Houston, Texas residential lease guide: courts, utilities and MUDs

Three local facts change what goes into a Houston residential lease, and none of them appear in a generic Texas form. First, an eviction for a Houston address is filed in the justice court of the precinct where the property sits — Harris County runs 16 Justice of the Peace courts (eight precincts, two places each), and parts of the city fall in Fort Bend or Montgomery County instead. Second, Houston is a retail-choice electricity market: CenterPoint Energy delivers the power but does not sell it, so the lease has to say who signs up with a retail electric provider. Third, many “Houston” mailing addresses are outside the city limits, inside a Municipal Utility District, which changes who supplies water and what the tax bill contains. This guide walks through each point with the source you can hand to a tenant or an attorney.

Which court hears an eviction for a Houston address

Under Texas Property Code §24.0041, in force since January 1, 2026, “an eviction suit must be brought in the justice precinct in which the real property is located.” Harris County’s own filing page repeats the rule and adds the practical detail: the county has eight JP precincts, each with a Place 1 and a Place 2, and a rent claim of up to $20,000 can be joined to the eviction petition (Harris County JP — Filing an Eviction Case, read September 2026). Use the county’s Find Your Courthouse map before you draft a notice, because the nearest courthouse is not always the right precinct.

The same page flags the 2025 change every Houston landlord should know: for a tenant who was not late before the month of the notice, the written notice must be a notice to pay rent or vacate, not a plain notice to vacate (§24.005(a)). The three-day minimum still applies unless the lease sets a different period, and §24.0042 now counts weekends and holidays, pushing a deadline that lands on one to the next business day. Write the notice period into the lease rather than relying on the default.

Electricity: the tenant can choose the provider

Houston sits in the part of ERCOT opened to competition on January 1, 2002 by Utilities Code §39.102. CenterPoint Energy states it plainly: “In the Greater Houston area, we do not generate electricity, we transport your electricity as a Transmission and Distribution Utility” and “In Texas, customers choose their own retail electric provider” (CenterPoint Energy, read September 2026). For the lease this means the utilities clause should say who opens the retail electric account — normally the tenant, in the tenant’s name, from the start date — and that the tenant may pick any provider serving the address. If you keep electricity in your name and bill it back, the amount, the method and the meter reading procedure belong in writing.

Water, sewer and trash: city account or MUD account

Inside the city limits, water and wastewater are operated and billed by Houston Public Works. Outside the limits, the water supplier is often the Municipal Utility District that financed the subdivision’s water and sewer system. The lease should name the actual supplier, because a tenant who calls the city for an address served by a MUD will be told to call the district.

Two Texas rules shape the pass-through. For a building on one master meter, Water Code §13.5031 requires the rental agreement to contain “a clear written description of the method of calculation of the allocation” and the average monthly bill per unit; overcharge complaints go to the Public Utility Commission under §13.505. A single-family home with its own meter is outside those sections, but the clause should still say whether the account is in the tenant’s name or reimbursed to the landlord.

MUDs: no lease notice, but two things to write down

The MUD notice many landlords have heard of comes from Water Code §49.452, and it applies to “a person who proposes to sell or convey real property located in a district” — it is a notice to a purchaser, given before a sales contract. Nothing in that section requires a notice in a residential lease. Two things still matter for the lease: the district, not the city, is the water and sewer provider (see above), and the district’s tax is part of the property tax bill you are budgeting. The quickest check is the parcel’s HCAD record: its list of taxing jurisdictions shows any MUD, and “City of Houston” appears only when the parcel is actually inside the city.

Local rules worth a line in the lease

Short-term rentals. Renting for fewer than 30 consecutive days now requires a city certificate of registration ($275 a year plus an administrative fee); from January 1, 2027 the city will ask platforms to remove unregistered listings (City of Houston — Short-Term Rentals). A lease that forbids subletting on booking platforms protects the owner from a certificate the tenant cannot obtain.
Buildings with three or more units are registered under the city’s Multi-Family Habitability Code and inspected; a single-family home or duplex is not covered (Chapter 10, Article IV). See the Houston registration guide.
Floodplain. Houston regulates construction against the 500-year floodplain plus two feet (Chapter 19), which is a stricter line than the 100-year floodplain named in the state flood disclosure. The disclosure itself stays the same — see the Houston flood plan.

WHAT TO WRITE IN A HOUSTON LEASE
Clause	What changes for a Houston address	Source
Notices and venue	Name the JP precinct for the address; state the notice period; expect a pay-or-vacate notice for a first late payment	Property Code ch. 24 · Harris County JP
Electricity	Tenant opens a retail electric account with the provider of their choice; CenterPoint remains the delivery utility	CenterPoint Energy
Water and sewer	Name Houston Public Works or the MUD; describe any allocation method for master-metered buildings	Houston Public Works · Water Code §13.5031
MUD	No lease notice required; MUD tax and water service noted in the property file	Water Code §49.452 · HCAD
Subletting	Prohibit short-term rental listings unless the owner holds the city certificate	City of Houston STR page

What changes in Houston

Eviction venue is one of 16 Harris County JP courts, chosen by precinct — and the address may be in Fort Bend or Montgomery County.
Electricity is retail-choice: the tenant, not the landlord, picks the provider; CenterPoint only delivers.
Water may come from a Municipal Utility District rather than the city; the MUD notice in Water Code §49.452 is a sale document, not a lease document.
Short-term rentals need a city certificate ($275 a year plus fees) — a subletting clause should say so.
Single-family and duplex rentals have no city registration; buildings of three or more units do.

Frequently asked questions

Can my tenant choose their electricity provider in Houston?

Yes. Houston is in the competitive ERCOT area created by Utilities Code §39.102; CenterPoint Energy delivers the electricity and the tenant contracts with the retail electric provider of their choice. The lease should say the account is opened in the tenant’s name from the start date.

Where is an eviction filed for a Houston rental?

In the Harris County justice court of the precinct where the property is located (Property Code §24.0041). Harris County has eight precincts with two places each; the county’s Find Your Courthouse tool identifies the right one. Addresses in Fort Bend or Montgomery County use that county’s justice court.

Do I have to give a MUD notice with a Houston lease?

No. Water Code §49.452 requires the notice from a seller to a purchaser before a sales contract. It does not apply to a lease. You should still tell the tenant who supplies water, because in a MUD it is the district, not Houston Public Works.

Does Houston require me to register a single-family rental?

No. The city’s registration and inspection program under Chapter 10, Article IV applies to multi-family rental buildings of three or more units. A short-term rental of under 30 days is a separate case and needs a certificate from the city.

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.