Title LG, Local Government Code

Sec. 351.2571. NONCOMPLIANCE. Failure to comply with the requirements of Section 351.257 may be used to determine eligibility for receiving grant funds from the office of the governor or another state agency. Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 365 (H.B. 47), Sec. 16, eff. S…

Sec. 351.258. MEETINGS AND RECORDS; CONFIDENTIALITY. (a) A response team meeting is not subject to Chapter 551, Government Code. (b) This section does not prohibit a response team from requesting or allowing the attendance of a person who is not a response team member at a respon…

Sec. 351.901. DONATION TO CERTAIN CRIME STOPPERS AND CRIME PREVENTION ORGANIZATIONS. (a) In this section: (1) "Crime stoppers organization" means a private, nonprofit organization or a public organization that: (A) is operated on a local or statewide level; (B) accepts donations …

Sec. 351.902. BUREAU OF CRIMINAL IDENTIFICATION. (a) On written and sworn application by a sheriff stating the necessity for the purchase, the commissioners court may purchase equipment for a bureau of criminal identification. (b) The equipment must be compatible with the equipme…

Sec. 351.904. ELECTRONIC MONITORING PROGRAM. (a) A commissioners court of a county may establish and operate an electronic monitoring program for the purpose of monitoring defendants required by a court of the county to participate in an electronic monitoring program under: (1) A…

Sec. 352.001. FIRE PROTECTION OF COUNTY RESIDENTS. (a) The commissioners court of a county may furnish fire protection or fire-fighting equipment to the residents of the county or of an adjoining county who live outside municipalities. (b) The commissioners court may: (1) purchas…

Sec. 352.002. USE OF SURPLUS OR SALVAGE PROPERTY BY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. (a) In this section: (1) "Surplus property" means personal property that is in excess of the needs of its owner, that is not required for the owner's foreseeable needs, and that possesses some usefulne…

Sec. 352.003. FIRE PROTECTION IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) For use in protecting bridges, county shops, county warehouses, and other property located outside the municipalities in a county with a population of 350,001 to 449,999, the commissioners court of the county may: (1) purchas…

Sec. 352.004. AGENCY; LIABILITY. (a) In this section, "furnishing fire protection" includes traveling to or from a fire. (b) The act of a person who, in carrying out a county's authority to provide fire protection, furnishes fire protection to a county resident who lives outside …

Sec. 352.005. CONTRACTUAL PROVISION OF FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES. (a) This section applies to a county with a population of 350,000 or more. (b) By an order or resolution passed by majority vote, the governing body of a municipality that has a volunteer fire department …

Sec. 352.006. SALE OF USED FIRE PROTECTION OR FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT TO CERTAIN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS. (a) In this section, "volunteer fire department" means an association that: (1) operates fire-fighting equipment; (2) is organized primarily to provide and actively provid…

Sec. 352.011. CREATION OF OFFICE; TERM. (a) The commissioners court of a county may establish the office of county fire marshal and provide office facilities, equipment, transportation, assistants, and professional services for that office. (b) The commissioners court shall estab…

Sec. 352.012. QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE. (a) To qualify for office, the county fire marshal must take the oath prescribed by the constitution of this state and post a bond as required by the commissioners court conditioned that the marshal will faithfully and strictly perform the…

Sec. 352.0125. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) This section applies only to a county with a population of 100,000 or more. (b) A county fire marshal shall hold the following certifications issued by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection: (1) head of a preven…

Sec. 352.013. INVESTIGATION OF FIRES. (a) The county fire marshal shall: (1) investigate the cause, origin, and circumstances of fires that occur within the county but outside the municipalities in the county and that destroy or damage property or cause injury; and (2) determine …

Sec. 352.014. RECORD OF INVESTIGATION. The county fire marshal shall keep a record of each fire that the marshal is required to investigate. The record must include the facts, statistics, and circumstances determined by the investigation, including the origin of the fire and the …

Sec. 352.015. ARSON INVESTIGATION. (a) If the county fire marshal determines that further investigation of a fire or of an attempt to set a fire is necessary, the marshal may: (1) subpoena witnesses to testify regarding the fire or attempt; (2) administer oaths to the witnesses; …

Sec. 352.016. INSPECTION OR REVIEW OF PLAN FOR FIRE OR LIFE SAFETY HAZARDS. (a) In this section, "fire or life safety hazard" means any condition that endangers the safety of a structure or its occupants and promotes or causes fire or combustion, including: (1) the presence of a …

Sec. 352.0165. INSPECTION OF GROUP HOMES IN CERTAIN COUNTIES; FEE. (a) In this section: (1) "Group home" means an establishment: (A) in which three or more individuals who are unrelated to the owner or operator of the establishment reside; (B) that provides residential care servi…

Sec. 352.017. PRIVACY OF EXAMINATIONS; SERVICE OF PROCESS. (a) In a proceeding under this subchapter, the county fire marshal may: (1) conduct an investigation or examination in private; (2) exclude a person who is not under examination; and (3) separate witnesses from each other…

Sec. 352.018. EFFECT ON CIVIL ACTIONS. (a) An action taken by a county fire marshal in the investigation of a fire does not affect the rights of a policyholder or of any company regarding a loss caused by the fire. (b) The result of an investigation by the county fire marshal of …

Sec. 352.019. COOPERATION WITH OTHER FIRE PROTECTION AGENCIES; TRAINING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) The county fire marshal shall enforce all state and county regulations that relate to fires, explosions, or damages of any kind caused by a fire or explosion. (b) The county fire mar…

Sec. 352.020. LIABILITY. The county fire marshal and the assistants and employees of the office are not liable in damages for any acts or omissions in the performance of their duties except in cases of gross negligence or wilful malfeasance. Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1,…

Sec. 352.021. CONTEMPT OF FIRE INVESTIGATION PROCEEDINGS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person is a witness in connection with an investigation under Section 352.015 and refuses to be sworn, refuses to appear and testify, or fails and refuses to produce before the county…

Sec. 352.022. PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ORDER. An owner or occupant who is subject to an order issued under Section 352.016 or 352.0165 commits an offense if that person fails to comply with the order. Each refusal to comply is a separate offense. The offense is a Class …

Sec. 352.023. EXEMPTION. This subchapter does not apply to a state agency that is authorized to prevent and extinguish forest and grass fires. Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 352.024. AUTHORITY TO COMMISSION CERTAIN FIRE PROTECTION OFFICERS AS PEACE OFFICERS. (a) A county may commission a fire marshal, fire officer, fire inspector, or fire investigator as a peace officer. (b) A peace officer commissioned under this section may: (1) administer thi…

Sec. 352.051. REGULATION OF RESTRICTED FIREWORKS. (a) For the purposes of this section the following definitions shall apply: (1) "Restricted fireworks" means only those items classified under 49 C.F.R. Sec. 173.100(r)(2) (10-1-86 edition), as "skyrockets with sticks" and "missil…

Sec. 352.081. REGULATION OF OUTDOOR BURNING. (a) In this section, "drought conditions" means the existence of a long-term deficit of moisture creating atypically severe conditions with increased wildfire occurrence as defined by the Texas Forest Service through the use of the Kee…

Sec. 352.082. OUTDOOR BURNING OF HOUSEHOLD REFUSE IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. (a) This section applies only to the unincorporated area of a county: (1) that is adjacent to a county with a population of 3.3 million or more; and (2) in which a planned community is located that ha…

Sec. 352.111. GATED COMMUNITY OR HOUSING PROJECT SUBJECT TO SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter applies only to a gated community, or to a multi-unit housing project that controls access to the project by a pedestrian or vehicular gate, located outside municipal boundaries in an area not…

Sec. 352.112. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Gated community" means a residential subdivision or housing development with a vehicular or pedestrian gate that contains two or more dwellings not under common ownership. The term does not include a multi-unit housing project. …

Sec. 352.113. COUNTY AUTHORITY TO REGULATE VEHICULAR OR PEDESTRIAN GATES TO GATED COMMUNITIES AND MULTI-UNIT HOUSING PROJECTS. To assure reasonable access for fire-fighting vehicles and equipment, emergency medical services vehicles, and law enforcement officers, a county may req…

Sec. 352.114. LOCKBOX REQUIREMENTS. (a) Each vehicular gate to the gated community or multi-unit housing project must have a lockbox within sight of the gate and in close proximity outside the gate. The lockbox at all times must contain a key, card, or code to open the gate or a …

Sec. 352.1145. SIREN-OPERATED SENSOR SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRIC GATES. The commissioners court of a county by order may require that each electric gate to a gated community or multiunit housing project be equipped with a gate-operating device that: (1) is approved by the county fire ma…

Sec. 352.115. ADDITIONAL ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) In a gated community or multi-unit housing project that has one or more vehicular gates: (1) at least one vehicular gate must be wide enough for fire-fighting vehicles, fire-fighting equipment, emergency medical services ve…

Sec. 352.116. BUILDING IDENTIFICATION. A county may require each residential building in a multi-unit housing project to have a number or letter in a contrasting color on the side of the building and placed so that the number or letter can be seen from the vehicular driving areas…

Sec. 352.117. COUNTY AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE PERMIT. (a) A county may require the owner or the owners association of a gated community or multi-unit housing project to obtain a permit from the county fire marshal or other authority with fire-fighting jurisdiction in the county to en…

Sec. 352.118. SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF LICENSE. (a) A permit issued under this subchapter may be suspended or revoked for violation of this subchapter or a regulation adopted under this subchapter after notice and a hearing on a complaint by the county fire marshal or other au…

Sec. 352.119. LIMITATION ON SPECIFIC COUNTY STANDARDS. (a) A county may not impose under this subchapter specific standards relating to vehicular gate widths, obstacle-free driveway aprons or entrances, pedestrian gate locations, or building numbers that exceed the requirements f…

Sec. 352.120. OFFENSE. A person who violates this subchapter or a regulation adopted under this subchapter in a county that requires compliance with this subchapter under Section 352.113 commits an offense. An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. Added by Acts 200…

Sec. 353.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: (1) "Concerned party" means a person: (A) involved in the possession, ownership, or transportation of a hazardous material that is released or abandoned; or (B) who has legal liability for the causation of an incident resulting in the r…

Sec. 353.002. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies to an incident involving hazardous material that has been leaked, spilled, released, or abandoned on any property. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 930 (H.B. 580), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., C…

Sec. 353.003. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SERVICES. (a) A county may provide hazardous materials services, including a response to an incident involving hazardous material that has been leaked, spilled, released, or abandoned, if: (1) the county first provides reasonable notice to a conc…

Sec. 353.004. FEE FOR PROVIDING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SERVICE; EXCEPTION. (a) A county, or a person authorized by contract on the county's behalf, may charge a reasonable fee, including a fee to offset the cost of providing control and containment measures under Section 353.003(b),…

Sec. 353.005. EXEMPTION FOR GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES. This chapter does not apply to hazardous materials owned or possessed by a governmental entity. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 930 (H.B. 580), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1094 (H.B. 2120…