(a) Except as otherwise provided in Subsection (b), all landscaping must be completed before the final inspection of any building on the lot. If there is an approved landscape plan for the lot, the landscaping must comply with that plan before the final inspection.
(b) If the property owner provides the building official with documented assurance that the landscaping will be completed within six months, the building official may permit the property owner to complete his landscaping during the six-month period. For purposes of this subsection, "documented assurance" means:
(1) a copy of a valid contract to install the landscaping in accordance with the landscape plan within the six-month period; or
(2) a set of deed restrictions containing a covenant to install the landscaping in accordance with the landscape plan within the six-month period. The deed restrictions must:
(A) expressly provide that they may be enforced by the city of Dallas;
(B) be approved as to form by the city attorney; and
(C) be filed in the deed records of the county in which the land is located.
(c) If, at the end of the six-month period, the landscaping has not been installed in accordance with the landscape plan, the owner of the property is liable to the city for a civil penalty in the amount of $200 a day for each calendar day thereafter until the landscaping is properly installed. The building official shall give written notice to the property owner of the amount owed to the city in civil penalties, and shall notify the city attorney of any unpaid civil penalty. The city attorney shall collect unpaid civil penalties in a suit on the city's behalf.
(d) The civil penalty provided for in Subsection (c) is in addition to any other enforcement remedies the city may have under city ordinances and state law. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20496; 22053; 30929)