(a) A person may not, without express, prior, written permission of the owner, knowingly:
(1) break, break off, crack, carve upon, write, burn, or otherwise mark upon, remove, or in any manner destroy, deface, mar, or harm the surfaces of any cave or any natural material in a cave, including speleothems;
(2) deface, mar, or harm in any manner the natural condition of any cave; or
(3) break, force, tamper with, or otherwise disturb a lock, gate, door, or other obstruction designed to control or prevent access to any cave, even though entrance to the cave may not be gained.
(b) A person who violates a provision of this section is guilty of a state jail felony, unless the person has previously been convicted of violating this section, in which case the person is guilty of a felony of the third degree.

Attorney's Note

Under the Texas Codes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
State jail felonybetween 180 days and 2 yearsup to $10,000
For details, see Texas Penal Code § 12.35

Terms Used In Texas Natural Resources Code 201.041

  • Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005