HOA Fine Limits in Texas: "Reasonable" Standard & Foreclosure Protections

Texas does not impose a statewide dollar cap on HOA fines. Instead, Property Code §209.007 requires fines to be "reasonable" under all circumstances. This standard has proven effective in limiting board overreach while providing flexibility based on violation severity and community needs.

What "Reasonable" Means in Texas Courts

Texas courts interpret "reasonable" as fines that are proportionate to the violation's severity and actual damages. An unreasonable fine is one that:

• Bears no relationship to the actual cost of remedying the violation
• Is grossly disproportionate to the violation severity
• Appears punitive rather than remedial
• Is significantly higher than fines for similar violations by other residents
• Would constitute an abuse of the board's discretionary power

Examples of Potentially Unreasonable Fines

• $1,000 fine for temporary landscaping violation — Likely unreasonable (excessive relative to remediation cost)
• $500 fine for violation cured within 2 days — Likely unreasonable (disproportionate to actual impact)
• $200 fine for another resident, $2,000 for you — Likely unreasonable (selective enforcement/disparity)
• Fine exceeds cost of actual remediation 5-fold — Likely unreasonable (overly punitive)

How to Challenge a Fine as Unreasonable

At your §209.007 hearing, argue unreasonableness by showing:

• Actual remediation cost — What would it cost to fix the violation? If fine exceeds this, it's punitive.
• Comparative fines — What have other residents been fined for similar violations? Significant disparity suggests unreasonableness.
• Violation severity — Minor violations should carry minor fines; major violations can justify larger fines.
• Harm to community — What actual damage did the violation cause? If minimal, fine should be minimal.
• Duration of violation — Long-standing violations can justify higher fines; temporary ones should be lower.

CC&R Provisions vs. Statutory Reasonableness

Your CC&Rs may specify fine amounts (e.g., "$100 per violation"). This is enforceable ONLY if the fine is reasonable:

• If CC&Rs say "$500 per violation," but your violation is minor, courts may find even the CC&R fine unreasonable
• The statutory reasonableness standard can override CC&R provisions if the CC&R fine is unreasonable
• Never assume a CC&R fine is automatically valid — challenge it if it seems excessive

For detailed information on violation types and how reasonableness applies, see our guides on landscaping violations, parking violations, and maintenance violations.

Texas sharply limits HOA foreclosure. The single most important rule: under §209.009, an HOA may not foreclose when the debt is solely fines (or fine-related attorney's fees). Foreclosure is reserved for unpaid regular assessments — and even then it is judicial (court-ordered), and HB 886 adds a notice step before any assessment lien.

Step 1: Fine-Only Debt Cannot Be Foreclosed (§209.009)

• If what you owe is made up only of fines and fine-related fees, the HOA cannot take your home over it
• The HOA can still pursue the fine as an ordinary money debt (e.g., a lawsuit), but not foreclosure

Step 2: For Assessments, HB 886's Two-Notice Rule Applies (§209.0094)

• Before filing a lien for unpaid assessments, the HOA must send a first notice (first-class mail or email)
• Then a second notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least 30 days later
• The HOA may not file the assessment lien until the 90th day after that second notice
• You can cure the delinquency at any point to stop the lien

Step 3: Foreclosure Is Judicial (§209.0091–§209.0092)

• To foreclose an assessment lien, the HOA must obtain a court order (expedited judicial foreclosure)
• You have the right to defend in court and challenge the lien's validity and amount
• The process takes months, giving you time to cure, negotiate, or contest

For comparison with other states, see our Florida foreclosure guide and California lien rules.

Texas law treats assessment liens (regular HOA fees) very differently from fines. This distinction drives your foreclosure risk.

Assessment Liens (Can Be Foreclosed)

• Assessments are the regular fees that fund HOA operations, maintenance, and reserves
• If they go unpaid, the HOA can file a lien (after HB 886's two-notice process) and pursue judicial foreclosure
• This is the debt that actually puts your home at risk

Fine-Only Liens (Cannot Be Foreclosed — §209.009)

• Under §209.009, an HOA may not foreclose on a lien when the debt is solely fines (or attorney's fees tied only to fines)
• This is a hard limit — HB 886 did not change it; HB 886 deals with assessment-lien notices, not fines
• The HOA can still try to collect the fine as an ordinary money debt, but it cannot take your home over fines alone

Mixed Debt and Payment Priority (§209.0063)

If you owe both assessments and fines and make a partial payment, §209.0063 sets the order the HOA must apply it: delinquent assessments first, then current assessments, then assessment-related collection costs and attorney's fees, then other attorney's fees, then fines, then any other amounts. So a payment can't be quietly diverted to fines while the assessments — the foreclosable debt — keep growing.

For specific violation types and strategies, see our blog posts on parking fines, basketball hoops, and satellite dishes.

For specific violation types and strategies, see our blog posts on parking fines, basketball hoops, and satellite dishes.

Texas does not cap HOA fine amounts, but HB 614 (effective January 1, 2024) added Tex. Prop. Code §209.0061 — a real, checkable limit on how an HOA can fine. There is no mandatory statutory mediation step before foreclosure; the rules below, plus the §209.007 hearing, are what you actually have.

What §209.0061 Requires

Any HOA that levies fines must adopt — and record, post (if it has a website), and distribute to owners — an enforcement policy that includes:

• The general categories of restrictive covenants for which the HOA may assess fines
• A schedule of the fine amounts for each category of violation
• Information about the homeowner's right to a hearing under §209.007

How to Use It

• Ask the HOA, in writing, for its §209.0061 fine policy and schedule
• If it can't produce one, the fine is vulnerable to challenge — the schedule is a precondition to fining
• If the fine exceeds the published schedule, or is for something outside the listed categories, point that out

Is There Mandatory Mediation in Texas?

No. Texas does not require an HOA to complete a separate mediation or "dispute resolution" process before acting. Your statutory procedural protection is the §209.007 hearing before the board (which may include voluntary alternative dispute resolution). Don't wait for a mediation step the law doesn't require.

Texas's "reasonableness" standard is unique in the region. While some neighbors have strict fine caps, Texas's flexible standard has proven effective at protecting homeowners while allowing community enforcement. Understanding the comparison shows where Texas stands.

Texas vs. Oklahoma Fine Standards

Texas vs. Louisiana Fine Standards

Texas vs. Arkansas Fine Standards

Key Takeaway: Texas Has Strong Protections Despite No Cap

• Reasonableness standard is effective — Courts strictly enforce this; excessive fines are invalidated regularly
• Fine-only debt can't be foreclosed (§209.009) — among the stronger protections in the region
• HB 614 fine policy (§209.0061) — the HOA must publish a fine schedule before it can fine
• Strong §209.007 hearing rights — Homeowners have a right to be heard before a fine is imposed
• Robust record access under §209.005 — Can obtain enforcement records to prove selective enforcement
• Payment-priority protection (§209.0063) — partial payments go to assessments first, not fines

While Texas lacks the strict fine caps of some other states, the combination of the reasonableness principle, §209.007 hearing rights, and the §209.009 bar on fine-only foreclosure makes Texas quite homeowner-protective. The recent HB 886 (assessment-lien notice) and HB 614 (fine-policy) reforms added procedural protections. For a comparison with large Midwestern states, see our guide on Illinois HOA laws.