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VACATION, REDUCTION OF OCCUPANCY LOAD, AND SECURING OF STRUCTURES AND RELOCATION OF OCCUPANTS.

Dallas City Code ch. 27, art. IV
in effect

Dallas City Code § 27-14.1 TREATMENT FOR INSECTS AND RODENTS.

SEC. 27-14.1. TREATMENT FOR INSECTS AND RODENTS. When a structure is ordered demolished by a municipal court judge under Article IV-a of this chapter, if the owner fails to comply with the Dallas Building Code in obtaining certification from a person licensed under the Texas Structural Pest Control Act that: (1) the structure is free of insects and rodents; or (2) the structure has been treated within the preceding 30 days to eliminate insect and rodent infestation; the city may obtain the certification and charge the cost as part of the expense of demolition constituting a lien against the real property as provided in Section 27-16.8(e). (Ord. Nos. 15202; 19234; 24086; 26455)

Dallas City Code § 27-15 OCCUPANCY LIMITS.

SEC. 27-15. OCCUPANCY LIMITS. An owner shall not allow a structure or dwelling unit to exceed the occupancy limits in Texas Property Code Section 92.010, as amended. (Ord. Nos. 15198; 16473; 19234; 20470; 24086; 26455; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-15.1 PLACARDING OF A STRUCTURE BY THE DIRECTOR.

SEC. 27-15.1. PLACARDING OF A STRUCTURE BY THE DIRECTOR. (a) Upon issuance of a final court order requiring vacation of a structure or dwelling unit, the director may place a red placard on or near the front door of a structure or dwelling unit. (b) The red placard must state that: (1) the structure or dwelling unit was ordered to be vacated; (2) a person commits an offense if he, without authority from the director: (A) removes or destroys the red placard; (B) occupies the structure or dwelling unit; or (C) as owner of the structure, authorizes a person to occupy the structure or dwelling unit; and (3) the maximum fine for violation of the ordinance. (c) A person commits an offense if he: (1) without authority from the director, removes or destroys a red placard placed by the director; (2) occupies a structure or dwelling unit on which the director has placed a red placard; or (3) authorizes a person to occupy a structure or dwelling unit on which the director has placed a red placard. (Ord. Nos. 24086; 26455; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-16 SECURING OF A STRUCTURE BY THE DIRECTOR.

SEC. 27-16. SECURING OF A STRUCTURE BY THE DIRECTOR. (a) The requirements of this section are in addition to any other requirements of this chapter governing securing of a structure. Any hearing before the municipal court pursuant to this section concerning the securing of a structure must comply with all notice and procedural requirements contained in Article IV-a of this chapter for hearings before the municipal court. (b) The director shall secure any structure that the director determines: (1) violates a minimum standard established in Article III of this chapter; and (2) is unoccupied or is occupied only by a person who does not have a right of possession to the structure. (c) Before the 11th day after the date the director secures the structure, the director shall give notice to the owner by: (1) personally serving the owner with written notice; (2) depositing the notice in the United States mail addressed to the owner at the owner's post office address; (3) publishing the notice at least twice within a 10-day period in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the structure is located, if personal service cannot be obtained and the owner's post office address is unknown; or (4) posting the notice on or near the front door of the structure, if personal service cannot be obtained and the owner's post office address is unknown. (d) The notice issued under Subsection (c) must contain: (1) an identification, which is not required to be a legal description, of the structure and the property on which it is located; (2) a description of the violation of the minimum standards that is present at the structure; (3) a statement that the director will secure or has secured, as the case may be, the structure; and (4) an explanation of the owner's entitlement to request a hearing about any matter relating to the director's securing of the structure. (e) A public hearing shall be held before the municipal court if, within 30 days after the date the director secures the structure, the owner files with the municipal court a written request for the hearing. The hearing must be held within 20 days after the date the request is filed. Notice of the hearing must be given to each owner of the affected property in accordance with the notice requirements of Section 27-16.5. At the hearing, the director shall present evidence of the need to secure the structure, and the owner may testify or present witnesses or written information about any matter relating to the director's securing of the structure. (f) The municipal court shall uphold the director's action in securing a structure if it finds the structure or a portion of the structure was an urban nuisance. (g) An unoccupied structure that is closed pursuant to an order of the director, the municipal court, or the fire marshal, or that is closed by the owner of the structure without an official order, must be secured in compliance with the Dallas Fire Code, as amended. (h) A structure intended for residential use or occupancy that, pursuant to an order of the director, the municipal court, or the fire marshal, is closed by the owner through sealing the doors or windows with boards, or equivalent materials, may be referred by the director to the city attorney for appropriate action under Article IV-a of this chapter, if the structure: (1) remains boarded up for 180 days or more without being occupied by the owner or a lawful tenant; and (2) has at least one visible violation of this chapter. (i) The city's cost of securing a structure under this section constitutes a lien against the real property on which the structure stands, as provided in Section 27-16.8(e). (Ord. Nos. 15198; 16473; 19234; 20470; 20679; 21025; 24086; 26455; 30236)
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-145816Fetched: 10/26/2026

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