Graffiti: It's A Crime
Houston treats graffiti as a crime, not a prank. If you are caught defacing property expect to face the law. There are also penalties for contributors to graffiti, whether that person is a parent of an offender or a business owner. Click the link below to view the most recent ordinance approved by City Council in 2006.
- View the entire City of Houston ordinance
- Highlights of the ordinance
- Houston Chronicle op-ed on graffiti by Vice Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member Sue Lovell, chair of the Houston City Council Quality of Life Committee
STATE LAWS
Texas Penal Code §28.08 makes it a crime to intentionally or knowingly make markings with aerosol paint, indelible marker or an etching or engraving device on tangible property without consent of the owner. Markings can include inscriptions, slogans, drawings or paintings. Penalties are assessed based on the amount of loss suffered by the property owner and may range from fines up to $2000 and/or confinement for up to 180 days, up to fines of $10,000 and/or confinement for 5 to 99 years.
To report the presence of graffiti in your neighborhood, call 311 to alert the City of Houston.
Things to Do
Get educated. Learn about graffiti, how it impacts your community, and who is responsible for graffiti prevention and clean up in Houston. Call 311.
Report graffiti to the appropriate authorities. Call 311 and make a report if you see a graffiti act in progress or graffiti that has already been committed.
Organize a paint-out. Free paint for citizens who have been the victims of illegal tagging is available through the Environmental Service Center, 11500 South Post Oak. The center, part of the City of Houston Solid Waste Department, is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and the second Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Also, local paint companies may donate paint and brushes for graffiti cleanup projects. Call 713.551.7355.
Graffiti Is Ugly ...
... It comes in all shapes and colors and can be found on buildings, highways, fences and other surfaces. It’s often done without permission and it’s against the law. Graffiti is an eyesore that decreases property values, is a drain on tax dollars, and makes residents feel unsafe.
The City and several other local organizations, through a partnership called the Houston Fights Graffiti Program, are doing a number of things to decrease this vandalism, such as painting over and removing graffiti on public property in parks and other areas in designated corridors. Property owners are also encouraged to plant trees or ivy to cover walls and fences with graffiti. But what can you do to get rid of graffiti? Get involved. Report graffiti in progress or graffiti that needs to be painted over. Organize a neighborhood paint out or learn how to create a community mural. Donate paint brushes, rollers or other materials that can remove graffiti. Or learn more about graffiti and the negative effects it can have on your community.
Check out the links on this website if you want to find out how you can get rid of graffiti. Don’t live with it. Fight it!
Teaming Up
Houston Fights Graffiti is a partnership between a number of local entities to create an awareness of resources that are available for graffiti abatement and eradication.
Facts and FAQs
- It costs America more than $8 billion per year just to clean up graffiti.
- Immediate removal - within 24-48 hours - is the key to successful graffiti prevention.
- There are four types of graffiti – tagging, satanic/hate, gang, and generic (non-threatening messages like "Bobby loves Suzy" or "Class of 2000"). Houston mainly deals with gang and tagging graffiti. Tagging graffiti is more ornate while gang graffiti uses symbols.