Texas City, TX

In Texas City, Texas, no one in a motor vehicle can run a sound amplification system so the sound is plainly audible at 50 or more feet from the vehicle. The rule covers streets…

In Texas City, Texas, § 94.009(B) declares two amplified-sound acts to be prohibited noises: using a drum, loudspeaker or other device to attract attention to a performance, show or…

Texas City, Texas has no fixed quiet-hours curfew. Section 94.009 prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise at any hour and singles out radios and musical…

In Texas City, Texas, keeping a dog whose loud or unusual barking or howling disturbs, or is reasonably liable to disturb, the peace and quiet of the neighborhood or adjacent occupants…

The county sets no decibel limit. Statewide, Texas Penal Code 42.01 presumes noise unreasonable above 85 dB after a warning. City limits are tighter: Galveston caps sound at 75 dB(A)…

In Texas City, Texas, trees in the restricted triangle at each street corner cannot have branches or foliage lower than 15 feet from the street gutter flow line, and other plants there…

In Texas City, Texas, an owner, lessee, renter or occupant cannot allow weeds or tall grass (12 inches or higher) to accumulate or remain on any lot or premises. The city can also…

Texas City, Texas does not count artificial grass toward required landscaping: § 160.088(H) says synthetic or artificial lawn or plant material shall not be used to satisfy the…

Galveston County does not regulate plant choices on private property. Texas Property Code 202.007 protects owners' right to use drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving…

Rainwater harvesting is legal statewide and encouraged in Texas. Galveston County sets no permit for home rain barrels, and Texas Property Code 202.007 bars homeowners associations…

Composting is legal and encouraged in Texas. Galveston County sets no composting rule, and Property Code 202.007 stops an HOA from banning backyard composting of vegetation or leaving…

In Texas City, Texas, § 94.025 treats a vehicle left more than 48 hours on public property, or on private property without consent, as abandoned. A junked vehicle is a public nuisance…

In Texas City, Texas, § 72.11 makes it unlawful to park any vehicle, trailer or combination of the two on a street, alley or other public way if it exceeds 25 feet in length or exceeds…

In Texas City, Texas, § 72.12 makes it unlawful to park any non-motor vehicle, including but not limited to boats and trailers, on the streets, alleys or other public ways of the city…

In Texas City, Texas, § 72.07 forbids stopping, standing or parking in a way that leaves less than ten feet of either lane for free movement of traffic, and § 72.09 makes it unlawful…

In Texas City, Texas, § 72.13 bars parking or storing any vehicle between a residential structure and the street frontage unless it sits on an improved driveway. Concrete, asphalt…

In Texas City, Texas, the Director of Transportation and Planning designates passenger and freight curb loading zones and posts the hours they apply. Under § 72.27 a passenger zone…

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…

Texas City, Texas has no breed ban in § 95.029. The code labels an animal vicious by what it does: severe injury or death to a person, a bite, killing a domestic animal off the owner's…

Texas City, Texas requires the owner of any livestock inside city limits to register annually with the Police Department for $10, expiring August 31. Livestock must sit behind adequate…

In Texas City, Texas, any wild and exotic animal is presumed vicious under § 95.029(B). The definition covers any mammal, amphibian, reptile or fowl that is wild by nature and…

Texas City, Texas has no citywide spay and neuter mandate. Section 95.029(H)(1)(f) requires only an animal declared vicious to be spayed or neutered and micro-chipped, as one of six…

All of Texas City, Texas is a designated bird sanctuary under § 95.055, including the improved areas, municipal parks, the seawall and the Texas City Dike. Section 95.056 makes it…

In Texas City, Texas, every cat must wear a city tag on a collar or harness at all times, and cats four months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies. The tag is purchased…

In Texas City, Texas, no owner or keeper can permit a dog to run at large within the corporate limits. A dog is at large when it is not under the control of its owner or an authorized…

In Texas City, Texas, it is unlawful to keep, harbor, possess or maintain more than four dogs upon or within any premises owned by the person at any one time. Section 95.027 names dogs…

In Texas City, Texas, veterinary clinics are a listed principal use in District O-P, Office-Professional, but only where all activities are conducted within a totally enclosed…

Texas keeps beekeeping light-touch: registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service is voluntary, not required to own hives. Beekeepers may register annually with the chief…

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…

Texas City, Texas amends the 2024 International Fire Code in § 96.02(S) to require a manual fire alarm system and an approved smoke detection system in Group E, I and R occupancies…

Open burning is prohibited within the City of Texas City under the amended Sec. 307 in § 96.02(J). The exception is a permit for an open burn or trench burn not exceeding 15 feet in…

Texas City, Texas prohibits storing liquefied petroleum gas in any container, above ground or underground, inside of or underneath any building. Section 96.16 requires Underwriters'…

Consumer fireworks are broadly legal in unincorporated Galveston County under state law, but the commissioners court may restrict certain aerial fireworks during a declared drought…

Backyard recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Galveston County when no burn ban is active. State law bars igniting fireworks or open flames within 600 feet of churches…

Galveston County has no wildfire defensible-space code, but under state nuisance law it can order abatement of tall weeds and accumulated brush or rubbish on unincorporated-area lots…

In Texas City, Texas, the patio home district (District A-2) requires every zero lot line home to have a two-car garage and flatly prohibits eliminating a garage space by enclosing it…

Texas City, Texas has no accessory dwelling unit section. The closest rule is guest quarters, a secondary structure for guests that cannot be rented, leased or occupied permanently and…

Texas City, Texas lists one storage building not exceeding 225 square feet in floor area or 12 feet in height as an accessory use in Districts A, A-1 and A-2, and § 160.083 places…

In Texas City, Texas, § 160.083(A) says an accessory building in any district zoned for residential uses cannot be used for commercial purposes and cannot be rented. The code defines a…

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…

In Texas City, Texas, a person must obtain a permit before building, altering or repairing any barrier, fence, wall or structure, and before building any retaining wall. The Fence…

In Texas City, Texas, a fence cannot exceed eight feet in a rear or side yard, and an opaque fence beyond the front property line is capped at 30 inches from grade. No fence can sit…

In Texas City, Texas, it is unlawful to build or keep a fence made of damaged, unapproved, used or recycled materials, fiberglass panels, chicken wire, plywood or corrugated metal…

In Texas City, Texas, every retaining wall needs a permit regardless of height, and a retaining wall more than two feet in height also requires engineered plans. Section 161.006 of the…

Under Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 143, Subchapter F, you cannot tear out a fence you jointly own with a neighbor, or one attached to a neighbor's fence, without mutual consent. To…

In Texas City, Texas, a home occupation is defined by what it cannot do: no structural alterations, no outside storage of equipment, no employees who live elsewhere, no advertising…

Home childcare is licensed by the State of Texas (HHSC), not by the county, which cannot zone. In the City of Galveston a residential day care may serve no more than six children…

The county cannot regulate signs by zoning. In the City of Galveston, a home based occupation is flatly barred from signs: 'No signage or on-site advertising permitted.' Unincorporated…

Texas cottage food law lets you sell many homemade foods with no permit if gross income stays at $50,000 or less. Health & Safety Code 437.0191 says a cottage food operation is not a…

The Texas City Code of Ordinances never uses the phrase short-term rental. Overnight paying guests in a home run through the bed and breakfast rule in § 160.051, which states that an…

Texas imposes a 6 percent state hotel occupancy tax on short-term rentals, including houses, condos, and Airbnb or VRBO stays, whenever a room costs 15 dollars or more per day.

State law, not the county, sets pool-fence rules. Texas Health & Safety Code 757.003 requires a pool-yard enclosure at least 48 inches high measured from the ground on the side away…

A permanent above-ground pool over 18 inches deep is a 'pool' under Texas Health & Safety Code 757.001 and must have the same 48-inch enclosure and self-latching gate. The county sets…

In Texas City, Texas, camping in any public park, public recreation area or city facility is unlawful without express permission from the Recreation and Tourism Director, and that…

Texas City, Texas has no sit-lie ban by that name. Section 90.006 of its code bars a person from stopping or standing in a way that obstructs the use of sidewalks, streets or other…

In Texas City, Texas, no parade or procession can occupy, march or proceed along any street, sidewalk or other public place or way without a permit issued by the Chief of Police. Only…

In Texas City, Texas, the Texas City Code of Ordinances does not use the term street fair. The carnival permit chapter is the rule that reaches event vendors: a $250 permit from the…

Texas City, Texas imposes a hotel occupancy tax equal to 7% of the consideration paid by the occupant for any hotel room that costs $2 or more each day and is ordinarily used for…

In Texas City, Texas, every city park has posted hours. Where a park has no sign, it is closed from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. each day. Entering a park between the closed hours is a…

In Texas City, Texas, a minor under 17 cannot be in a public place or on the premises of an establishment from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on a school day or from 11:30 p.m. until 5:00…

In Texas City, Texas, skateboards, roller skates and in-line skates are banned only in the parts of a city park, building or facility that the Director of Recreation and Tourism has…

Texas City, Texas makes it unlawful to stop, sit, park, stand or loiter longer than reasonably necessary for legitimate activity within 2,500 feet of playgrounds, schools, day care…

In Texas City, Texas, it is unlawful to consume alcohol on any street, sidewalk or other public way at any hour under § 119.08. Section 119.06 adds a time ban on drinking or possessing…

In Texas City, Texas, § 73.04 requires every pedestrian crossing at an intersection to use the crosswalk. Crossing a street at any place other than an intersection is lawful, but the…

In Texas City, Texas, a person may not stand in a roadway or adjacent median to solicit a ride, contribution, employment or business from an occupant of a vehicle. A charitable…

The only drone provisions in the Texas City Code of Ordinances sit in the mass gathering chapter. A promoter in Texas City, Texas must state on the special event permit application…

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…

In Texas City, Texas, a towing company can perform police-directed non-consent tows only with a Texas City Police Department wrecker permit. Placement on the rotation list requires two…

In Texas City, Texas, anyone doing business as a junk dealer must hold an annual license issued by the Police Department. The fee is $200 and the license expires each December 31…

In Texas City, Texas, an adult enterprise cannot operate without a permit from the Director, the Chief of Police or designee. The fee is $350 for an original application and $100 for…

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…

In Texas City, Texas, no one can build or repair a fence, wall, hedge, structure or other obstruction on public property, or in the strip between a lot line and the street, without a…

In Texas City, Texas, it is unlawful to impede the safe and free passage of persons or vehicles along the streets, and to occupy a street or sidewalk with a booth, display case or…

Texas City, Texas collects garbage twice weekly. Basic monthly charges for garbage, trash, yard waste and brush are set by City Commission resolution, billed with water and sewer, due…

In Texas City, Texas, garbage receptacles must be at the pickup point by 7:00 a.m. on collection day and back on the premises by 9:00 p.m. that evening. Alley properties keep…

Texas City, Texas collection crews refuse thirteen categories of material, from hazardous waste and tires to dirt, bricks and loose uncontainerized trash. Section 53.11 of the City…

Texas City, Texas collects bulky waste that two workers can handle and a compactor truck can take, set out beside the garbage. Refrigeration units need a CFC purge tag, and…

In Texas City, Texas, unbundled brush goes roadside, never in alleys, cut to eight feet or shorter and neatly stacked. Yard waste rides with the garbage in authorized containers up to…

Commercial dumpster service in Texas City, Texas runs through the city's exclusive franchise hauler, which the customer pays directly. Owners must provide a truck access route, keep…

Texas City, Texas leaves commercial recycling open to competition: a business that recycles can contract with the city's exclusive franchise hauler or any other recycling service…

Texas City, Texas defines a recycling dropoff center as a temporary or permanent city location that receives recyclables such as newspaper, glass, motor oil, oil filters, tires and…

In Texas City, Texas, it is unlawful to bring trash, garbage, refuse or unwanted material into the city limits with the intention of disposing of it. Section 53.99(C) sets fines of…

In Texas City, Texas, trees and shrubbery planted along or upon the sidewalks of a public street must be set out in a straight line parallel to the curb, three feet from the outside…

In Texas City, Texas, an amusement redemption machine game room needs an annual license from the Chief of Police at $1,000, plus a $100 annual permit for each machine. Section 118.026…

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 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 §…

In Texas City, Texas, any condition on a property that provides harborage for rats, mice, snakes or other vermin is declared a nuisance under § 94.007(F). The city abates it under §…

In Texas City, Texas, § 70.11 bars operating a vehicle sound amplification system so the sound is plainly audible at 50 or more feet. The definition says bass reverberations are…

In Texas City, Texas, no person can throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant private property within the city, whether or not the person owns it. Section 94.066 sits in the…

Texas City, Texas declares every building that meets the conditions in § 150.033 a substandard building and a public nuisance. The Building and Standards Commission can order it…

In Texas City, Texas, a stationary mobile food unit needs Planning Commission approval of its exact location, must open at least four days a week for six hours or more unless the…

In Texas City, Texas, no one can occupy a street or sidewalk with a booth, display case or other frame structure to display merchandise or carry on business, and boxes or merchandise…

In Texas City, Texas, a mobile food unit must hold a Galveston County Health District permit. Units traveling city streets follow the peddler permit rules. Stationary units need an…

In Texas City, Texas, Chapter 157 of the City Code applies to every area of special flood hazard inside the city limits, and nobody may build, alter or change the use of a structure or…

In Texas City, Texas, new homes and substantial improvements in a mapped flood hazard area must have the lowest floor, including basement, at or above the base flood elevation, and…

In Texas City, Texas, nothing except storm water may enter the municipal separate storm sewer system, and Chapter 158 lists banned substances from motor oil to concrete washout…

In Texas City, Texas, every construction site operator must use best management practices to keep sediment out of the MS4, inspect disturbed areas at least once every 14 calendar days…

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…

In Texas City, Texas, coastal high-hazard areas (Zones V1-30, VE and V) face tidal surge and hurricane wave wash, so new construction must sit landward of mean high tide, be elevated…

In Texas City, Texas, a solicitor cannot ring the doorbell, knock or make any sound to draw attention at a home displaying a weatherproof sign such as "no solicitation" or "no…

No one can solicit in Texas City, Texas without a permit. City peddler and vendor permits cost $25 for three consecutive days or $500 for a calendar year, and applicants are…

In Texas City, Texas, a homeowners association in a private street subdivision cannot govern itself freely. Every lot owner is a member, the manager or president must carry a fidelity…

In Texas City, Texas, deed restrictions and homeowner or property owner association rules can be stricter than the Fence Ordinance in Chapter 161, but they cannot lower its…

In Texas City, Texas, every residential subdivision built with private streets must form a mandatory homeowners association, and lot deeds must carry the dues and assessment…

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

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…

In Texas City, Texas, § 150.037 makes it unlawful for an owner, lessor, lessee or agent to let anyone rent, occupy or use a building once notice says it is substandard, until the order…

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 § 92.019 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…

In Texas City, Texas, the Building Official cannot issue a permit until the applicant files a scaled plan in duplicate showing the lot, the building and all accessory structures. The…

Texas City, Texas adopts the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code by reference, with later amendments, supplements and new editions adopted automatically upon publication by the…

In Texas City, Texas, § 96.02(Q) requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout all buildings, accessory buildings and buildings in the same development that have a Group R fire…

In Texas City, Texas a permit is required for any electrical construction, any installation of wiring, apparatus or equipment, and any extension or change to existing wiring systems in…

In Texas City, Texas, electrical work moves through written notice, inspection, reinspection and a final certificate of inspection issued by the City Inspector. Notice for a morning…

In Texas City, Texas, a master plumber must furnish proof of public liability insurance of not less than $300,000 against personal injury and $300,000 against property damage before a…

Chapter 162 of the Texas City Code of Ordinances, written for battery energy storage systems, defines similar projects to include data centers and similar high energy demand…

Texas City, Texas caps lot coverage district by district. In District A the principal structure can cover 40% of the lot, measured by the base of buildings on the first story or floor…

Texas City, Texas sets residential height by district in Chapter 160. Principal structures in Districts A, A-1 and O are limited to 2.5 stories or 35 feet, District A-2 to 2.5 stories…

Texas City, Texas sets yard minimums district by district. District A requires a 25 foot front yard, a 20 foot rear yard and a 5 foot side yard, with 15 feet on the street side of a…

In Texas City, Texas, temporary displays or decorations customarily associated with a national, state, local or religious holiday or celebration are exempt from the sign permit. They…

In Texas City, Texas, no sign or other advertising structure can be lit with lights which glare into or upon the surrounding area or any residential premises. Section 155.046 also…

In Texas City, Texas, no sign or other advertising structure can have lights that flash, move, scroll, rotate, scintillate, blink, flicker or vary in intensity or color, or use…

In Texas City, Texas, no sign can have visible moving, revolving or rotating parts or visible mechanical movement, except street clock hands and apparent visible movement achieved by…

In Texas City, Texas, off-premises signs are allowed only within 100 feet of the right-of-way line of Interstate Highway 45, State Highway 3, State Highway 146 south of Loop 197 North…

In Texas City, Texas, the person holding a garage sale can post two on-premises and two off-premises temporary signs, on private property only, each not exceeding two square feet. All…

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…

In Texas City, Texas, farms and crop production, pasturage, truck gardens, and barns or stables for keeping private stock are principal uses in District O, Open Space. Section 160.049…

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…

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 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…

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…