DAN MORALES

AI-TORSEY GENERAL 

### QBffice of the !Tlttotnep General %tatt of Oxas May 12.1993

Mr. Benny M. Mathis, Jr. ExedveDirector StruoturalPest Control Board 9101 Burnet had, Suite 201 Austin,Texas 78758

DearMr.Mathk opinion No. DM-221

Be: whether provisions of the Cii of Gmanille regukion of pesticides ordinance arepreunptedbythestructumlPestCoIltro1 Act, V.T.C.S. able 1356 (IQ51 1)

Gn behalf of the Strucwal Pest Control Board (tbe”board”), you ask whether provisions of the Cii of GreenvUereguhion of pesticides ordimmc+ Cii of GreuwiUe Grdinanw No. 92-083 (the “ordimnce”), are preeqed by the St~ctud Pest Control Aot, V.T.C.S. art. 1356 (the “act*).l The act extenhly q&es the business of stmolural pest control, by lkeming persons engaged in the business, see V.T.C.S. art. 13Sb-6.Qg4,4B. 4C. 9. auting fbrth limited exceptionsto the gamral requimm that only~cmsedpcnonsrmyrpph/pestiddesandothapestcontrolrgents,id.~~5, ll,and ,qmmiq the wnditions under which pesticidesand other agents may be rqplicd. id. 85 4G. 4I-I. A first-time violation of any section of the act conshtes aclassc misdemeanor. Id. 0 1OA A repeat violation is a Class B misdemeanor. Id. Section 11A of the act provides that “[t]he Structural Pest Control Board is the sole authority in this rtateforli#nsingparonr~inthebusinessofmucburlpestcontrol.”
Theordhnceappeal%tobeanatwpttoraducethekvalsofpouutaatsinthe Ci of we’ s wasta water. Cii of Greem6Ue Chdhoce No. 92-083, preamble (codEed as City of Greehlle Code of Gniiwcq Chapter 4.5 4.800). It requires retail vendors of pesticides to attach educationsI mate& to pesticide products which are availablefor sale, and to displayiaformationabout the proper use and disposal of pesticide produots. Cii of GreewiUe Code of Grdhmcq Chapter 4. 5 4.802. It also requk professionalpesticide applicators to dhmhate educational material suppliedby the city to customers at the time of application, and to file reports with the ci@s Water Utilities Dqwbnent. Id. 54.803. Inadditi on, it requires owners of “omlti-occupancydwelling to not@ occupants of an indoor application of pesticides no later than 24 hours prior to the application,to die educationalmaterial suppliedby the city, and to tie reports witb the ci@s Water Utilities Department. Id. 8 4.804. Violation of the ordinance cmstitutes a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed S2,OOO.OO. Cii of Greemdle ordinance No. 92-083,s 4.

p. 1157Mr. Benny M. Mathis, Jr. - Page 2 On-221)

TheCiiofGmenviUeisahome-rulecity. TbeTexasConsthution~sucb cities all the power of self-govemmart not CJqmsfL denied thun by the legislature. Tar. Const. art. XI, 5 5; D&as Merchanfs d Cwcedtmaire’ s A&I v. Ci@of Lkikzr, No. D-2159, slip op. at 3 (Tex. April 7.1993). Tbe Texas Consthution prohiits a home-rule city 8om anforcing any legiskion inconsistun with state laws or the state consthution. Tex.Const.rrt.Xl,~S;DailasMerchaur’ s&C~ kwmire’ sAss’n. slip op. at 3 (citing Ciq ofBrook&? Vil&ge v. Comeau, 633 S.W.26 790,7% (TexJ, cert. tied, 459 U.S. 1087 (1982)). The Texas Supreme Court baa instructed that, in dammining whether an ordkncaiatbtallykmskmntwithatatelawonthesamesubjectmattcr,cnurtsmust raLto~thetwoinawrythatwillleavebothin~ifpo~le. Ci@of Rickvdmn v. Reqomible Dog Owners qf T-, 794 S.W.2d 17. 19 (Tex. 1990).

“[Tlhemere~~thelegislanrrrharclllctedakw~garubjectdoesnotmeM the complete subject matter is completely preempted.” Id. Moreova. it is well established~“iftheLegi~~~topnanpta~bjectmatta~y eacompessedbythebrolrdpowarofahomanrlecity.it~dosowithumni~le clarity.” Dab Merchmfs & (%messiovaaire’ s Ash, slip op. at 4 (citing Civ of smhwtrr v. Geron, 380 S.W.2d 550.552 (Tex. 1964)).
First,you~~theCityof~emay”define[a]multi-occupancy atrucWefbrpmposesofprovidingnotiwinamanner different gorn the statutory deSnitionof~in[aection4Boftheact].* Inarelatedquestion,youaskif’the CityofGnarvilk~lthePtthoritytorequina24-hournotiaofpesticiderpplication.” We address these questions together.

Notice oftmabnem isgovemedbyaection4G0ftheac&whichsats8xthdiff~ nquiranarxsfornsidential~uaitswithl~thanfiveudwithfiveormorerental units. ForMindoOrtreMnaaataresidentialrmtalpropatywithlesstbanfive~ units, an applicator is requid to leave a “past control b&mnation sheet” in the residence atthetimeofcachtmatmem. V.T.C.S. art. 135b-6, 5 4G(c). No notice is raqukd. Id. For indoor treatmmts atresidentialrentalproperdeswithfiveormornrentalunits,work places, and other ktitutions such as hospitals and schools, 48 hour’ snotice is re@rad. Id. §4G(d)-(f). Theo&anca,ontheotherhand,requhesownersof ”muhiocarpancy dwallb@ to not@ occupants ofan indoor applicationof pesticidesno later than 24 hours prior to the appliuation. Ci of GmenviUeCode of %knce~, 8 4.894. “Multi- -pulcy smuxums”arede!kdas”dwellingswhichhousemoretbanonefamilylhdng ,A& which includes but is not limited to duplexes, apartments, hotels, motels, nursing homes, etc. ” Id. 5 4.801.

p. 1158bfr. &my M. Mathis,Jr. - Page 3 (DM-221)

Cleuly,theordiMn&24-hournoticersquinmmtistILtauyinconsiotentwiththe noticerequkwwsetforthinseuion4Goftheact. Theordina~erequirrs24-hour noticeiaromerrsidmtialrrntalpropaties~~~requiresnoaoti~at~.3 In other instmx, the ordinance requkes 24-hour notice whae the act requkes 48-hour notice. It is not possible to consme the act and the ordinance’ snotice provisions in harmony. ‘Ikefore, we concludethat the Cii of Gree&le ordinance’ s ootice provisions arepreemptedbytheactandarethereforevoid.
N~youulrwhethatheCityofGreenvilemayrequirethe~onof educational outteds. The ordbmcc requires retail vendors and professional pesticide appticators to dkmioate educationalmaterial suppliedby the city. Id. Qp4.802,4.803. Apywpointout,thelarequirrspasons~eagageiathebu~of~controlto distribute “pest control information sheets” developed and approved by the board. V.T.C.S. art. 139.6, 54G. We do not believe, however, that the act preempts the ordhocds require~~wtsregadng the disseminationof educational mate-rial. The act does not even purport to regulate retail vendors of pesticides. Although the act does nquirrpasonswho~einthebusinessofpestcontroltodisslrminatepestcontrol inforouuion shea developedby the board, we do not believe it is inconsistent with tbis provision to require professional pesticide applicators to also disseminate additional educatiooalout&al suppliedby the city.4

You also ask whether the act prohiiits the Cii of Me %om enacting additional local requirements specificallydirected at ‘professional pesticide applicators’
,” and if “the Cii of Greeklie b] the authority to require monthly or quarterly pesticide applicationreports from persons specifically requkl to be licensedby the State of Texas

as pesticide applicators.” We addressthese related questionstogether.

As noted above, section 1 IA ofthe act providesthat “[t]he Structural Pest Control Boardisthe~leauthorityiathisstateforliansing~mgagcdintbebusinessof structural pest control.” We believe that section 11A clearly establishesthe le8islaturek intent to limit the power of home-rule cities with respect to the ticensure of persons engaged io the business of pest control, and to preempt any local kensing requirunaus. The act, however, does not necessarily preclude a city from imposing additional

p. 1159Mr.hIIOyM.hhthi&Jr. - P8@ 4 (DM-221)

Ieqmmaaonpenonsengagedinthebwinessofpestwotro~providedtheydooot wostiMelicwsingrequircments Forexmple,wedonotbelievctbttbeordhmc& requinmntthrt~~~~delpplicrtonlubmitarrrinnportstotbeW~ UtilitiesDcputmentmmmtsto~alicenaing~ Noristbisreqkmmt

. . lllmasmwitllanyoftheacrsothaplwisi~. Tim&e,ititaot~bytbe act.


### SUMMARY

Thecityof- Jwdtiyof~~~ pfOViSiOIISnevdingWtiW~irrconmrtan pempted by the Strudud Pest Control Act, V.T.C.S. article 135b-6 (the ‘act’ ). Theodioanwprovisionsregrrdiagthe

. . -on of educational mamials and llzqlhg prof&onal pesticideappliwtorstosuhmitcertainreportsareoot~ withtheact.

DAN MORALES Anomey GeneralofTtxas

WILL PRYOR F~AsismAttorncyGeneral

MARYKELLER DeputyAttomcyGeneralibrLitigation

RENEAHIcxs State Solicitor

MADELEINE B. JOHNSON chair, opioion committee

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