Fort Worth has no plastic bag ban. Tex. Health & Safety Code § 361.0961 preempts local checkout-bag ordinances, as the Texas Supreme Court confirmed in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Ass'n (2018). Fort Worth never enacted one and instead promotes voluntary recycling through the Crud Cruiser, Drop-Off Stations, and Knowing Your H2O programs.
Tex. Health & Safety Code § 361.0961(a) bars Texas cities from adopting ordinances that (1) prohibit or restrict the sale or use of a container or package for solid-waste-management purposes, (2) assess a fee or deposit on container use, or (3) restrict processing of containers for recycling. Fort Worth's Solid Waste Division reviewed bag-fee options in 2014–2015 but never advanced an ordinance. The Texas Supreme Court's June 22, 2018 decision in City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Ass'n, 550 S.W.3d 586 (Tex. 2018), foreclosed the option permanently. Fort Worth's Environmental Services Department now focuses on the Drop-Off Station network (six locations accepting hard-to-recycle items including plastic film), the 'Crud Cruiser' household-hazardous-waste truck, and the city's Solid Waste Master Plan emphasizing voluntary diversion. Tarrant County and neighboring Arlington follow the same approach.
There is no bag-specific ordinance to enforce. Litter from discarded carryout bags is prosecuted under Tex. Health & Safety Code § 365.012 (general litter) and Fort Worth City Code Chapter 12.5 (Environmental Protection), but no fees or bans apply to bag distribution.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Code Sec. 23-8 caps non-residential and commercial noise at 80 dBA during daytime hours (7 AM - 10 PM), measured at the source property line for a...
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth City Code Sec. 23-8 restricts construction noise that disturbs neighboring properties, with heavy equipment such as pile drivers prohibited betwee...
Fort Worth, TX
Under Fort Worth Code Sec. 22-160, it is unlawful to park a vehicle on any unpaved portion of the front or side yard of a residential lot in A, A-R, B, R-1, ...
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Zoning Sec. 5.305 limits front-yard fences to open designs with at least 50% transparency, effectively barring solid wood, masonry, or vinyl panel...
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth has no city ordinance requiring neighbors to share fence costs or notify each other before building. The city only enforces fence height, location...
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth requires building permits for fences over 6 feet tall and for masonry fences. Standard wood or chain-link fences up to 6 feet (8 feet behind the f...
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