Harris County Commissioners approved an agenda item last week to take advantage of a new law authored by State Representative Kevin Bailey. The Commissioners instructed the countys Salvage Yard Committee to reconvene and consider the logistics for permitting automotive salvage yards in light of the passage of HB 178.
The committee has been instructed to report back to Commissioners Court at the September 25 court meeting.
I am pleased that Harris County is moving forward to implement my legislation to clean up junkyards in our community, said Bailey. For too long we have witnessed these nuisances in our neighborhoods. Finally we will start to see these eyesores cleaned up. And I will continue to fight to make other improvements to our community.
Rogue businesses are encroaching on North Houston homes and churches in clear violation of a state law that requires a 300-feet setback from a church, home or day care.
Junkyards are displaying their damaged vehicles at the edge of the roadway despite a law that prohibits storing or working on vehicles outside the fenced area. Fences should be set back 50-feet from the right-of-way of any public road the fence facing the street should be eight foot with all other sides having a fence that is six feet.
Baileys legislation provides a mechanism for the county to enforce existing state laws.
County governments have the authority to regulate automotive salvage yards and junkyards in its unincorporated areas, but the annual permit fee of $25 was insufficient to defray the cost of regulation. Harris County did not have the resources to exclusively devote to regulating them.
The new law by Bailey will increase the annual fee to $500 in order to provide sufficient funding for a dedicated workforce to police these businesses.
