LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              March 28, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Intergovernmental Relations
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB1147  by Lindsay (Relating to county authority to
               regulate vehicular or pedestrian gates to and to require
               building numbers for certain multi-unit housing
               projects; providing a penalty.), Committee Report 1st
               House, Substituted
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would allow a county to regulate vehicular and pedestrian gates
to apartments, condominiums, or townhomes located outside municipal
boundaries in an area not already subject to municipal regulations. The
local fire marshal or other county emergency service authority would
enforce regulations and could waive vehicular gate width requirements for
a multi-unit housing project completed before January 1, 2002 if the
requirements could not readily be met because of space limitations or
would cost $6,000 or more per entrance to meet regulations.

The county fire marshal would be allowed to issue a permit to ensure
compliance with regulations and could charge a one-time fee not to exceed
$50 to cover the costs of issuing the permit. A county would not be
allowed to require a permit until January 1, 2002 or after. Permits could
be suspended or revoked for violations of regulations after a hearing
before the county commissioners court.

An offense of violating the regulations in a county that requires
compliance would be a Class C misdemeanor.

Revenue collected from issuing permits and the fire marshal's existing
budget would absorb the costs of enforcing regulations; therefore, no
significant fiscal impact to units of local government is anticipated.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, DB