Bond; assigned certificate of deposit.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-133
in effectSec. 33-133. - Bond; assigned certificate of deposit.
(a) Prior to the issuance of any conditional certificate of occupancy, any applicant who has not provided the documented assurance set forth in section 33-132 shall file with the planning official a bond which bond shall be executed by the applicant as principal and by a good and sufficient corporate surety company licensed to do business in the State of Texas. The bond in the sum of one and one-quarter times the proposed cost to install the required landscaping improvements and fences, based upon the adjusted costs established in appendix F, shall be payable to the city and conditioned that the principal and surety will pay all amounts required to install the landscaping and fences required by this division. The bond shall provide that it will remain in full force and effect until released by the planning official pursuant to this division.
(b) In lieu of such bond, an applicant for a conditional certificate of occupancy may, upon payment to the city of the nonrefundable fee stated for this provision in the city fee schedule, assign an account with a financial institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to the city. Such account shall have a deposit of not less than the amount required under subsection (a). Under such an assignment, the financial institution must agree not to release, make payment from, or otherwise divert or dispose of the funds in such account, except it shall agree to disburse all or such portion of the funds in the account as may be directed by city council resolution.
Upon installation and inspection of the required landscaping, the city shall release the assigned deposit to the property owner.
When requesting a conditional certificate of occupancy, the owner must grant the city permission to enter upon his land for the purpose of installing the required landscaping if the owner does not fulfill his obligation to install the required landscaping within the specified six-month period. If permission is not granted, the owner's application for a conditional certificate of occupancy shall be denied.
(c) In the event that any holder of a conditional certificate of occupancy who has previously furnished an account assignment under subsection (b) elects to furnish a bond under subsection (a) instead, then the holder shall be entitled to disbursement of the account proceeds in the same manner and under the same terms provided in subsection (b).
(Ord. No. 03-159, § 5, 2-12-03; Ord. No. 2011-1168, § 13, 12-14-2011)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH33PLDE_ARTVTRSHSCFE_DIV2BUSI_S33-133BOASCEDEFetched: 10/26/2026