Senate Bill No. 304 proposes amendments to the Government Code regarding the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances. The bill introduces a new subsection (a-1) to Section 29.003, which allows the governing body of a municipality to enact an ordinance that grants municipal courts civil jurisdiction for enforcing specific municipal ordinances related to health and safety. Additionally, it establishes concurrent jurisdiction with district courts or county courts at law for enforcing these ordinances within the municipality's territorial limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the bill empowers municipal courts with the authority to issue search warrants for investigating violations of health and safety or nuisance abatement ordinances, as well as seizure warrants for securing, removing, or demolishing offending properties and clearing debris from the premises. This legislation is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 29.003 (Government Code 29)
Senate Committee Report: Government Code 29.003 (Government Code 29)