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Tex. Water Code § 7.187

This is the official text of Tex. Water Code § 7.187, part of Texas’s Water Code — governs water rights and water resource management.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 7.187. PENALTIES.

Official statutory text

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person convicted of an offense under this subchapter is punishable by:

(1) a fine, as imposed under the section creating the offense, of:

(A) not more than $1,000;

(B) not less than $1,000 or more than $50,000;

(C) not less than $1,000 or more than $100,000;

(D) not less than $1,000 or more than $250,000;

(E) not less than $2,000 or more than $500,000;

(F) not less than $5,000 or more than $1,000,000;

(G) not less than $10,000 or more than $1,500,000; or

(H) not more than twice the amount of the required fee;

(2) confinement for a period, as imposed by the section creating the offense, not to exceed:

(A) 30 days;

(B) 90 days;

(C) 180 days;

(D) one year;

(E) two years;

(F) five years;

(G) 10 years;

(H) 15 years;

(I) 20 years; or

(J) 30 years; or

(3) both fine and confinement, as imposed by the section creating the offense.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 7.177(a)(5), conviction for an offense under Section 382.018, Health and Safety Code, is punishable as:

(1) a Class C misdemeanor if the violation is a first violation and does not involve the burning of heavy oils, asphaltic materials, potentially explosive materials, or chemical wastes;

(2) a Class B misdemeanor if the violation is a second or subsequent violation and:

(A) the violation does not involve the burning of:

(i) substances described by Subdivision (1); or

(ii) insulation on electrical wire or cable, treated lumber, plastics, non-wood construction or demolition materials, furniture, carpet, or items containing natural or synthetic rubber; or

(B) the violation involves the burning of substances described by Paragraph (A)(ii) and none of the prior violations involved the burning of substances described by Subdivision (1) or Paragraph (A)(ii); or

(3) a Class A misdemeanor if the violation:

(A) involves the burning of substances described by Subdivision (1); or

(B) is a second or subsequent violation and involves the burning of substances described by Subdivision (2)(A)(ii) and one or more of the prior violations involved the burning of substances described by Subdivision (1) or (2)(A)(ii).

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.