Legal

Frequently Asked Questions

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 here. 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!

Contact the Municipal Court or the Prosecutor's office at (903) 595-7198. 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 rid of City liens on my property?

There are different types of liens that can be placed on properties. First, identify which City Department issued the lien and contact them regarding payoff amounts. If you purchased your property from a delinquent tax sale, provide documents from the sale to the department to have the liens extinguished. Code Enforcement and Neighborhood Services are two of the main departments that issue liens and releases. If you have a paving lien, please contact Legal and provide a copy of the paving lien and the property description.
How do I get my TABC application signed?

Please contact the Planning Department for TABC applications and processes as they are responsible for tracking and final approval of applications.
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.
I need to submit a complaint!

The Legal Department is able to assist you in directing you to the Department Leader who can best address your complaint.
Do you offer internships?

The City Attorney's Office does take 1-2 Law School interns over the summer. We would be happy to receive your resume after you've completed your first year of law school!

Tax Sales

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.

Prosecutor's Office

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

Information Guides

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 users own risk. Citizens are advised that the official edition of any legal resource found through this website should be consulted.

Legal Resources

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

State of Texas

Smith County

Animal Control

Associations and Organizations

Other

ADA Policy

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:

A. 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.

B. Title II of the ADA: Five (5) major administrative duties.

Publicize the name and contact information of the designated ADA Coordinator responsible to oversee compliance; and
Administer and write self-evaluation of the programmatic barriers in services offered by the local government; and
Establish a complaint or grievance procedure to respond to complaints of noncompliance from the public; and
Develop a transition plan if structural changes are necessary for achieving program accessibility; and
Retain the self-evaluation for three years.

C. Grievance Procedure.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This procedure is available in alternative formats on request.

FORMS:

Form 2-57: Notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Form 2-58: ADA Title II Grievance Procedure Complaint Form

Tyler, TX

Code of Ordinances

City Charter

Public Information Requests