not adopted zoning ordinances and does not issue Certificates of Occupancy. Cities (Sugar Land…

Richmond does not publish a code section setting numeric residential quiet hours. Loud noise complaints are addressed through Chapter 22 (Nuisances) and Texas Penal Code Sec. 42.01…

Texas has no tiny-home-specific statute. Any transportable, chassis-mounted dwelling that reaches 320 square feet is manufactured housing under Occupations Code Chapter 1201, built to…

Texas does not license cottage food at all. Health and Safety Code Section 437.0191(a) declares that a cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment, and…

Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 42 governs licensing and registration of home-based child care statewide through HHSC. Registered family homes serve up to 6 children under 14, must…

Richmond provides weekly curbside recycling through GFL, with one free recycling cart per home and accepted materials including specific plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, and metal…

The City of Richmond contracts with GFL Environmental for weekly residential solid waste collection, requiring use of city-issued carts placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled…

Richmond offers weekly heavy item pickup for appliances and bi-weekly bulk and brush collection through GFL, with limits on item size, weight, and types of accepted materials.

Richmond requires GFL carts to be set curbside by 7:00 a.m. on collection day with at least three feet of clearance from cars, mailboxes, fences, or other obstacles.

Mobile food units operating in Richmond must obtain a Fort Bend County mobile food establishment permit and pass a Richmond Fire Marshal inspection before serving the public.

Mobile food units in unincorporated Fort Bend County vend on private property only with the owner's notarized written permission, or set up in public rights-of-way and parking lots…

Richmond's Chapter 18 Article X requires owners of single-family and multifamily rental properties to register units with the city and meet inspection and safety standards.

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005, a Texas landlord must give a defaulting or holdover tenant at least three days' written notice to vacate before filing a forcible detainer (eviction)…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.052 a landlord must make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect an ordinary tenant's health or safety after proper notice. Section…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019 a residential late fee must be reasonable and may be charged only if written in the lease and the rent stays unpaid two full days after due. A fee is…

Under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001, either party may end a month-to-month tenancy by giving notice, and the tenancy ends on the later of the date in the notice or one month after notice is…

Texas law forbids cities from adopting rent control. A municipality may not establish rent control unless its governing body finds a housing emergency caused by a disaster and the…

Texas places no statutory limit on how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit. However, the landlord must refund the deposit within 30 days after the tenant surrenders the…

In Texas a squatter can claim title only through adverse possession, with periods that shorten as the claim strengthens: 3 years under title or color of title (§ 16.024), 5 years with…

Richmond's Unified Development Code regulates temporary garage and yard sale signs, restricting their size, placement, and time of display under Article 4.7.

Fast-changing electronic billboards visible from a county toll road are banned; slow-changing displays and permitted off-premise signs are allowed.

Decorative holiday lighting is exempt from Fort Bend County's outdoor lighting rules, but only from November 15 through the next January 15.

Texas Election Code 259.003 and Election Code Section 259.002 protect political signs on private residential property. Cities cannot regulate compliant signs at any time, and HOAs…

New subdivided lots without fire-rated water lines need 25-foot road setbacks and 10-foot side setbacks under county infrastructure rules.

Texas Agriculture Code Section 251.004 shields farms and ranches in unincorporated Fort Bend County from nuisance suits once they have operated lawfully and substantially unchanged for…

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 212 and Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limit municipal authority to zone or regulate land qualified for agricultural use appraisal. Counties have no…

Fort Bend County has adopted an order regulating sexually oriented businesses in its unincorporated areas under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 243. Operators must obtain a county…

Anyone selling e-cigarettes to Texas consumers must hold an e-cigarette retailer permit issued by the Comptroller, obtained for each place of business under Health and Safety Code…

Any outdoor event outside city limits in unincorporated Fort Bend County that expects more than 2,500 people needs a mass gathering permit from the county judge, applied for at least…

Fort Bend County's Fire Code bans charcoal and open-flame grills on combustible balconies and decks, or within 10 feet of combustible construction, with narrow LP-gas exceptions.

New and substantially improved structures in Fort Bend County's special flood hazard areas must sit at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, not just at it.

Fort Bend County requires lot grading and drainage plans for new subdivisions and many site developments, ensuring positive drainage and downstream protection.

Texas prohibits damaging, destroying, or removing a sand dune or its vegetation seaward of a dune protection line or within a critical dune area unless a permit authorizes the work…

Texas Water Code Section 16.3145 orders the governing body of every Texas city and county to adopt the floodplain-management ordinances or orders needed to qualify for the National…

Texas Water Code Section 26.040 lets the TCEQ issue general permits for storm water discharges. Regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems obtain coverage under TPDES…

A structurally unsafe, dilapidated, or fire-hazard building on unincorporated county land is a public nuisance the county can order repaired, secured, or demolished, with the owner…

New outdoor luminaires over 1800 lumens in unincorporated Fort Bend County must be fully or partially shielded by lamp type and aimed so no light escapes above the horizontal plane…

New outdoor luminaires over 1800 lumens in unincorporated Fort Bend County must be shielded by lamp type, and streetlights near the George Observatory must emit zero uplight under the…

A county Fire Marshal construction permit is required before building or substantially improving public buildings, commercial establishments, or multi-family housing with four or more…

Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 487 limits cannabis dispensing to state-licensed Compassionate Use Program providers: expanded to as many as 15 organizations by HB 46 (2025). There…

Texas Health & Safety Code 481.121 makes it a crime to possess or grow marijuana anywhere in the state. Home cultivation is illegal in every Texas city and county regardless of plant…

Texas HB 1819 (88th Legislature, 2023), codified at Local Government Code 370.008 (originally 370.007), prohibits all Texas municipalities and counties from adopting or enforcing…

Texas Government Code Chapter 423 occupies the field of unmanned aircraft regulation. Cities and counties cannot adopt their own recreational drone ordinances, though limited municipal…

Texas Labor Code Section 62.0515 expressly preempts municipal and county minimum wage ordinances. The state minimum wage equals the federal floor of $7.25 per hour, and political…

Texas appellate courts have struck down municipal paid sick leave ordinances in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio as preempted under the Texas Minimum Wage Act. HB 2127 (2023) further…

Texas authorizes License to Carry (LTC) holders to carry concealed handguns statewide under Government Code Chapter 411. Since 2021, permitless constitutional carry under HB 1927 also…

Texas Local Government Code Section 229.001 broadly preempts municipal regulation of firearms, ammunition, knives, and related accessories. Cities cannot adopt or enforce ordinances…

Texas authorizes open carry of holstered handguns statewide for adults 21 and older under Penal Code 46.02 and HB 910 (2015). Long guns may be openly carried subject to disorderly…

Texas Penal Code 46.02(a-1) lets any non-prohibited adult carry a handgun inside a personally-owned or leased motor vehicle or watercraft without a License to Carry. Since HB 1927…

Texas nonprofits can conduct bingo only under a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which absorbed the Texas Lottery Commission's charitable bingo program on…

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 234, Subchapter E lets any county's commissioners court license, zone, and inspect "game rooms": for-profit businesses with six or more skill or…

Texas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b) supplies a defense: gambling that happens in a private place…

Texas licenses no retail sportsbook and no betting app. Placing a wager on the outcome of a game, contest, or a player's performance is a criminal offense under Penal Code §…

Under the Texas Residential Property Owners Protection Act, unpaid assessments become a lien (Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0094), but a Texas HOA may not foreclose that lien without first…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs residential subdivision homeowners associations, not condominium associations and not associations that are themselves subject to the Public…

A Texas HOA enforces its recorded restrictive covenants (Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 202), but Chapter 209 controls the procedure: § 209.006 requires certified-mail notice and a cure…

Property Code Section 202.007 voids any homeowners association rule that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, and Section 202.008 bars fines for a brown…

Texas Property Code section 202.012 stops homeowners associations from banning display of the U.S. flag, the Texas flag, or an official U.S. armed forces flag. An association can…

Texas Property Code Chapter 209 governs HOA fines, but only for mandatory-membership subdivisions; condos fall under Chapter 82 instead. State law sets no dollar cap on a fine, only a…

A Texas property owners' association cannot sell your home at a trustee's sale the way a mortgage lender can. Tex. Prop. Code Section 209.0092 requires the association to obtain a…

Texas Property Code Section 209.016 sets no cap on how much of a subdivision an association can rent out, no minimum lease term, and no grandfather clause: a declaration can still ban…

The Texas Legislature has authorized exactly one vehicle checkpoint program, and it has nothing to do with alcohol. Government Code Section 411.0095 lets the Department of Public…

Texas has never enacted an express statutory right to film police, so the legal boundary for a bystander with a phone is set by the offense of Interference with Public Duties, Texas…

Texas Penal Code Section 38.02 makes it a crime to refuse your name, residence address, or date of birth only after a peace officer has already lawfully arrested you. Being detained on…

No Texas statute obliges a driver to consent to a vehicle search, and none requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What Texas law does require is a paper trail: Article…

Texas lets golf carts onto public roads in four defined situations rather than by general permission: inside a platted master planned community, on a beach open to vehicular traffic…

The Texas Supreme Court in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) held that Health and Safety Code Section 361.0961 preempts municipal plastic bag bans. Cities and…

Section 202.010 of the Texas Property Code voids any homeowners association rule that bans or restricts installing a solar energy device, a term that under Tax Code Section 171.107…

Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 161 sets the minimum age for purchasing or possessing tobacco and e-cigarette products at 21 statewide, aligned with federal Tobacco 21. Active…

Texas regulates extra lighting by color, count, height and aim rather than by naming underglow. Transportation Code Section 547.305 bars any lamp showing red from directly in front of…

Texas grants no square inches of windshield to a camera. Transportation Code Section 547.613(a)(1) makes it a misdemeanor to operate a vehicle with an object or material placed on or…

Texas banned motorcycle lane splitting in plain words on September 1, 2023. Transportation Code Section 545.0605(a)(3)(B), added by House Bill 4122 of the 88th Legislature, says the…

Texas outlaws license plate covers in Transportation Code Section 504.945(a)(7), which makes it an offense to display a plate carrying a coating, covering, protective substance or…

Texas does not prohibit owning, mounting or using a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. The one radar offense in the vehicle equipment chapter, Transportation Code Section…

Texas is one of the states that never wrote a studded tire calendar. Transportation Code Section 547.612(c) is the whole of the law: a tire on a moving vehicle may not carry a block…

Texas allows film down to 25 percent light transmission on both front side windows and on the windshield strip, with a matching ceiling of 25 percent luminous reflectance, and it sets…