Selling a House in Krum: Utility Liens, Grass Rules and County Offices

Krum's utility billing timeline

Krum's code spells out the monthly cycle for water, wastewater and solid waste service in Article 13.03, Delinquent Accounts.

When	What the code says
About the 25th	Public works reads the meter (section 13.03.001).
About the 1st	The city mails the bill (section 13.03.002).
The 16th	Payment is due by 5 p.m.; after that it is past due and a late charge from Appendix A applies (sections 13.03.003, 13.03.004 and 13.03.006).
The 17th	An account one month outstanding receives a past due notice, with ten days to pay in full before disconnection the following day (section 13.03.005).
10th calendar day after the 16th	Past-due payments with the late charge are due by 5 p.m.; accounts still unpaid are charged a $30.00 administration fee, and disconnects apply to balances of $25.00 or more (section 13.03.006).

Under section 13.03.007, service is reinstated only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and only after all amounts owed for the premises are paid in full, in cash or by credit card, or after satisfactory arrangements with the utility department. Section 13.03.010 limits deferred payment plans to three per customer per calendar year.

An unpaid water bill can become a lien

Section 13.03.013 covers unpaid utility accounts. Relying on chapter 402 of the Local Government Code, it imposes a lien on each property served by the city's water or wastewater system to secure delinquent utility accounts. The lien is perfected by recording a notice in the county's real property records that names the owner, the person who received the service if different, the legal description, the amount owed including penalty, interest and collection costs, and the type of service.

The section says this lien does not attach to property protected as a homestead under the Texas Constitution. Where it does attach, it is inferior to a bona fide mortgage lien recorded before the city's lien but superior to all other liens, including previously recorded judgment liens. If an account fell behind, ask city hall's utility billing department for the payoff and whether a notice was recorded.

Six inches on a developed lot

Krum's nuisance rules were updated by Ordinance 2024-802, adopted February 5, 2024. Section 6.03.012 sets two height limits for weeds, brush or grass on occupied or unoccupied property: 12 inches on an undeveloped tract or acreage, and six inches on a developed tract or lot.

• Notice under section 6.03.005 may be delivered in person or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner's post office address; if personal service cannot be obtained or that address is unknown, the city may publish it twice within ten consecutive days, post it at the front door, or, if the property has no building, post it on a placard.
• If the owner has not complied within ten days of delivery or publication, section 6.03.006 lets the city do the work. The cost becomes the person's personal liability, plus an automatic administrative fee from Appendix A.
• Section 6.03.007 makes the charges a privileged lien. The city sends a written demand for payment, and if the charges are not paid in full within 20 days of delivery, a statement is filed with the county clerk for the county real property records.

Where Krum owners deal with Denton County

Liens and deeds. Both of the city liens above are filed in county real property records, which the Denton County Clerk's Recording Division maintains. The division lists its office at 1450 E. McKinney Street in Denton, open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm, and the County Clerk's page links to a Property Records Search and a Property Alert.

Value and taxes. The county's appraisal districts page says appraisal district boundaries have matched county boundaries since 2008, and sends value questions to Denton Central Appraisal District, whose protest page sets a deadline of May 15 or 30 days after the notice was mailed, whichever is later. Tax Code 41.44 has the written protest filed with the appraisal review board. Tax bills come from the Tax Assessor-Collector, 940-349-3500.

Estates. If the owner has died, Estates Code 33.001 generally sends the case to the county where the decedent lived. Denton County has Probate Court No. 1 and Probate Court No. 2, and both pages post a notice saying the ad litem deposit for probate and guardianship matters would increase to $600 effective February 1, 2025.

How Cash Home Advisors can help

You can sell your Krum house as-is, without making repairs. We pay all closing costs and can close in 7–14 days. Request an offer or read how it works. If you inherited the house, see selling an inherited house in Texas and our post on taxes on inherited property.

Local offices for this area

• Denton County Clerk: Recording Division
• Denton County Clerk
• Denton Central Appraisal District: the protest process
• Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector: Property Tax
• Denton County Probate Court No. 1

ZIP codes we buy in: 76249