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TeXJ wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:

TeXJ wrote:reference my thread here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=63312" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have 9.999 acres in Collin County. We've shot .50bmg to 22lr, and some bb guns thrown in for the little ones. The problem they had with me was that I had too many friends over... Fire Marshal said that I "could only have immediate family, no cousins or uncles"

Look up ETJ Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

Since I was in the ETJ I did not fall under the 10acre rule, however apparently the Fire Marshal has the rule of law...

TeXJ -- now that you remind me, I did read that thread. And certainly the fire marshal angle is unique. Has there been any update to your issue? Does seem that he is bypassing the intent of the law. I will review the entire thread tomorrow.

More or less we have to walk the line or he will not give my dad the CO, that we are still waiting for and have already paid for...My dad, being almost 70, is now a consultant to help people be able to get their used car dealer license, he uses the land for it's office to help them be able to acquire the license. Apparently every business is supposed to have a Certificate of Occupancy...just not everybody has them, and they are not enforced, unless the FM wants to enforce that lil "law". However, if you dont have that the FM can shut you down, and they are also the issuing body, so they can choose to not give you another...lots of politics..

I'm assuming the property is in Collin County? Are you familiar with the problems regarding Red Zone Ranch (an outdoor shooting range near Anna)?

We regret to inform you that Red Zone Ranch has been temporarily shut-down by the Collin County Fire Marshall’s office. They have informed us that we need to have a Certificate of Occupancy even though we do not have a building.

In order to get a certificate of occupancy we have to have an engineer submit a drainage plan for the property as dirt has been moved. This can all be corrected and they Fire Marshall’s Office has said they will work to expedite the process however, any use of the property as a range in the meantime is a violation of County Ordinances.

There were rumors that the EPA got involved, too. They never recovered.

TeXJ wrote:reference my thread here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=63312" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have 9.999 acres in Collin County. We've shot .50bmg to 22lr, and some bb guns thrown in for the little ones. The problem they had with me was that I had too many friends over... Fire Marshal said that I "could only have immediate family, no cousins or uncles"

Look up ETJ Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)

Since I was in the ETJ I did not fall under the 10acre rule, however apparently the Fire Marshal has the rule of law...

TeXJ -- now that you remind me, I did read that thread. And certainly the fire marshal angle is unique. Has there been any update to your issue? Does seem that he is bypassing the intent of the law. I will review the entire thread tomorrow.

VMI77 wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:

oohrah wrote:IIRC, the 10 acres rule is Texas law that allows counties to regulate activities only on parcels 10 acres or less.

The law is that the county cannot pass regulations on properties of ten acres or greater. Which only applies to properties outside of municipalities.

I was more interested in what people were doing than what the law is. Seemed to be a lot of people talking about shooting on their own property, and I doubt that they all have 10 acres or more. Looked at a 10+ acre lot in Nevada, but it was absolutely bare, and flat as a pancake. Converted farmland doesn't have much "personality".

I don't think that's quite true unless the law has changed since last time I read it. When I was looking for country property the way I read the law is that 10 or more acres gets you no regulation for shooting a shotgun, but for rifle and pistol the threshold is more than 50 acres.

If you look up those laws referring to 50 acres, I believe you will find the wording "a municipality may regulate...".

§ 235.022. AUTHORITY TO REGULATE. To promote the public
safety, the commissioners court of a county by order may prohibit or
otherwise regulate the discharge of firearms on lots that are 10
acres or smaller and are located in the unincorporated area of the
county in a subdivision.

Bullitt wrote:I'm following this thread. I would also like to know the appropriate rules/regs on having an outdoor gun range on private property. I am interested in shooting high powered rifles there and sporting clays.

If you're looking for the laws, look up the following...

LGC 229.001 - 229.004
LGC 235.022
LGC 235.023
LGC 235.025
LGC 250.001

By the way, several of these have wording similar to "...applies to counties containing municipalities with a population of at least 1 million, bordering a county with a population of 5 million" (that was from memory, so it's not the actual wording). It appears to me these are "carve-outs" such that the law applies (or does not apply) to specific cities/counties in the state. But I am unable to decipher the code to determine precisely which locations are included or excluded. If anybody has the secret decoder ring to figure this out, please post!

oohrah wrote:IIRC, the 10 acres rule is Texas law that allows counties to regulate activities only on parcels 10 acres or less.

The law is that the county cannot pass regulations on properties of ten acres or greater. Which only applies to properties outside of municipalities.

I was more interested in what people were doing than what the law is. Seemed to be a lot of people talking about shooting on their own property, and I doubt that they all have 10 acres or more. Looked at a 10+ acre lot in Nevada, but it was absolutely bare, and flat as a pancake. Converted farmland doesn't have much "personality".

JALLEN wrote:While we were looking to buy homes here in May, we looked at a new home, not even quite finished, on an acre in a gated subdivision up HWY 46 a ways. As we were perusing it, the sound of gunfire could be heard distinctly in the afternoon breeze, very prominent. Sure enough there is a range sign on the highway half a mile or so south.

I predict it will be hard to sell those homes, because of that.

I might think of it as a feature!

I love the sound of gunfire in the morning -- sounds like freedom!

For those of you who have built ranges in your "back yards", how much property do you own, and are there houses on adjoining properties?