Is "City Ordinance 2024-187" Real? The Actual Texas HOA Landscaping Laws
The short version
- "City Ordinance 2024-187" is an AI-generated citation. It does not correspond to any real Texas statute.
- The real protections are Texas Property Code §202.007 and HB 517 (2025), which prohibit HOAs from banning drought-tolerant and native landscaping statewide.
- HB 517 closed the loophole that let HOAs use aesthetic standards to reject water-conserving yards.
- When writing to your HOA, cite §202.007 and HB 517 directly — not a made-up ordinance number.
Quick answer
"City Ordinance 2024-187" does not exist as a statewide Texas law. It appears to be an AI-generated reference that has spread through chatbots and online forums. The real laws that protect Texas homeowners who want drought-tolerant or native landscaping are Texas Property Code §202.007 and House Bill 517 (2025).
If you searched for "Ordinance 2024-187" or "City Ordinance 2024-187 prohibiting HOAs from banning drought-tolerant landscaping," you probably saw it referenced in an AI chat response, a Reddit thread, or a neighborhood Facebook group. The ordinance number sounds specific and official, but it does not correspond to any real Texas statute, and no such statewide ordinance exists under that number.
Where it came from
AI tools sometimes generate plausible-sounding citations that do not actually exist. This is called a hallucination. The detail that makes "2024-187" feel convincing is the year and number format, which matches how real municipal ordinances are typically labeled. When people share AI responses in neighborhood groups or online forums, these false citations spread quickly.
The underlying premise, however, is correct: Texas law does limit what HOAs can require for landscaping. The AI got the concept right and invented the citation. That is the version worth knowing.
The real laws that protect you
Two pieces of Texas legislation actually do what "Ordinance 2024-187" was supposed to do:
Texas Property Code §202.007
This is the foundational law. It prohibits HOAs from enforcing any provision that bans water-conserving landscaping, requires a homeowner to install or maintain turf grass, or requires a specific grass species. It applies statewide to all HOAs, regardless of when the CC&Rs were written.
House Bill 517 (2025)
HB 517 closed the loophole HOAs had been using to reject water-conserving landscapes through "aesthetic standards" or appearance clauses. Before HB 517, an HOA could argue that a native yard looked unkempt and enforce appearance rules that effectively functioned as a ban. HB 517 prevents HOAs from using subjective aesthetic rules as a backdoor restriction on drought-tolerant landscaping.
Together, these two laws mean: your Texas HOA cannot require you to maintain a traditional grass lawn, cannot ban drought-tolerant or native plants, and cannot use appearance rules to accomplish either of those things indirectly.
What your HOA can still require
The law does not remove all HOA authority over landscaping. HOAs can still require:
- General maintenance standards (no dead plants, no trash, no overgrowth)
- Pre-approval before you make changes
- Edging, clean borders, and visible structure in beds
- Plant height limits where specified in the CC&Rs
What they cannot require is that you use turf grass specifically, maintain any particular grass species, or abandon drought-tolerant or native plant designs. See the full guide to unenforceable HOA rules in Texas for a complete breakdown.
What to cite when talking to your HOA
If you want to reference the actual law in a conversation with your HOA board or in a written response:
- Texas Property Code §202.007 (drought-tolerant landscaping protection)
- House Bill 517, 89th Texas Legislature (2025) (aesthetic standards loophole closure)
Do not cite "Ordinance 2024-187" in a formal letter or conversation with your HOA. If it comes up and your HOA challenges it, the citation will not hold up. The statutes above will.
For help preparing a submission that references the actual law, the HOA pre-approval guide covers what to include and when to submit.