Code Violation Repairs in El Paso: Correct What the Notice Lists
After a City of El Paso, Texas code violation notice, note the date it was delivered or posted and the code sections it cites. For weeds and trash, the deadline is 7 calendar days from that date (El Paso Municipal Code 9.04.880). The City decides compliance; Sage Intelligence corrects the physical conditions on the notice, with dated photos.
Sage is a general contractor, not the City. The City decides whether a line on your notice is corrected; Sage corrects the physical conditions and hands you dated photos of the work.
Send the address, the date on the notice and a photo of it, by WhatsApp or through the online form at /quote.
Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM · Saturday 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM · Sunday Closed
A City notice reads like a problem. It is really a list, and a list can be worked. Each line on a City of El Paso notice names a condition and the section of the Municipal Code it falls under, and that section tells you what the City is asking for, how long you have, and what the City may do if the date passes. This page walks through the City's list of common violations and the board-and-secure, vacant building and leak rules that also reach owners, in the code's own words, and says plainly which items Sage corrects and which belong to someone else.
It is written for homeowners, landlords and owners of vacant buildings. The rules below are the City of El Paso's Municipal Code and apply to property inside the City limits.
I got a code violation notice from the City of El Paso. What do I do?
Read it for three things before anything else: the date it was delivered or posted, the code sections it cites, and the correction date it gives. Then get the physical work scheduled inside that window, and photograph the condition before anything changes.
The date matters more than people expect. The City delivers a weeds or trash notice in person or by mail to the owner's address on the appraisal district records. When it cannot hand the notice over at the inspection, or does not know the address, it may publish the notice, post it on or near the front door of each building on the property, or, on a lot with no buildings, post it on a placard staked in the ground, and a mailed notice returned as "refused" or "unclaimed" still counts as delivered (EPMC 9.04.880(B), (C)). The 7 calendar days run from receipt or posting (9.04.880(E)), so a notice taped to the door of a rental nobody has visited in five days has already used most of its clock.
The section numbers tell you what kind of notice it is. Weeds, trash and other accumulations fall under Chapter 9.04. The condition of a building falls under the City's property maintenance code, Chapter 18.50. Parking surfaces and fences sit in the zoning code, Title 20. A leak falls under the water conservation code, Chapter 15.13. Each chapter runs its own clock, and the table in the next answer lines them up.
Some lines are not construction work at all. The City's list of common violations also includes junked vehicles, garage and yard sales, indoor items stored outside, prohibited sales and signs on the parkway (City of El Paso Code Enforcement). Those are yours to handle. The construction lines are where Sage comes in: weeds and ground cover, walls and fences, paving, exterior repairs, repairs after a leak, and securing vacant buildings.
Questions about the case itself, such as what a line means or how the City will reinspect, go to the City: the contact on your notice, or 3-1-1 (915-212-0134). On a weeds or trash notice, the code also gives the person notified 7 calendar days to request a hearing with the city manager or a designee (EPMC 9.04.880(D)). Whether to ask for one is your decision, and advice about it belongs with an attorney, not a contractor.
How long do I have to fix a code violation in El Paso?
It depends on the chapter the notice cites, and the date printed on your notice governs your case. These are the main clocks the City's code sets:
| What the notice is about | The clock in the code | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Weeds, trash or other accumulation on the lot | 7 calendar days from receipt or posting to remove it; a hearing request within the same 7 days | EPMC 9.04.880(A), (D), (E) |
| A property maintenance item under the City's 2021 code | The correction time on the notice; the code defines "reasonable time" as 14 calendar days | EPMC 18.50.030 |
| A vacant building unfit for occupancy, ordered closed | The time the City's order specifies; after that the City may close it and charge the cost as a lien | EPMC 18.50.027 |
| A building the City has already secured | City notice to the owner within 11 days of securing; 30 days from the securing date to request a Building and Standards Commission hearing | EPMC 18.42.010 |
| A vacant building that meets the registration definition | Registration application within 30 days after it becomes a vacant building | EPMC 18.40.030(B) |
| Branches, plants or objects blocking the sidewalk area | 10 days after the written notice is served; after that, a complaint in court | EPMC 12.68.040 |
| A leak on your property | Repaired within five working days of discovery | EPMC 15.13.030(B)(2); El Paso Water |
Three of them are short enough to plan by the calendar. Seven calendar days includes the weekend, the ten days on a sidewalk notice run from service of the notice, and the five working days on a leak start when the leak is discovered, not when a plumber is free. The property maintenance page explains the 2021 code behind the 14-day definition, and the yard cleanup page covers sidewalk clearance.
How long do I have to fix a weeds or trash violation in El Paso?
Seven calendar days from the day you receive the notice or the day it is posted (EPMC 9.04.880). The same section covers weeds and vegetation, solid waste, recyclables and "any other unacceptable, unsightly or unsanitary matter," so one notice can list the overgrowth and the pile beside it.
If the lot is not corrected in that window, the code lets the City clean it without further notice and charge the owner the cost (9.04.880(A), (E)); the lien answer further down explains what follows. There is a second kind of notice worth knowing about. The City may tell an owner that another violation of the same kind that poses a danger to public health and safety, within twelve calendar months, may be corrected without further notice at the owner's expense (9.04.880(F)). On a lot that greens up after every summer storm, that notice turns one cleanup into keeping the lot cleared.
The duty reaches past the lot line. For weeds it covers the parkways and alleys that abut the property, whatever the lot size (9.04.860(A)(3)), and for trash it covers the abutting sidewalks, parkways, street gutters and alleys (9.04.810).
Sage clears weeds and overgrowth by hand and by cutting, and leaves ground cover so the lot does not blow or wash. Any weed or pest treatment with a chemical, including products sold as natural, is licensed work in Texas and is done by a TDA-licensed applicator (Texas Department of Agriculture).
Pruning, beds, rock and the trees along the street are covered on the yard cleanup page.
How tall can weeds get before it is a violation, and does desert landscaping count?
In El Paso the line is an average height of more than 12 inches, and regularly cultivated plants and native desert vegetation are exempt (EPMC 9.04.860(A), 9.04.870(A)).
Where the line applies depends on the lot. On a lot under three acres it applies to the whole lot. On a lot of three acres or more it applies within 150 feet of the curb line (or the edge of the road where there is no curb) and within 150 feet of any property line. On any lot, it applies to the abutting parkways and alleys (9.04.860(A)). The code's word is average, so the question is the height of the growth as a whole, not one stalk.
The exemptions in 9.04.870 cover regularly cultivated ornamental, fruit bearing, vegetable bearing or flowering plants, bushes or trees; native desert vegetation; naturally occurring vegetation on a lot that has never been graded; and, among others, areas the director exempts, such as steep slopes or wet ponding areas.
So a tended desert yard of creosote, yucca and desert willow is the kind of landscape the exemption describes. The exemption follows the plant, though, not the ground cover: decorative rock does not exempt the weeds coming up through it, and a lot that was graded once is no longer a lot that has never been graded. Whether a particular plant qualifies is the inspector's call.
If the goal is a yard that stops drawing notices, the xeriscape page explains how a desert yard is planned for El Paso.
Does clearing the lot to bare dirt satisfy a weeds notice?
No. The weeds section itself rules it out: "The abatement of said public nuisance shall not be conducted in a manner that exposes the site to wind or water erosion, including but not limited to leaving the site barren (without ground cover) or grading to avoid mowing" (EPMC 9.04.860(B)).
The City's property maintenance code points the same way: premises are to be graded and maintained to prevent the erosion of soil (EPMC 18.50.050, amending IPMC 302.2).
The reason is local. A bladed lot is loose dirt, and in El Paso loose dirt is what blows in the spring wind and runs off in the summer storms. Scraping trades a weeds notice for dust and erosion, which is the problem the code is written to prevent.
So the correction is cutting and clearing, not scraping: the weeds come down by hand and by cutting, and the roots and stubble keep holding the soil. Where the ground is already bare, cover goes back down, whether decorative rock, mulch or a planted xeriscape. The article does not define how much cover is enough, so the inspector decides, and dated photos show what was done.
What does board and secure mean on a City notice?
It means closing the door and window openings of a vacant building so no one can get in, to the City's boarding standard and under a City permit. El Paso adopted the International Property Maintenance Code's Appendix A Boarding Standard in full (EPMC 18.50.160) and amended its general rule: windows and doors are boarded "in an approved manner to prevent entry by unauthorized persons" and "painted to correspond to the color of the existing structure" (EPMC 18.50.170).
Boarding and securing a vacant premises is permitted work in El Paso: the Building and Administrative Code lists it among the work that needs a permit before it starts (EPMC 18.02.105.1). Sage pulls that permit for its own scope, for property inside the City limits, under its City registration, LCCR26-00183, and the El Paso permits guide covers the rest of the permit picture.
The phrase reaches a notice in two ways. A code official can placard a vacant structure that is unfit for occupancy, and not in danger of collapse, and order it closed within a specified time; if the owner does not close it, the City has it closed and secured and the cost becomes a lien on the property (EPMC 18.50.027). Separately, the City may secure an unoccupied building that has property maintenance violations before any hearing, and a building occupied only by people with no right to be there counts as unoccupied. The City must then notify the owner within 11 days, and the owner has 30 days from the securing date to request a hearing before the Building and Standards Commission (EPMC 18.42.010). The City may assess what it spent against the owner and lien the property unless it is a homestead, with interest at ten percent a year (EPMC 18.42.020).
On a board-and-secure notice, Sage boards the openings to the City standard under the permit, paints the boards to the building's color, secures gates and fencing where the notice lists them, and documents each opening with dated photos. On a vacant building's street frontage, the code asks for more than boards: cracked, broken or missing glass in windows and doors is replaced with glazing compatible with the building's original design, and no paint, spray or adhesive material may cover the outside of a window (EPMC 18.50.090). On a house built before 1978, tell us the year first: work that disturbs painted surfaces there, including reglazing a window, falls under the EPA lead rule, and Sage takes on paint-disturbing work only in homes built in 1978 or later.
The street-frontage rule, including the artistic panels the code allows in place of glass, is explained on the commercial compliance page.
Does my vacant building need to be registered with the City?
Only if it fits the City's definition of vacant: a building left unoccupied for two continuous years that also meets one of three conditions. It stands in a City enforcement area (the Downtown 2015 Plan area or the Lower Dyer Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area), or the City has ordered it boarded up, fenced or otherwise secured, or the City has issued a notice of violation of the property maintenance code, Chapter 18.50 (EPMC 18.40.020(B), (D)).
Occupied has its own meaning. A residential building of four or fewer units counts as occupied when someone lives in any part of it. Other buildings count as occupied when people live or do business in at least 40 percent of the floor area in a building of two stories or fewer, or 60 percent in a taller one (EPMC 18.40.020(C)).
When a building does meet the definition, the owner or the owner's authorized agent applies within 30 days after it becomes a vacant building, and owning one without a certificate of registration or an exemption is an offense (EPMC 18.40.030(A), (B)). The application asks for the plan for regular maintenance during the vacancy and the measures that will secure the building (18.40.030(C)). A certificate runs up to one year and ends sooner if the building sells, is occupied or is demolished (18.40.030(I)), and a building damaged by fire or extreme weather may be exempted for 90 days after the event (18.40.040(B)).
The filing is the owner's. Sage's part is the physical side of the plan: securing the openings under permit, keeping the grounds cleared, repairing what the notice lists, and dated photos of the building's condition.
If a vacant building is coming down instead, an application for a complete or interior demolition inside the City carries a hazardous material report (EPMC 18.02.108.1), which the demolition page explains.
Can El Paso Water cite me for a leak?
Yes. Failing to repair a leak within five working days of discovering it is "wasting water" under El Paso's water conservation code, and El Paso Water says a violation brings a Class C municipal notice of violation (EPMC 15.13.030(B)(2); El Paso Water).
The same section treats water running off the property into a street, alley, gutter or storm drain as wasting water too (15.13.030(B)(1)), and each separate violation is a separate offense (15.13.080). El Paso Water's conservation office takes water waste reports at 915-594-5508.
Who fixes the leak depends on the pipe. A leak in the house's water lines is repaired by a licensed plumber under their own license and permit, on a schedule Sage coordinates, and Sage stays your one point of contact. A leak in a landscape irrigation system is licensed work in Texas as well: a TCEQ-licensed irrigator (license numbers begin with LI) does that work under a contract you hold with them directly.
Sage's part comes after the water is off: the drywall, flooring, trim, stucco or concrete the leak damaged, repaired once the licensed trade is done. Where that means opening or sanding a painted surface, Sage takes it on only in homes built in 1978 or later.
Your claim stays between you and your carrier. Texas law bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on a property it may work on, and from waiving or covering an insurance deductible (Tex. Ins. Code 4102.163; Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 27.02). Sage's dated photo documentation is yours to give your carrier.
Which other City notices does Sage correct?
Two items on the City's list of common violations lead to work Sage does: parking surfaces (EPMC 20.14.040) and sidewalk obstructions (12.68.030). Other notices cite a fence or wall (20.16.050), an exterior repair under the property maintenance code (Chapter 18.50), an old structure in a setback, or work done without a permit. Each has a page that explains the rule in depth, so here is one line and a link for each.
Parking on dirt
Front or side yard parking on anything other than concrete, asphalt or a comparable dust-free surface is on the City's list of common violations (EPMC 20.14.040); the concrete page explains which surfaces the code accepts and the limits on gravel.
Leaning or broken walls and fences
The zoning code requires fences and walls to be kept in good repair, vertical, uniform and structurally sound (EPMC 20.16.050); the rock and block walls page explains why El Paso walls lean and what a repair involves, and the wrought iron page covers iron fences and gates.
Sidewalks
A sidewalk line can mean branches over the walk, which the City wants trimmed at least eight feet above it (EPMC 12.68.030) and the yard cleanup page covers, or a damaged walk, which the abutting owner keeps in repair (EPMC 13.04.050(A)) and the concrete page covers.
Stucco, masonry and trim
Cracked stucco, loose masonry and rotted trim are repair work Sage corrects. Where the repair disturbs a painted surface, such as replacing painted trim, patching painted stucco, scraping or repainting, Sage takes it on only in homes built in 1978 or later, so tell us the year. The stucco page explains why El Paso stucco cracks, and the masonry page explains how masonry fails.
An old carport or porch in a setback
A carport or porch that has stood in a setback for more than 15 years, built by someone other than the current owner, can go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (EPMC 2.16.050(K)); the patio cover and carport page explains the conditions.
Work done without a permit
If the notice is about work done without a permit, the El Paso permits guide explains what the City requires once work has started without one, and the options when you bought a house that came with it.
Rental conditions
A rental's baseline is the City's 2021 property maintenance code (EPMC 18.50.020), which the property maintenance page covers.
What does Sage do with a code violation notice?
The City decides compliance. Sage corrects the physical conditions on your notice, pulls any permit its own scope requires inside the City limits, and gives you dated photos for the reinspection. Any electrical, plumbing or mechanical item on the notice is corrected by the licensed trade under its own permit.
It starts on the phone. Read the notice out, or send a photo of it, and Sage goes through it line by line: which items are construction work Sage corrects, which belong to a licensed trade, and which are not construction at all. A correction that fits a visit is priced on that call; a wall rebuild or a vacant building going back into use goes to the paid on-site Feasibility Audit, whose fee is given by phone.
The work Sage corrects: weeds and overgrowth cleared by hand and by cutting, with ground cover left or restored; trash and debris on the notice cleared; block, rock and masonry walls repaired or rebuilt; wrought iron fences and gates repaired; concrete parking pads and driveways on the lot; stucco, trim and exterior carpentry; roofing repairs; and vacant buildings boarded and secured. For property inside the City limits, Sage pulls the permit for its own scope under LCCR26-00183, and each licensed trade pulls its own.
The year the building went up sets the scope before anything else. Homes built before 1978 are presumed to contain lead-based paint, and paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in them, beyond a small minor-repair allowance, must be done by an EPA-certified firm (40 CFR 745.81, 745.83). Sage takes on paint-disturbing corrections, such as scraping and repainting, replacing a window or door, or opening a painted wall, only in homes built in 1978 or later. Tell us the year your home was built when you send photos, so the scope is set correctly from the first call. Rentals on a housing voucher follow HUD's own lead rule, which the Section 8 repairs page explains.
What Sage does not do matters as much. Sage does not speak for you in your case, request or attend a hearing for you, or give legal advice, and no one but the City decides whether a line is closed. What Sage hands you is the record: each line on the notice, what was done, and dated before and after photos you can give the inspector.
Sage maintains property. Sage does not manage it.
Leasing a unit, screening a tenant, or collecting rent for somebody else is real estate brokerage in Texas and requires a license from the Texas Real Estate Commission. Sage does not do those things and does not hold that license. Sage is a general contractor. We repair, turn, and maintain the property, and we document what we did.
Code violation repairs in El Paso, answered.
How do I check the status of my code case?
Online, in the City's Citizen Access Portal, which the City's Code Enforcement Inspections page names as the place to check case status (aca-prod.accela.com/ELPASO). You can also call 3-1-1 or 915-212-0134. If you are the one who reported a problem, the tracking number 311 gave your request is how you follow it. Either way, keep the notice: its date and the sections it cites are where any conversation about the case starts.
Someone reported my property to 311. What happens next?
The report becomes a service request that 311 sends automatically to the City department responsible (City of El Paso 311). Reports can be made anonymously, and each request gets a tracking number for the person who filed it. What reaches you, if the City finds a violation, is a written notice or a citation, and the paper you receive, not the report, is what sets your date.
Is the owner or the tenant responsible for a weeds or trash notice on a rental?
The code puts the duty on both: it is unlawful for the owner or any person with the right of possession to allow the overgrowth or the accumulation (EPMC 9.04.860(C), 9.04.810). The notice itself goes to the owner at the address on the appraisal district records, or to an agent with authority to lease, rent, sell, manage or take care of the land (9.04.880(B)). If the City cleans the lot, its bill goes to the owner and any lien attaches to the property. Who pays between landlord and tenant is a question for the lease.
What happens if I ignore a City of El Paso code violation notice?
The City's options widen as the dates pass. On a weeds or trash notice, the code lets the City clean the property without further notice after the 7 days and charge the owner (EPMC 9.04.880). Code Enforcement may also issue warnings and citations, and a violation of that chapter is a misdemeanor in which each day a continuing violation occurs is a separate offense (EPMC 9.04.610, 9.04.630). On a vacant building, the City may close and secure it itself and lien the property for the cost (EPMC 18.50.027). A notice read the day it arrives leaves the most room to choose how it gets corrected.
Can the City of El Paso place a lien for weeds or trash?
Yes, after proper notice, if the lot is not corrected in time. When the weeds or trash are still there after the 7 calendar days, the City may have the lot cleaned and send the owner a written bill for the cost, including labor, administrative, equipment and publication costs, with payment requested within 30 calendar days. An unpaid bill goes to City Council, which may pass a resolution declaring it a lien on the property that bears ten percent yearly interest; the resolution is filed with the county clerk, and the amount is billed with the property's tax bills until it is paid (EPMC 9.04.880(E)). How a lien interacts with a homestead is a legal question for an attorney. Correcting the lot inside the 7 days keeps the question from coming up.
Will Sage talk to the City or go to the hearing for me?
No. Contact with the City about your case, a hearing request and the hearing itself stay with you, and advice about them belongs with an attorney. What Sage gives you is the evidence of the work: each line on the notice, what was corrected, and dated before and after photos you can hand the inspector. The City decides compliance.
Updated September 29, 2026 · City code on this page read from the El Paso Municipal Code (Municode Supplement 95 Update 4, codified through Ordinance 019889) on September 27 and 28, 2026
Send the notice. Get it read line by line.
Call 915-505-1323, in English or Spanish, or send a photo of the notice by WhatsApp with the address and the date it was delivered or posted. You can also upload the photo through the online form at /quote, and Sage calls within one business day. Sage reads the notice with you line by line, tells you which items Sage corrects and which belong to a licensed trade or to you, and prices a correction that fits a visit on that call.
Then comes the correction visit, which ends with dated photos of each line. Items bigger than a visit, such as a wall that has to be rebuilt or a vacant building being brought back into use, go to the paid on-site Feasibility Audit, whose fee is given by phone; it produces written findings and confirms the permit path for the address before any building starts.
Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM · Saturday 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM · Sunday Closed
Sources
- El Paso Municipal Code 9.04.850 - 9.04.880, Weeds and Vegetation: 12-inch average, lot-size and parkway rules, abatement may not leave the site barren (9.04.860(B)), exemptions (9.04.870), 7-day notice, delivery and posting (staked placard only on a lot with no buildings), hearing request, City cleanup, bill, Council lien at ten percent, repeat-violation notice (9.04.880). Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 9.04.600 - 9.04.630, Enforcement: warnings and citations, misdemeanor, each day a separate offense. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 9.04.800 - 9.04.810, accumulation of solid waste on the property and abutting sidewalks, parkways, gutters and alleys. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 18.02.105.1, permit required to board and secure a vacant premises. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 18.42.010 - 18.42.020, Dangerous Structures: City may secure before a hearing, notice within 11 days, 30 days to request a hearing, lien unless homestead, ten percent interest. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 18.40.020 - 18.40.040, Vacant Buildings: definitions, enforcement areas, registration within 30 days, one-year certificate, 90-day fire or weather exemption. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code Chapter 18.50, Property Maintenance Code: 2021 IPMC adopted (18.50.020), closing of vacant structures (18.50.027), "reasonable time" defined as 14 calendar days (18.50.030), grading to prevent erosion (18.50.050), vacant structures and premises: street frontage windows and doors (18.50.090, adding IPMC 310), Appendix A Boarding Standard adopted and amended (18.50.160, 18.50.170). Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 15.13.030 and 15.13.080, water conservation: leak not repaired within five working days and runoff to the street are wasting water; each violation a separate offense. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 13.04.050, abutting property owner's duty to keep sidewalk, curb and gutter in repair. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 12.68.030 - 12.68.040, Visibility Obstructions: trees trimmed at least eight feet above the sidewalk, free passage in the sidewalk area, written notice and ten days to correct before a complaint in court. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 18.02.108.1(E)(3)(d), complete and interior demolition applications include a hazardous material report. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 20.16.050, fences and walls kept vertical, uniform and structurally sound. Checked .
- El Paso Municipal Code 2.16.050(K), Zoning Board of Adjustment, encroachments over 15 years. Checked .
- Municode, City of El Paso Municipal Code, Supplement 95 Update 4, codified through Ordinance 019889 (June 23, 2026); text read through Municode's public content service. Checked .
- City of El Paso Code Enforcement: common violations with ordinance numbers (9.04.860, 20.14.190, 9.08.010, 20.14.040, 20.10.750, 9.04.670, 12.68.030 B, C, 13.20.040, 15.08.120); 12.68.030 B, C: at least eight feet of clearance over the sidewalk; report through the 311 web app or 3-1-1 / 915-212-0134. Checked .
- City of El Paso Code Enforcement, Inspections: property maintenance and zoning enforcement; case status in the Citizen Access Portal. Checked .
- City of El Paso Citizen Access Portal. Checked .
- City of El Paso 311: service requests routed to departments, anonymous reporting, tracking numbers, most common request types. Checked .
- El Paso Water, Watering Schedule and water waste: leak not repaired within five working days of discovery; Class C municipal notice of violation. Checked .
- El Paso Water, Report Water Waste (Water Conservation, 915-594-5508). Checked .
- Texas Insurance Code 4102.163, certain contractor business prohibited. Checked .
- Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02, payment of deductible required. Checked .
- Texas Department of Agriculture, Applying pesticides to ornamentals, trees, lawns or weeds (license required for hire). Checked .
- TCEQ, Landscape Irrigator license (license required to repair, service or install an irrigation system). Checked .
- 40 CFR 745.81, firm certification for renovations in target housing. Checked .
- 40 CFR 745.83, definitions (renovation; minor repair and maintenance). Checked .
The Clock Is On The Notice
Send us the notice. We will work it line by line.
Send a photo of the notice and the date it was delivered or posted, and you will get a straight answer about what Sage corrects and what fits the deadline.