Van Zandt County adopts updated salvage and wrecking-yard ordinance

Van Zandt County Commissioners Court on Wednesday adopted a rewritten salvage and wrecking-yard ordinance intended to consolidate state references and make permit requirements clearer for business owners. The ordinance, adopted under section 396.042 of the Texas Transportation Code, reorganizes definitions and pulls requirements from the Texas Government Code and the Texas Administrative Code into a single local ordinance, County staff said. County staff member Kevin Palmer, who presented the draft, said, "I Kevin Palmer did not make anything up. This all came out of the Texas Government Code, Texas Administrative Code, that are in place." Palmer read the ordinance definitions, including the local definition of an "automotive wrecking and salvage yard" and the statutory definition of "junk." He also described visual-aesthetics standards and a required perimeter fence. The final ordinance includes a corrected compliance date for new and existing yards (license required by January 1, 2026) and a grace period for existing sites to come into compliance by December 31, 2025, as discussed on the record. The court also clarified that the county attorney or district attorney will handle civil enforcement and that the prosecuting office must provide annual reports regarding enforcement actions. The court voted to adopt the ordinance with the amended dates. "Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye," the presiding official said before the court approved the measure. Under the ordinance, prospective or existing salvage-yard operators must obtain a county-issued license and comply with the ordinance terms outlined in the draft. Staff said new permit applications will be posted and a public hearing scheduled to give neighbors an opportunity to comment before the county issues licenses. The court did not identify a fine schedule during the discussion; staff said civil or criminal enforcement options exist and that civil filings would be coordinated with the district attorney and reported to the court and state. The county judge asked staff to provide a final clean copy with the corrected dates for publishing and distribution to stakeholders.