COUNTY ADOPTION OF SOLID WASTE RULES

(a) Subject to the limitation provided by Sections 361.151 and 361.152 (Solid Waste Disposal Act), and subject to Subsection (a-1), a commissioners court by rule may regulate solid waste collection, handling, storage, and disposal in areas of the county not in a municipality or the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality. (a-1) A commissioners court by rule may regulate solid waste collection, handling, storage, and disposal by establishing a mandatory program under Section 364.034 in an area of the county located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality if: (1) the municipality does not provide solid waste disposal services in that area; and (2) the county: (A) is adjacent to the United Mexican States; (B) has a population of less than 300,000; and (C) contains a municipality with a population of 200,000 or more. (a-2) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a commissioners court may, through a competitive bidding process, contract for the provision of solid waste collection, handling, storage, and disposal in an area of the county located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality if: (1) the municipality does not provide solid waste disposal services in that area; and (2) the county has a population of more than 1.5 million and at least 70 percent of the population resides in a single municipality. (b) A county, in making any rules, including those under the licensing power granted by Chapter 361 (Solid Waste Disposal Act), may not impose an unreasonable requirement on the disposal of the solid waste in the county not warranted by the circumstances. (c) A rule adopted under this section may not authorize an activity, method of operation, or procedure that is prohibited by Chapter 361 (Solid Waste Disposal Act) or by rules of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. (d) A county may institute legal proceedings to enforce its rules.