Case File 26-5721
View full legal title
An Ordinance Amending the Code of the City of Fort Worth, Texas (2015), as Amended, by Amending Chapter 23, “Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions,” to Add a Section Regulating Where Certain Sex Offenders May Reside; Providing that this Ordinance Shall be Cumulative of All Prior Ordinances and Repealing Conflicting Ordinances; Providing for a Severability Clause; Providing for a Penalty Clause; Providing for a Savings Clause; Providing for Publication in the Official Newspaper of the City; and Providing an Effective Date (Continued from a Previous Meeting)
Get notified on new hearings, votes, or status changes for this matter.
Actions
Showing all 3 actions. Filter by: , , .
Verify exact buffer distance in adopted Fort Worth sex offender residency ordinance
Context: On February 10, Lauersdorf's standalone sub-motion to increase the buffer to 2,000 feet failed for lack of a second, but Beck's continuation motion 'with the amended language' passed 11-0; the February 24 adoption vote (9-0, with Beck absent) does not confirm on its face which version was enrolled as Ordinance No. 28335-02-2026.
Recommended: Pull the enrolled text of Ordinance No. 28335-02-2026 before advising any residential landlord, property manager, or housing operator on tenant screening compliance — the procedural record is ambiguous about whether the final text contains the original 1,500-foot buffer or Lauersdorf's 2,000-foot version. Advising on the wrong distance exposes clients to code violations the moment enforcement begins.
Request enrolled ordinance and Zoning Commission record on Fort Worth sex offender buffer reversal
Context: The Zoning Commission recommended denial of this city-wide amendment; Council reversed with an 11-0 vote on February 10 that embedded a separately-failed sub-motion's language; and the member who moved to continue with the amended language (Beck) was absent from the final 9-0 adoption vote on February 24.
Recommended: File a public records request for the enrolled Ordinance No. 28335-02-2026 and the Zoning Commission staff report — Lauersdorf's amendment to increase the buffer from 1,500 to 2,000 feet failed for lack of a second as a standalone motion on February 10, but Beck immediately re-packaged that same language into a continuation motion that passed 11-0, and the Commission had recommended denial of the underlying amendment entirely. If you wait, the procedural anomaly disappears into routine implementation with no public explanation.
Map your Fort Worth address against the newly expanded sex offender buffer zones
Context: Ordinance No. 28335-02-2026 was adopted 9-0 on February 24, 2026, and the February 10 council record shows the body's stated intent was to include Lauersdorf's 2,000-foot expanded buffer in the final text sent to adoption.
Recommended: Use Fort Worth's GIS portal to check whether your block falls within the buffer zone around schools, parks, and other places where children gather — if the enrolled ordinance contains the 2,000-foot buffer rather than the prior 1,500-foot standard, properties near multiple covered locations may fall within overlapping restricted zones, changing who can legally rent nearby. Check now while enforcement is just beginning and you can flag errors before they become disputes.
Key Entities
Timeline
Council Member Lauersdorf made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hill, that Ordinance No. 28335-02-2026 be adopted. Motion passed 9-0, Council Members Nettles and Beck were absent.
Council Member Beck made a motion, seconded by Council Member Peoples, to continue the ordinance to the February 24, 2026, Council meeting. Council Member Lauersdorf made a sub-motion to approve the ordinance with the following change: increase the minimum distance that sex offenders may reside from 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet from where children commonly gather. The motion failed for lack of a second. Council Member Beck made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hall to continue the ordinance to the February 24, 2026, Council meeting, with the amended language provided by Council Member Lauersdorf. Motion passed 11-0.
An Ordinance Amending the Code of the City of Fort Worth, Texas (2015), as Amended, by Amending Chapter 23, “Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions,” to Add a Section Regulating Where Certain Sex Offenders May Reside; Providing that this Ordinance Shall be Cumulative of All Prior Ordinances and Repealing Conflicting Ordinances; Providing for a Severability Clause; Providing for a Penalty Clause; Providing for a Savings Clause; Providing for Publication in the Official Newspaper of the City; and Providing an Effective Date (Continued from a Previous Meeting)
Vote: 0 for, 0 against
continued to February 10, 2026
Continued at City Manager request