My name is Brice Ruthart.I’m the  property owner at 3300 John Ct. When I purchased the home  there was a brick wall separating my backyard from the street.
When my brick wall became unstable and began to crumble,  I took it down and replaced it with a very nice wood fence. Under Texas law I must keep a fence up separating the pool from the side walk. 

Then, out of the blue, in October the City sent me a Notice of Violation demanding that I remove the new fence and rebuild the brick wall. That’s when I retained an attorney, who contacted the City Attorney to advise that the city’s ordinances did not contain this requirement. Instead, the ordinance stated that the subdivision Developer was responsible for installing the brick walls, at its sole cost and expense. I was given until Feb. 8, 2024 to comply, yet I almost immediately began receiving citations for failure to comply.

The last bid I got to rebuild the brick wall was over $45,000.00.

Then, in February of this year, the city council passed Ordinance 2650. 

“All new and replacement fences or walls must be replaced in like kind as to the materials and finish as the original fence or wall and must be of uniform color and material as to be uniform and compatible with the adjacent fence or wall.”

As stated, the last bid I got to rebuild the brick wall was over $45,000.00. That is only going to increase over time.

They are using me as an example. If they are successful, you will eventually be next when your wall crumbles down. So far, I have been to court 6 times and have paid thousands in legal fees. The city prosecutor also says they intend to go after anyone who has already replaced their brick wall with a wood fence. This is a clear unjustified demand from the local city authorities in Hurst Texas. They are trying to force me to replace my existing fence with a brick wall, despite there being no homeowners association to enforce this and no tangible benefits to the proposed change. The city is overstepping their boundaries and abusing their power, forcing property owners like myself into unnecessary and costly situations.What can you do? Make your voice heard! Talk to any City Council members you know. Sign this petition demanding the Ordinance 2650 be repealed.

This ordeal has already caused me significantly, both financially and emotionally, with continuous fines and expensive legal fees amounting to thousands of dollars. These are costs that I, like many other property owners, can’t afford. 

Therefore, I urge you to lend your support to our cause. We need to hold city authorities accountable and encourage them to respect the rights of property owners. Stopping this enforced brick wall regulation won't just help me, but God knows how many others who might face a similar situation in the future.

Please, sign this petition today so that together, we can maintain our rights as property owners and promote fairness and justice in our city's regulation processes. We need to demand the Ordinance be repealed.

Please reach out to me at 817-721-5516 if this is something you would like to discuss further.