Texas Local Government Code 54.017 – Civil Penalty
(a) In a suit against the owner or the owner’s representative with control over the premises, the municipality may recover a civil penalty if it proves that:
(1) the defendant was actually notified of the provisions of the ordinance; and
(2) after the defendant received notice of the ordinance provisions, the defendant committed acts in violation of the ordinance or failed to take action necessary for compliance with the ordinance.
(b) A civil penalty under this section may not exceed $1,000 a day for a violation of an ordinance, except that a civil penalty under this section may not exceed $5,000 a day for a violation of an ordinance relating to point source effluent limitations or the discharge of a pollutant, other than from a non-point source, into a sewer system, including a sanitary or storm water sewer system, owned or controlled by the municipality.
Terms Used In Texas Local Government Code 54.017
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Municipality: means a general-law municipality, home-rule municipality, or special-law municipality. See Texas Local Government Code 1.005