Johnson County Commissioners Court

Junkyard / Automotive Wrecking and Salvage Yard License (unincorporated Johnson County)

An auto business in unincorporated Johnson County that keeps vehicles outdoors to strip them for parts may need a county license from the Commissioners Court. Order No. 2024-118, adopted November 12, 2024, defines an "Automotive wrecking and salvage yard" in §2.A as "an outdoor place where a person stores three or more vehicles for the purpose of dismantling or wrecking the vehicles to remove parts for sale or for the use in automotive repair or rebuilding", and §7.A states that a junkyard or automotive wrecking and salvage yard subject to the ordinance "must be licensed by the Commissioners Court of Johnson County, Texas." Under §3 the license requirement does not apply to a recycling business, to a yard located entirely in a municipality and regulated by it, or to a yard in operation before June 1, 1987. Per §§7.C and 7.G the fee is $25.00 to issue a junkyard license, $25.00 to issue an automotive wrecking and salvage yard license and $25.00 for each renewal, and "Each license is valid for one (1) year"; Texas Transportation Code §396.041 allows a county ordinance to impose a fee of $25 for the issuance or renewal of a license. The county's Development Services Fees page, effective October 23, 2023, lists the same $25.00 with a yearly renewal that requires an inspection. Section 7.E says applications are obtained from the county's Public Works Department, and the Development Services page lists processing of junkyard applications for the Commissioners Court. The application needs a site map showing screening at least six feet high along any side facing a public street or residence (§5), and owners of property within 1,000 feet get certified-mail notice of a public hearing (§7.F). Operating without a license is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $500 per day (§12).