CONFLICT WITH OTHER LAWS; EXCEPTIONS

(a) If a regulation adopted under this subchapter requires a greater width or size of a yard, court, or other open space, requires a lower building height or fewer number of stories for a building, requires a greater percentage of a lot to be left unoccupied, or otherwise imposes higher standards than those required under another statute or local order or regulation, the regulation adopted under this subchapter controls. If the other statute or local order or regulation imposes higher standards, that statute, order, or regulation controls. (b) The commissioners court may require the removal, destruction, or change of any structure or use of any property that does not conform to an order or a regulation adopted under this subchapter only if: (1) the court permits the owner's investment in the structure or property to be amortized over a period of time determined by the court; or (2) the court determines the nonconforming structure or property has been permanently abandoned. (c) This subchapter or an order or a regulation adopted under this subchapter does not apply to the location, construction, maintenance, or use of central office buildings or equipment used by a person engaged in providing telephone service to the public. (d) This subchapter does not authorize the commissioners court to require the removal or destruction of property that exists at the time the court implements this subchapter or restrict the right of a landowner, acting in the owner's behalf, to construct improvements for agriculture and ranching operations or to otherwise use the land for agriculture and ranching operations. Agriculture and ranching operations include cultivating the soil; producing crops for human food, animal feed, planting seed, or fiber; floriculture; viticulture; horticulture; raising or keeping livestock or poultry; and planting cover crops or leaving land idle for the purpose of participating in any governmental program or normal crop or livestock rotation procedure. The commissioners court may take those actions to restrict or prohibit any commercial agricultural enterprise, such as a commercial feed lot, that are reasonably necessary to protect the public health, safety, peace, morals, and general welfare from the dangers of explosion, flooding, vermin, insects, physical injury, contagious disease, contamination of water supplies, radiation, storage of toxic materials, or other hazards.