Texas Health and Safety Code section 361.0961 and the 2018 Laredo Supreme Court decision preempt city and county regulation of single-use packaging, which restaurant lawyers extend to plastic straws. Dallas County has no straw ordinance, and state-level upon-request rules do not apply.
Texas does not restrict plastic straws, and Health and Safety Code 361.0961 as interpreted by City of Laredo v. Laredo Merchants Association (2018) preempts local regulation of single-use food-service items. Dallas County has never enacted an upon-request straw rule or paper-only mandate. Restaurants in Dallas, Plano, Irving, Garland, and unincorporated Dallas County freely provide plastic straws by default. Some chains, including Starbucks and McDonald, voluntarily switched to paper or strawless lids countywide. The Dallas County Health and Human Services nutrition program promotes voluntary reduction. Federal accessibility rules under the ADA require restaurants to offer flexible plastic straws to disabled customers if any straw alternative is offered.
Dallas County imposes no penalty on plastic straw distribution because no ordinance exists and the county is preempted from creating one. ADA accessibility violations under federal law could carry civil penalties up to seventy-five thousand dollars for first offenses.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill does not ban specific dog breeds. Texas Health & Safety Code Ch. 822 preempts breed-specific bans, but dangerous dogs face strict registration, co...
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill restricts livestock such as horses, cattle, goats, and pigs in residential zones. Large animals are typically only allowed on agricultural-zoned a...
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill has no city-adopted Wildland-Urban Interface code and no state-mapped wildfire hazard severity zone — Texas has no formal WHSZ system. Wildfire ri...
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill requires property owners to maintain tree clearance over sidewalks (8 ft) and streets (14 ft). Major pruning of protected trees may need approval;...
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill requires lawns and weeds to be kept under 12 inches under its property maintenance code. Code Enforcement issues notices and may abate at owner ex...
Cedar Hill, TX
Cedar Hill does not prohibit artificial turf, and Texas Property Code 202.007 limits HOA bans on water-conserving landscaping. Quality, drainage, and screeni...
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