Garland Landlord-Tenant Rules

State preemption of local tenant rules: Texas law sharply limits what the City can do for renters. A Texas city may not adopt, enforce or keep an ordinance in a field the Texas Property Code occupies, and that field expressly includes ordinances that regulate evictions or that prohibit, restrict or delay a notice to vacate or the filing of an eviction suit. For eviction suits filed on or after January 1, 2026, only the Legislature may modify or suspend eviction procedures, and courts may not require mediation or other pre-trial proceedings. Cities also may not bar landlords from refusing tenants because their rent is paid partly with federal housing assistance, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, except protections for military veterans.; Fair housing (local protected classes): Garland's Fair Housing Ordinance bars discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on age, color, disability, family status, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. It also covers requirements about prior housing status for applicants who are otherwise qualified. Age, gender identity, sexual orientation and prior housing status go beyond the federal Fair Housing Act. Complaints go to the City's Office of Fair Housing and Human Rights, 200 N. Fifth St., 972-205-2380 (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).; Rental registration & inspection (single-family homes and duplexes): Every single-family home or duplex that is rented or leased in Garland must have a rental permit from Code Compliance. The landlord or manager applies for each dwelling with owner, manager and occupant information, and the permit cannot be transferred. A full inspection is done at each change of tenancy unless the property is certified; the owner must tell Code Compliance about the vacancy and book the inspection. The annual renewal fee rose from $65 to $250 on October 1, 2026.; Apartment inspections & scorecard: Garland Code Compliance officers inspect apartment complexes every year: the exterior of every building and a percentage of the units inside. Violations are graded as life-safety, critical or non-critical, and the yearly results plus complaint-inspection violations are published as a Multifamily Scorecard with an interactive map, so renters can look up a complex.