Legal

Can an attorney give me advice?

No, the attorneys at the City Attorney's office cannot give advice in private matters. As a City Department, its role is to act as counsel and provide its services to City Council, the City Manager, and other City departments. They do not provide advice or representation to public citizens. If you have a question regarding a private legal matter, please contact a private attorney. Legal also cannot recommend an outside attorney. If you need help finding an attorney, please contact the Texas State Bar or the Smith County Bar Association.

Does the City regulate (insert topic here) or have an ordinance against (subject)?

You can search our Code of Ordinances regarding specific topics. If you have questions, City Departments that create and/or enforce that specific ordinance may be able to help answer your question—Legal staff would be able to direct you. For a legal interpretation of an ordinance, please contact a private attorney.

How do I submit a claim to the City?

Claims against the City must be submitted to Risk Management. Please contact Risk at (903) 531-1104.

I need help with my Municipal Court ticket!

For questions regarding Entering a Plea, Processing, Scheduling, Filing Motions, Requests for Continuance, etc., please contact the Municipal Court at (903) 531-1266. If you wish to discuss possible options regarding a Municipal Court ticket, please contact the Municipal Court Prosecutor’s Office at (903) 531-1161. If you leave a message for the Prosecutor, please include the Defendant's Name, Defendant's Date of Birth, Ticket or Cause Number, Attorney's Name and Telephone Number (if an attorney is retained), and a brief message regarding your concerns.

How do I get my ADD: Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code TABC application signed?

Applications for a TABC Permit Approval shall be filed with the Planning Department.  Please contact the Planning Department at (903) 531-1175 for TABC applications and processes. Following Planning Department review, TABC Applications are then forwarded to the Legal Department for review prior to final City Clerk review/approval.

How do I get a copy of archived City Council minutes, deeds, and other documents?

Please submit a Public Information Request Form and be as detailed possible of what you are searching. Staff will research the archives and provide copies, if available. If you aren't sure what exactly it is you're looking for, contact the City Clerk's office and we will be happy to set up a time to help you find what you're looking for.

The sale of delinquent tax properties is held at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Smith County Courthouse, 100 N. Broadway Ave. The law firm of Linebarger, Groggans, Blair & Sampson, LLP, handles tax sales for the City of Tyler.

The firm places tax sale property listings online for the benefit of the public. You can view the listing at TaxSales.LGBS.com. The firm's web site also provides answers to commonly asked questions about tax sales. Due to a change in the firm that collects taxes for the City, information can also be obtained from the prior firm at PBFCM.com.

A Prosecutor will be in the Municipal Court for regularly scheduled office hours every Wednesday.

• If you have a ticket or case pending in the Tyler Municipal Court and you have not appeared before the Judge to enter your plea, please contact the Court at (903) 531-1266 and a Court Clerk will direct you to the appropriate person.
• If you are a defense attorney or you have a case set for trial in the Tyler Municipal Court and you need to speak with a Prosecutor about your case, please call either (903) 531-1161 or leave a message on the Prosecutor's telephone line at (903) 595-7198 including the following information:
  • Defendant's Name
  • Defendant's Date of Birth
  • Ticket or Cause Number
  • Attorney's Name
  • Attorney's Telephone Number
• If you need more information about Court Proceedings, please visit Tyler Municipal Court.

This website has links to other websites and/or information guides published or operated by other government agencies, non-profit organizations, etc. as a convenience to our citizens. The inclusion of any links to websites and/or information guides does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. The City of Tyler is not liable for any damage or loss related to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of any information on this site and reliance on such information is at the user's own risk. Citizens are advised that the official edition of any legal resource found through this website should be consulted.

• City of Tyler Code of Ordinances
• City Charter
• Texas Attorney General Publications
• Open Meetings-Attorney General Handbook 2024
• Open Records/Public Information-Attorney General Handbook 2024
• Administrative Law-Attorney General Handbook 2022(PDF, 7MB)
• Texas Municipal League (TML) Publications

This site permits you to access and search external websites which consist of resources. The City has created this website as a service to our citizens and the internet community. These sites are not a part of the City's website and the City of Tyler has no control over their availability, content or maintenance. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the law and our reliance on information produced by outside sources, the City of Tyler does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the content of the sites to which it links. Citizens are advised that the official edition of any legal resource found through this website should be consulted.

Federal

• U.S. Government-Official Website
• United States Code
• Code of Federal Regulations
• United States Government Publications

State of Texas

• Texas Statutes
• Texas Legislature
• The State of Texas-Official Website
• Attorney General of Texas
• Secretary of State

Smith County

• Smith County
• Judicial Records Search

Animal Control

• Tyler Animal Services
• Smith County Animal Control

Associations and Organizations

• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Texas
• Smith County Bar Association
• Texas Municipal League
• Texas City Attorney's Association
• Texas Municipal Court Education Center
• International Municipal Lawyer Association
• Texas Coalition for Utility Issues
• League of Women Voters-National
• League of Women Voters-Texas
• League of Women Voters-Tyler/Smith County

Other

• Northeast Texas Public Health District
• Texas Cities
• Lone Star Legal Aid

Accessibility to City Benefits, Services and Programs

Purpose: To set forth the City of Tyler's responsibilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, which protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in services, programs, and activities provided by the City of Tyler; and to establish a grievance procedure that provides a mechanism for the effective resolution of Title II violations.

Policy: In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), as amended, the City of Tyler will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. The City will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in City of Tyler's programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments. Further, the City of Tyler will make all reasonable modifications to policies and procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services and activities.

Procedure:

1. ADA Coordinator designated. Title II of the ADA requires all state or local government entities with 50 or more employees to appoint a responsible person to coordinate its efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under this part, including any investigation of any complaint communicated to it alleging its noncompliance with Title II of the ADA or alleging any actions that would be prohibited by Title II. The name and contact information for the responsible person is required to be publicly advertised and is available on the City's website and public bulletin boards.
2. Title II of the ADA: Five (5) major administrative duties.
   1. Publicize the name and contact information of the designated ADA Coordinator responsible to oversee compliance; and
   2. Administer and write self-evaluation of the programmatic barriers in services offered by the local government; and
   3. Establish a complaint or grievance procedure to respond to complaints of noncompliance from the public; and
   4. Develop a transition plan if structural changes are necessary for achieving program accessibility; and
   5. Retain the self-evaluation for three years.
3. Grievance Procedure.
   1. This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City of Tyler. The City of Tyler's Personnel Policies govern Title I employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.
   2. A complaint should be in writing and filed by the complainant as soon as possible but no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the alleged ADA Title II violation. The writing should contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date and description of the alleged violation. The complaint may be filed with the City by submitting a completed ADA Title II Grievance Procedure Complaint Form (Policy Form 2-58) to: Michael Howell - ADA Coordinator, PO BOX 2039, Tyler, TX 75710-2039
   3. The ADA Title II Grievance Procedure Complaint Form is available online at the City's website, and hard copies are available upon request at the City Attorney's Office at City Hall, 212 N. Bonner, Tyler, Texas, 75702.
   4. Complaints may also be made by fax or email. If you have a disability requiring this material be produced in an alternate format (large print, audiotape, etc.), please call the ADA Coordinator, Michael Howell, at (903) 533-7434. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or tape recordings of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request. Every reasonable effort will be taken to produce the material in the desired format.
   5. The ADA Coordinator will investigate the Title II complaint and may contact the complainant for additional information and/or contact City of Tyler staff who are best qualified to assist in reviewing the complaint, if necessary. The ADA Coordinator or her designee will contact the complainant within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of the written complaint to set up a meeting to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions.
   6. Within fifteen (15) calendar days of the meeting, ADA Coordinator or her designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audiotape. The response will explain the position of the City of Tyler and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
   7. If the response by the ADA Coordinator or her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant or designee may appeal the decision within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Manager.
   8. Within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within fifteen (15) calendar days after the meeting, the City Manager or his designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
   9. All written complaints received by the ADA Coordinator or his designee, appeals to the City Manager or his designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City of Tyler for at least three (3) years.
   10. This procedure is available in alternative formats on request.

Forms

• Form 2-57: Notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act(PDF, 73KB)
• Form 2-58: ADA Title II Grievance Procedure Complaint Form(PDF, 33KB)