Houston city officials missed a 30-day deadline this week to take a final vote on an ordinance that would regulate problematic apartment complexes, but the proposal is now scheduled for consideration at the City Council meeting on May 6.
The ordinance would establish a registry of “high-risk rental buildings” based on repeated health and safety violations. Properties placed on the list would face ongoing inspections and increased daily fines for unresolved violations.
The 30-day timeline began after a March 30 joint committee meeting in which City Council members reviewed updated versions of the proposal following public feedback sessions. That timeline set an April 29 deadline for a final council vote.
The ordinance was first introduced in 2021 by former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer. Plummer said she worked on the proposal for several years and criticized the delay, saying the process had “wasted a lot of time.”
City Council members Tiffany Thomas and Martha Castex-Tatum led recent committee discussions and community engagement sessions after Plummer left office to run for Harris County judge. Thomas said legal review and other city priorities contributed to the delay.
Mayor John Whitmire’s administration did not place the ordinance on this week’s agenda but included it on the agenda for the May 6 meeting. The mayor’s office did not comment on the missed deadline.
Under the proposal, apartment complexes receiving 10 health and safety citations within six months would be added to the registry and could face fines ranging from $250 to $2,000 per day for unresolved violations. City officials said an initial pilot program could include about 12 properties out of roughly 4,800 apartment complexes in Houston.
City officials said the goal of the program is to improve compliance with housing standards through inspections and enforcement.