Florida vs Texas: Local Ordinance Comparison (2026)

Breed Restrictions

Texas Health & Safety Code 822.047 prohibits any Texas city or county from regulating dogs based on breed. Local breed bans against pit bulls, Rottweilers, or other breeds are unenforceable in every Texas municipality.

Chickens & Livestock

Florida Statutes Chapter 588 makes livestock owners liable for animals that stray onto public roads. Under section 588.15, an owner who negligently permits cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock to run at large owes damages for all resulting injury and property loss.

Texas Agriculture Code Section 143.102 makes it a statewide offense to knowingly let a horse, mule, donkey, cow, bull, steer, hog, sheep, or goat roam unattended on a highway right-of-way. Each violation is a Class C misdemeanor, chargeable per day.

Structure Height Limits

Florida Statutes 161.053 establishes the Coastal Construction Control Line, a state-administered seaward setback that applies to all coastal counties regardless of local zoning. Construction seaward of the CCCL requires a Florida DEP permit and meets statewide structural and elevation standards.

Tobacco Retail License

Florida Statute 569.315 expressly preempts the regulation of the marketing, sale, and delivery of nicotine products and dispensing devices to the state, voiding most municipal ordinances on electronic cigarettes and vape shops.

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 Chapter 147. Selling without a permit is a Class A misdemeanor.

Dispensary Zoning

Florida preempts local regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries: cities must either treat them like pharmacies or ban them outright.

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 are no recreational dispensaries anywhere in Texas, and cities cannot license additional ones.

Home Cultivation

Florida prohibits home cultivation of cannabis for both recreational and medical use; only state-licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers may grow cannabis.

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 count or medical status.

Commercial Drones

Commercial drone operations in Florida are regulated by federal FAA Part 107 and state law; local governments cannot impose additional commercial operation restrictions.

Minimum Wage Preemption

Florida Statute 218.077 prohibits local governments from establishing a minimum wage other than the state or federal rate, preempting city and county living-wage ordinances except for direct local government employees.

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 subdivisions cannot require private employers to pay more, except for their own contracts.

Paid Leave Preemption

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 codifies preemption by barring local regulation of employment benefits and leave policies.

Worker Scheduling Preemption

Florida Statute 509.032(7) and broader employment preemption framework prevent local governments from requiring private employers to follow predictive or fair-scheduling rules beyond state and federal law.

Erosion Control

Florida runs its own federally approved NPDES stormwater permit program under Fla. Stat. 403.0885, requiring construction sites that disturb one or more acres to obtain FDEP coverage and install erosion and sediment controls before clearing land.

Any Texas construction that disturbs one acre or more must get TCEQ Construction General Permit (TXR150000) coverage and develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan with erosion and sediment controls before ground is broken.

Stormwater Management

Florida law assigns the Department of Environmental Protection, the water management districts, and local governments joint responsibility for building compatible stormwater management programs, and requires statewide, consistent permitting of stormwater systems through the environmental resource permit rules.

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 general permit TXR040000, renewed every five years, and must run a written stormwater management program.

Fire Pits & Backyard Fires

Florida regulates outdoor recreational fires through the Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1), which applies uniformly statewide and preempts inconsistent local fire-code provisions.

Outdoor Burning

Open burning of yard waste and land-clearing debris in Florida requires authorization from the Florida Forest Service under Section 590.125, applying universally outside municipal limits.

Propane Storage

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 ultimate consumer storing propane for personal use is exempt, and Commission rules preempt local ordinances statewide.

Wildfire Zones

The Florida Forest Service has statewide jurisdiction over wildfire prevention and suppression on non-municipal land under Chapter 590, Florida Statutes.

Concealed Carry

Florida allows permitless concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding adults under FS 790.01 and continues to issue concealed weapon licenses through FS 790.06, with both regimes preempting local concealed-carry restrictions.

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 allows most adults 21 and older to carry without a license, with municipalities preempted from added restrictions.

Firearms in Vehicles

Florida Statute 790.25(5) allows any law-abiding person 18 or older to possess a concealed firearm in a private vehicle for self-defense, provided the firearm is securely encased or not readily accessible for immediate use, regardless of any concealed-carry license.

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 (2021), the handgun may even sit in plain view if holstered and the carrier is 21 or older or licensed.

Open Carry

Florida's open carry ban (FS 790.053) was struck down by the First District Court of Appeal in McDaniels v. State on September 10, 2025. The Florida Attorney General issued guidance on September 15, 2025 instructing law enforcement that the ban is no longer enforceable. Eligible adults may now openly carry firearms statewide.

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 conduct limits. Municipalities cannot impose additional open carry restrictions.

Card Room Licensing

Florida cardrooms operate only inside licensed pari-mutuel facilities, dog tracks, horse tracks, and jai alai frontons, under a license from the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Fla. Stat. § 849.086 authorizes poker and dominoes played in a nonbanking manner, caps designated-player poker at 10 tables where slot machines are legal or 30 where they aren't, and blocks any first-time license until the host municipality or county governing body votes to approve it.

Game Room Regulations

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 chance machines. Counties can restrict locations near schools and residences, require a $1,000 owner license and $50 employee permit, and fine violators up to $10,000 per day under Section 234.137.

Clotheslines & Energy Devices

Florida Statute 163.04 bars homeowner association deed restrictions and local ordinances from prohibiting clotheslines, solar collectors, or other renewable-resource energy devices in owner-occupied communities, though the protection excludes patio railings in condominiums, cooperatives, and apartments. An HOA cannot deny a clothesline outright, and unlike solar panels, it holds no reserved power to dictate where a resident hangs one.

Lien & Foreclosure Limits

A Florida association can foreclose an assessment lien in the same manner a mortgage is foreclosed, but only after two separate 45-day notices, and fines are largely off limits: a condominium fine may never become a lien under Fla. Stat. § 718.303(3), and a homeowners' association fine of less than $1,000 may not become a lien under § 720.305(2). The sharpest Florida-specific limit protects lenders instead of owners. Under § 718.116(1)(b) and § 720.3085(2)(c), a first mortgagee that takes title by foreclosure or deed in lieu owes the association only the lesser of 12 months of back assessments or 1 percent of the original mortgage debt. A recorded condominium claim of lien also dies one year after recording unless the association sues within that year.

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 court order first, through an application for expedited foreclosure, or else to take a judgment foreclosing the lien under Rules 309 and 646a of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Section 209.009 bars foreclosure outright when the debt consists solely of fines or the attorney's fees tied to those fines, and Section 209.011(b) gives the owner 180 days after the association mails the post-sale notice to redeem the property. Condominiums are carved out of Chapter 209 by Section 209.003(d) and live under a weaker rule: Section 82.113 lets a condominium association use a nonjudicial power of sale and shortens redemption to 90 days.

Rental Restriction Limits

Florida limits how homeowners' associations can restrict renting out a home, but only in communities governed by Chapter 720, not condos or co-ops. Under Fla. Stat. § 720.306(1)(h), a rental ban or rule an HOA adopts after July 1, 2021 binds only owners who buy in afterward or who individually consent to it, not every existing owner. Two carve-outs bind all owners regardless of consent: bans on rentals shorter than six months, and limits of three rentals per calendar year.

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 leasing outright. What the statute forbids is tenant screening. An association cannot require a rental applicant to be approved by the board, and cannot demand a credit report, consumer report, or copy of the lease itself.

Recording Police

Florida is an all-party consent state, but that rule reaches less far than it sounds. Fla. Stat. § 934.03(2)(d) makes interception lawful only when every party consents, while § 934.02(2) limits the whole chapter to an "oral communication" uttered with an expectation of non-interception "under circumstances justifying such expectation." Florida has enacted no express right-to-record statute of the kind California and New York have, so the protection for a bystander recording comes from that definition rather than from a grant of permission. The concrete Florida limit is distance: since chapter 2024-85, § 843.31 makes it a second degree misdemeanor to approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder after a verbal warning with intent to impede, threaten, or harass.

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 Penal Code Section 38.15. That section punishes a person who with criminal negligence interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with a peace officer performing a duty, as a Class B misdemeanor, and it carries a defense in Subsection (d) where the alleged interference consisted of speech only. Texas also allows one-party recording of a conversation you take part in under Penal Code Section 16.02(c)(4)(A), and the only Texas statute that mentions filming officers by name, Government Code Section 614.232, bans law enforcement agencies from letting reality television crews ride along.

Stop & Identify Laws

Florida has no general stop-and-identify statute. The Florida Stop and Frisk Law, Fla. Stat. § 901.151(2), lets an officer temporarily detain you to ascertain your identity when circumstances reasonably indicate a crime, but it imposes no duty on you to answer and creates no offense for staying silent. Refusal to identify carries statutory weight in exactly one Florida offense, loitering or prowling under § 856.021, and even there the officer must give you a chance to identify and explain before arresting. Drivers are the exception: § 322.15(1) requires a licensee to present a driver license on demand, and § 901.36 makes giving a false name during a lawful detention a first degree misdemeanor.

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 the street on reasonable suspicion, short of arrest, triggers no statutory duty to identify yourself in Texas. Two carve-outs matter: giving a false or fictitious name is an offense at arrest, at detention, and when the officer has good cause to believe you witnessed a crime, and since September 1, 2023 a lawfully detained driver who does not produce a driver's license must give name, driver's license number, residence address, and date of birth.

Vehicle Search & Consent

Florida wrote the automobile exception into its statutes in 1927. Fla. Stat. § 933.19 adopts the United States Supreme Court's decision of March 2, 1925 in the Carroll case, reported at 267 U.S. 132, "as the statute law of the state" for searches of vehicles carrying contraband or illegal liquor, so a Florida officer with probable cause may search a car without a warrant. Article I, section 12 of the Florida Constitution has, since the 1982 amendment, required the state search and seizure right to be construed in conformity with the Fourth Amendment as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court, and it bars suppression of anything that would be admissible under those federal decisions. Florida has enacted no statute requiring written, recorded, or advised consent before a vehicle search, so declining consent is a matter of what you say at the roadside rather than a form you refuse to sign.

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 2B.0054 of the Code of Criminal Procedure makes a peace officer who makes a motor vehicle stop report whether a search was conducted and, if so, whether the individual detained consented to it, what the reason for the search was, and whether anything was found. Texas then backs refusal with an unusually broad remedy, Article 38.23, which excludes evidence obtained in violation of any provision of Texas or federal law by an officer or any other person and requires the jury to be instructed to disregard it.

Native Plants

Florida Statute 373.185 declares Florida-friendly landscaping a matter of state policy and prohibits any deed restriction, covenant, or local ordinance from preventing property owners from installing native, drought-tolerant plant landscapes.

Rainwater Harvesting

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 potable supply. Rainwater harvesting is broadly protected and encouraged in every Texas city and county.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Florida Statute 163.045 prohibits cities and counties from requiring permits, fees, or replanting when a residential homeowner removes a tree documented by a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect as posing a danger.

Water Restrictions

Florida Statutes Chapter 373 grants water management districts authority to impose mandatory landscape irrigation restrictions that apply uniformly across all counties and municipalities, overriding any conflicting local schedules during declared water shortages.

Abandoned Vehicles

Florida Statutes Chapters 705 and 715 establish uniform procedures for declaring vehicles abandoned, providing notice, and disposing of them through licensed wreckers.

Texas Transportation Code Chapter 683 declares a motor vehicle abandoned after 48 hours left illegally on public property, unattended on a highway right-of-way, or parked on private property without the owner's consent. Any Texas law enforcement agency may then take it into custody and sell it at public auction.

EV Charging

Florida law protects condominium unit owners' rights to install electric vehicle charging stations in their designated parking areas under Fla. Stat. 718.113(8), while commercial installations follow uniform Florida Building Code permitting statewide.

Eviction Notice & Process

Fla. Stat. § 83.56 requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate for nonpayment, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays from the count. For lease violations, the landlord serves a 7-day notice to cure (or a 7-day unconditional notice for repeat or non-curable violations). Only a court may order eviction through Florida's summary procedure.

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) suit, unless the lease sets a different period. After the notice expires the landlord files in justice court; only a court-ordered writ of possession can remove the tenant.

Just Cause Eviction

Florida's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 83 Part II, exclusively defines lawful eviction grounds and procedures statewide, preempting cities from adding just-cause requirements that restrict when a landlord may terminate a tenancy.

Landlord Entry & Notice

Under Fla. Stat. § 83.53, a Florida landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice to enter for repairs and may enter only at reasonable times, defined as between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. No notice is required in an emergency or to preserve the premises, and access may not be used to harass the tenant.

Late Fees & Grace Periods

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 deemed reasonable at up to 12% of rent for a structure with four or fewer units, or 10% for larger structures.

Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate

For a month-to-month tenancy, Fla. Stat. § 83.57 now requires 30 days' written notice (raised from 15 days by 2023's HB 1417). Breaking a fixed-term lease triggers landlord remedies under § 83.595, including a pre-agreed early-termination fee capped at two months' rent. Servicemembers may terminate early under § 83.682.

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 given. Shorter rent-paying periods need notice equal to that period. A written lease may set a different period, and fixed terms simply expire.

Rent Control

Florida effectively bans local rent control. State law bars any city or county from imposing controls on rents, and the 2023 Live Local Act removed the old narrow exception that had allowed a one-year emergency referendum riddled with exemptions. There is no statewide rent cap, so landlords set increases freely by lease terms.

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 governor approves the ordinance. There is no statewide rent cap, and in practice no Texas city has rent control. Landlords set increases freely.

Rent Increase Notice

Florida has no rent control and no statute setting a maximum rent increase or a dedicated advance-notice period. On a month-to-month tenancy, a new rent takes effect only through the termination/change notice in Fla. Stat. § 83.57, which 2023's HB 1417 (ch. 2023-314) lengthened from 15 to 30 days.

Rental Registration

Florida Statute 509.032(7) preempts local regulation of vacation rental bans, duration, and frequency, while FS 83.425 (2023) preempts local regulation of residential tenancies, leaving cities only narrow room for rental registration programs.

Repairs & Habitability

Fla. Stat. § 83.51 requires landlords to comply with applicable building, housing, and health codes or keep the structure, plumbing, and (for most multi-unit buildings) heat, running water, hot water, and pest control in working order. Tenants enforce these duties through the § 83.56 seven-day written notice to cure before withholding rent or terminating.

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 92.056 sets the notice process and a rebuttable presumption that seven days is reasonable; § 92.0561 lets a tenant repair and deduct, capped at one month's rent or $500.

Security Deposit Rules

Florida places no dollar limit on residential security deposits, but it enforces tight deadlines. If the landlord makes no claim, the deposit must be returned within 15 days of move-out. If the landlord intends to keep any part, written certified-mail notice is due within 30 days, and the tenant then has 15 days to object.

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 premises. A landlord who keeps a deposit in bad faith faces $100 plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount, plus the tenant's attorney's fees.

Agricultural Zoning Protection

Florida Statutes 823.14 and 163.3162 restrict local governments from adopting zoning rules that inhibit established farms on agriculturally classified land, preserving agricultural uses against incompatible local regulation.

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 general zoning authority, and cities face restrictions on annexing or imposing land use rules on established farms.

Farm Nuisance Protection

Florida Statute 823.14, the Florida Right to Farm Act, protects established bona fide farm operations from nuisance suits and local ordinances that would inhibit standard agricultural practices conducted in good faith.

The Texas Right to Farm Act, Agriculture Code Chapter 251, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and local regulations after one year of operation. HB 1750 and HB 2308 (2023) significantly strengthened protections, preempting municipal ordinances that restrict generally accepted agricultural practices.

Short-Term Rental Permits

Florida law preempts the regulation of vacation rental licensing and inspections to the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), though local zoning and registration are permitted.

Plastic Bag Rules

Florida Statute 403.7033 preempts the regulation of disposable plastic bags by local governments, prohibiting cities and counties from enacting bans or fees on retailers pending a legislative review that has not occurred.

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 counties cannot prohibit or restrict retail use of plastic checkout bags as containers or packages.

Polystyrene Foam Rules

Florida Statute 500.90 preempts the regulation of polystyrene products by local governments, blocking cities and counties from banning expanded polystyrene foam food containers, cups, and similar items.

Panel Permits

Florida statute 163.04 prohibits any ordinance, deed restriction, or covenant from preventing installation of solar collectors. Local building permits are required but cannot effectively ban rooftop solar.

Lane Splitting & Filtering

Florida bans lane splitting in so many words. Fla. Stat. section 316.209(3) states that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles, and subsection (2) separately forbids a rider from overtaking and passing in the same lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken. There is no exception for stopped or slow traffic, no speed differential allowance and no local opt-out; the only carve-out is for police officers and firefighters performing official duties. A violation is a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a moving violation, which under Fla. Stat. section 318.18(3)(a) means a $60 penalty and 3 points under section 322.27(3)(d).

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 operator of a motorcycle may not operate the motorcycle between lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. The same subdivision also bars passing a motor vehicle while in the same lane as that vehicle, which forecloses the in-lane filtering that riders sometimes treat as a lesser version of splitting. The one carve-out in Section 545.0605(b) is for a police officer performing official duties.

Plate Covers & Obstruction

Florida treats an obscured plate as a crime, not a ticket. Fla. Stat. section 320.061(1) makes it unlawful to apply or attach any substance, reflective matter, illuminated device, spray, coating, covering or other material onto or around a license plate which interferes with the legibility, angular visibility or detectability of the license plate number or validation sticker, or with the ability to record them, and a knowing violation is a misdemeanor of the second degree. Subsection (2) creates a narrow safe harbor: a plate frame or decorative border is not an offense provided it does not obscure the alphanumeric designation or the registration decal in the upper right corner. Separately, Fla. Stat. section 316.605(1) requires the plate, its printing and its registration decal to be plainly visible and legible at 100 feet and provides that nothing shall be placed upon the face of a Florida plate except as permitted by law or agency rule.

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 other material that distorts angular visibility or detectability, obscures half or more of the state name, or alters, covers or obscures the plate numbers or the plate colour. A clear cover is no safer than a smoked one, because the statute reaches distortion of angular visibility and not just plain readability. The base fine is up to $200, but obscuring the plate number specifically carries $300, then $600 for a second offense and a Class B misdemeanor for a third, and a driver who removes the cover before the first court appearance can have the charge dismissed on payment of a reimbursement fee of no more than $10.

Radar Detector Rules

A driver of a private passenger vehicle may use a radar detector in Florida. No section of the Florida Statutes prohibits owning, carrying or operating one, and chapter 316, which carries every other piece of Florida vehicle equipment law, contains no radar detector provision to hang a citation on. The two real constraints are elsewhere. Commercial motor vehicles are barred from carrying detectors because Fla. Stat. § 316.302 adopts 49 C.F.R. part 392, which includes the federal radar detector prohibition, and the windshield rule in § 316.2952(2) leaves no lawful place to stick one on the glass.

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 547.616, reaches only devices built or used to interfere with, scramble or disrupt police radar or laser, and it expressly excludes a ham radio, band radio or similar electronic device. A detector listens and never transmits, so it falls outside that definition, while a jammer is a Class C misdemeanor to use, install or even sell. Two real limits remain: a commercial driver may not carry one at all, and a windshield mount still has to pass the clear-view test in Section 547.613(a)(1).

Studded Tire & Chain Rules

Florida does not ban studded tires and does not restrict them to a winter season. The one wheel-surface provision in the traffic code, Fla. Stat. section 316.299, prohibits driving on paved or graded public roads with wheels having sharpened or roughened surfaces, but it carves out by name roughened pneumatic rubber tires having studs designed to improve traction without materially injuring the surface of the highway. The real target of that section is cleated tractor and construction equipment, which must carry filler blocks between the cleats to form a smooth surface. Florida sets no stud count, no protrusion limit, no permit and no seasonal window, and chapter 316 contains no tire section at all.

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, stud, flange, cleat, spike or other non-rubber protuberance projecting beyond the tread unless the protuberance does not injure the highway, or is a tire chain of reasonable proportion used as required for safety because of a condition that might cause the vehicle to skid. There is no permitted date range, no stud material or projection limit, no permit scheme and no restriction that varies by county. The practical test is highway damage, and tire chains get their own express safety allowance.

Underglow & Auxiliary Lighting

Florida is one of the states that says yes to underbody lighting in so many words. Fla. Stat. § 316.235(3) provides that any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more lamps or devices underneath the vehicle, and then attaches three conditions by cross-reference. Those conditions are the real rule: § 316.2397(1) forbids any lamp showing red, red and white, or blue visible from directly in front, § 316.2397(7) bans flashing lights outside a short list of turn, hazard and low-visibility uses, and § 316.238 requires you to dim within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. Blue is reserved statewide to police, certain heavy government fire vehicles and corrections vehicles on emergency calls.

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 the vehicle and bars a red, white or blue beacon, flashing or alternating light unless the chapter specifically authorizes it, and Section 547.305(e-2) counts a lamp as equipment whether it is bolted on or temporarily stuck on and whether or not it is switched on. The only underglow rule Texas wrote by name is Section 547.306, which allows LED ground effect lighting on a motorcycle or moped only in non-flashing amber or white. Bolt-on driving, passing, fog and spot lamps are each capped at two, with their own mounting heights.