Wichita Falls, TX

Wichita Falls sets no decibel or audible-at-a-distance threshold for vehicle noise. Section 46-20 instead bans specific acts: discharging exhaust without a muffler, operating an…

Wichita Falls bans loud, unreasonable noise from commercial and industrial equipment, air conditioning units, loading docks, and machinery, that disturbs nearby residents, enforced…

Wichita Falls bans playing music or amplified sound outdoors loud enough to disturb neighbors' peace, quiet, or repose. There's no decibel meter: enforcement turns on whether the sound…

Wichita Falls prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noise that is offensive to ordinary sensibilities. Noise of such character, intensity, and duration as to be…

Wichita Falls permits construction noise between 7 AM and 9 PM. Construction, excavation, demolition, alteration, or repair work outside these hours is prohibited unless an emergency…

Wichita Falls treats persistent barking dogs as a noise nuisance. Dog owners are responsible for preventing excessive barking that disturbs neighbors. Wichita Falls Animal Services…

Junked vehicles visible from public property or streets are declared a public nuisance in Wichita Falls, subject to a 10-day abatement notice and removal under the city's…

Trucks loading or unloading freight in a marked curb loading zone must move within the posted time limit, capped at 30 minutes by city rule, or face a parking citation.

Wichita Falls regulates street parking through posted signs and general traffic ordinances. Vehicles may not be parked on streets for extended periods, and front-yard parking on…

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…

Wichita Falls sets a hard nine-inch ceiling on grass and weeds. Section 46-186 makes any lot with growth taller than nine inches unlawful, and the city's Code Enforcement Division…

Wichita Falls requires new commercial, multifamily, and nonresidential development to meet its landscape tree counts by preserving existing trees first, and bars clearing street…

Year-round irrigation rules plus a five-stage drought plan that cuts sprinkler days as Lakes Arrowhead and Kickapoo drop.

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…

Wichita Falls requires pool construction plans submitted to the city to show compliance with the pool fencing code, and final inspection is withheld until the requirement is met.

Hot tub and spa electrical work in Wichita Falls needs a general electrical permit pulled by a licensed master electrician: homeowner permits don't cover it.

Wichita Falls requires an Animal Services permit to keep any livestock in city limits, plus a 200-foot setback from neighboring homes.

Wichita Falls bars selling, transferring, or advertising any dog, cat, or ferret over six months old unless it is sterilized, microchipped, and rabies-vaccinated.

Wichita Falls requires a pet fancier permit for anyone owning or harboring five or more animals, with all animals spayed or neutered, vaccinated, licensed, and microchipped.

Wichita Falls requires a pet store permit for any business that buys or sells animals, and pet stores may only offer dogs or cats sourced from an approved rescue or shelter, not…

Wichita Falls requires dogs to be restrained or under the control of their owner at all times when off the owner's property. Dogs running at large are subject to impoundment by Animal…

Wichita Falls allows beekeeping on residential properties with conditions. Hive placement, water sources, and flyway barriers help ensure bees do not become a nuisance to neighbors.

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…

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…

Wichita Falls requires a building permit for retaining walls and a separate grading permit once the wall's unsupported fill height exceeds five feet after construction.

Wichita Falls follows Texas state law regarding shared boundary fences. Texas does not have a statutory requirement for neighbors to share fence costs, but local custom and agreements…

Wichita Falls regulates short-term rentals through its zoning ordinance. STR operators should verify their property's zoning allows short-term rental use and comply with applicable…

STR guests in Wichita Falls must comply with the city's general noise ordinance. Operators are responsible for informing guests of noise rules and ensuring rental properties do not…

Wichita Falls imposes a hotel occupancy tax on short-term rental stays of 30 days or fewer. Operators must register, collect the tax from guests, and remit it to the city on a regular…

STR guests in Wichita Falls must comply with residential parking regulations. Operators should provide adequate off-street parking or inform guests of street parking rules to minimize…

Wichita Falls regulates fireworks sales and use within city limits. Fireworks may only be sold and discharged during designated periods around July 4th and New Year's. The city may…

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…

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…

As of July 1, 2026, operating a food truck, trailer, or pushcart in Wichita Falls requires a statewide Mobile Food Vendor License from the Texas Department of State Health Services…

Wichita Falls bans mobile food vending on fast or divided streets, in school crossing zones, and requires curbside service with clear sightlines.

Under Texas Health & Safety Code Section 437.0045, a county, city, or public health district may require a food truck permit only if the Department of State Health Services would…

Wichita Falls requires a grading permit for most cutting or filling of land, with engineered drainage and terracing required to keep runoff off neighboring property.

In any FEMA special flood hazard area, new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated at least one foot above the base flood…

New commercial, multifamily, or 2+ acre residential development in Wichita Falls must control stormwater runoff to predevelopment rates through on-site detention or an approved…

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…

Wichita Falls requires curbside trash carts to go out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before pickup and come off the curb by midnight on collection day.

Wichita Falls residents can schedule curbside bulky waste pickup through the sanitation office for a fee set by separate ordinance.

Wichita Falls requires commercial roll-off containers to sit on a firm surface, clear of overhead lines, and off public streets without written approval.

Wichita Falls collects yard waste through a weekly curbside organics cart, requires it bagged or contained with the lid closed, and lets residents self-haul it to the landfill free.

Every residential dwelling in Wichita Falls must subscribe to the city's trash collection service, and the director of public works sets each area's pickup schedule and collection…

Dumping refuse anywhere but an approved receptacle is banned citywide, with fines up to $4,000 per offense.

Wichita Falls sets exact curbside timing and clearance rules for recycling containers, and once material is set out for pickup, it legally becomes city property.

Wichita Falls requires a building permit before you construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish a structure. City Code adopts the 2015 International Building Code, whose…

Wichita Falls requires every apartment community owner to register ownership with the police official and enroll the property manager in the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program…

Sexually oriented businesses in Wichita Falls must stay 1,000 feet from churches, schools, homes, parks, military training installations, and each other, and cannot open without a…

Towing companies that tow from parking lots without owner consent must report the tow to police within one hour, per City Code § 26-773.

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…

Wichita Falls bans possessing or drinking alcohol in any city park and on public street rights-of-way bordering parks, with narrow reservation-based exceptions.

Wichita Falls has no citywide drone ordinance, the FAA governs airspace, but radio-controlled model aircraft, including recreational drones, cannot be flown in the western section of…

Radio-controlled aircraft, the ordinance category covering drones, are banned from flying west of the runway at Lake Wichita Park and within 500 feet of an active softball backstop.

Wichita Falls has no garage-sale permit. City code only regulates itinerant merchants, and it exempts anyone with a residence in the city.

Wichita Falls repealed its juvenile curfew ordinance in 2023, deleting Article IV of the offenses chapter entirely, so no citywide curfew currently restricts minors' movement at night.

City parks in Wichita Falls close at midnight and stay closed until 5:00 a.m., with loitering or playing inside during that window unlawful.

Wichita Falls bars solicitors from approaching any private residence to sell goods or collect money unless the owner or occupant specifically invites them, and requires a city clerk…

Door-to-door solicitors and peddlers in Wichita Falls must get a city clerk permit before knocking on doors or telephone soliciting to homes.

Camping in any undesignated public area is a criminal offense under § 94-7, enacted to implement the Texas public-camping ban.

Wichita Falls bans sitting, lying, or sleeping outdoors in designated pedestrian zones after a police warning, under an ordinance adopted August 2025.

Wichita Falls cannot operate red-light cameras. Texas Transportation Code Section 707.020, enacted by House Bill 1631 effective June 2, 2019, bars every local authority from installing…

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…

Wichita Falls code lets the city order any dwelling that is dilapidated, unsanitary, or lacks essential amenities vacated, repaired, or demolished as a public nuisance.

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…

Wichita Falls declares any dangerous or dilapidated building a public nuisance and can order it repaired, vacated, or demolished.

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…

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 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…

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 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…

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…