Can unlicensed practice of architecture be prosecuted in a Texas justice court?

Plain-English summary

The Texas Board of Architectural Examiners asked the Attorney General two related questions about prosecuting people who practice architecture without a license. Section 13 of article 249a punishes the unauthorized practice of architecture with a fine ranging from $250 to $1,000. The first question was whether, after the legislature in 1991 raised the maximum fine for a class C misdemeanor from $200 to $500, an unlicensed-architecture complaint could be tried as a class C misdemeanor. The second was whether such a complaint could be filed and tried in a justice (justice of the peace) court.

On the first question, the office said no. The Penal Code's class C misdemeanor fine cap applies to offenses classified under the Penal Code, but section 13 is not a Penal Code offense and article 249a does not classify a violation as a class C misdemeanor, so the $500 class C cap has no effect on the statute's own $250 to $1,000 range. On the second question, the office said yes. Article V, section 19 of the Texas Constitution gives justice courts original jurisdiction over misdemeanors "punishable by fine only," with no dollar limit, and section 13's punishment is a fine only. The office acknowledged that article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure purports to cap justice-court criminal jurisdiction at a $500 fine, but it concluded that cap is unconstitutional, because the legislature can add to the jurisdiction the constitution gives a court but cannot take any of it away. Reaffirming a 1989 opinion (JM-1089) and overruling a 1992 letter opinion (No. 92-23), the office concluded that complaints under article 249a may be filed and tried in justice court.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 1993. Subsequent statutory amendments, court decisions, or later AG opinions may have changed the analysis. Treat this page as historical context, not current legal advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, deadline, or remedy mentioned here. Article 249a, V.T.C.S., has since been recodified into the Occupations Code, and the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure provisions cited may have been amended, so confirm the current law before relying on anything described here.

What the opinion meant for those who asked

For the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners: The opinion concluded that complaints for unauthorized practice of architecture under article 249a, section 13 could be filed and tried in justice court, but not as class C misdemeanors. The offense's fine range stayed at $250 to $1,000 as set by the statute itself.

For justice (JP) courts: The opinion described their constitutional jurisdiction over fine-only misdemeanors as having no maximum dollar amount, and it treated the $500 cap in article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as unconstitutional to the extent it would limit that jurisdiction.

For people charged with practicing architecture without a license: The opinion addressed where the case may be heard and how the offense is classified, not whether a person is guilty. The penalty under section 13 is a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000 for each offense.

Background and statutory framework

Section 1.03(b) of the Penal Code provides that the punishment affixed to an offense defined outside the code applies "unless the punishment is classified in accordance with this code." Because the unauthorized-practice offense in article 249a, section 13 is not defined in the Penal Code and article 249a does not classify it as a class C misdemeanor, the office concluded the class C fine cap in Penal Code section 12.23 (raised from $200 to $500 in 1991) does not govern the section 13 fine range. Violations of section 13 therefore may not be tried as class C misdemeanors.

On justice-court jurisdiction, the office compared two provisions. Article V, section 19 of the Texas Constitution gives justice of the peace courts "original jurisdiction in criminal matters of misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only," with no maximum amount. Article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, by contrast, says justices of the peace have jurisdiction in criminal cases where the fine "may not exceed five hundred dollars." Reading the statutory predecessor of article 4.11 as impliedly carrying a fine-only limitation (Ex parte Morris, 325 S.W.2d 386 (Tex. Crim. App. 1959); Ex parte Howard, 347 S.W.2d 721 (Tex. Crim. App. 1961)), the office treated article 4.11 as a $500 cap that, if applied, would deny justice courts jurisdiction over section 13 prosecutions (whose fine can exceed $500).

The office resolved the conflict against the statute. Relying on the principle that the legislature may add to, but not subtract from, the jurisdiction the constitution grants to courts, it pointed to cases striking down statutes that tried to remove constitutional district-court jurisdiction (Reasonover v. Reasonover, 58 S.W.2d 817 (Tex. 1933); Lord v. Clayton, 352 S.W.2d 718 (Tex. 1962); Jordan v. Crudgington, 231 S.W.2d 641 (Tex. 1950)), and explained that the same principle applies to justice courts because article V, section 1 lets the legislature "conform" the jurisdiction of inferior courts but not strip their constitutional jurisdiction. The conflict had arisen in 1985 when section 19 was amended to remove its prior $200 limit (S.J.R. 14), while article 4.11 was later amended to a $500 limit in 1991 (House Bill 407; Acts 1991, 72d Leg., ch. 108). Reaffirming Attorney General Opinion JM-1089 (1989), which had held the 1985 constitutional amendment controls and is self-enacting, and overruling Letter Opinion No. 92-23 (1992) to the contrary, the office concluded the $500 limit in article 4.11 is unconstitutional and void to the extent it purports to cap justice-court jurisdiction, so complaints under article 249a may be filed and tried in justice court.

Common questions

Can unlicensed practice of architecture be tried as a class C misdemeanor in Texas?
No. The office concluded that the offense's fine range of $250 to $1,000 is set by article 249a itself, the offense is not defined in the Penal Code, and article 249a does not classify it as a class C misdemeanor.

Can a justice (JP) court hear an unlicensed-architecture case?
Yes. Article V, section 19 of the Texas Constitution gives justice courts original jurisdiction over misdemeanors punishable by fine only, with no maximum dollar amount, and the section 13 offense is punishable by a fine only.

What about the $500 limit on justice-court fines in the Code of Criminal Procedure?
The office concluded that the $500 cap in article 4.11 is unconstitutional and void to the extent it would limit justice-court jurisdiction, because the legislature can add to but not take away the jurisdiction the constitution grants a court.

What is the penalty for practicing architecture without a license?
Under article 249a, section 13, a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000 for each offense.

Citations

Constitutional, statutory, and procedural provisions discussed:

• Tex. Const. art. V, § 19 (justice court jurisdiction over fine-only misdemeanors)
• Tex. Const. art. V, § 1 (legislature may conform jurisdiction of inferior courts)
• Tex. Const. art. V, § 8 (district court jurisdiction)
• V.T.C.S. art. 249a, § 13 (unauthorized practice of architecture; $250-$1,000 fine)
• Penal Code § 1.03(b) (punishment for offenses defined outside the code)
• Penal Code § 12.23 (class C misdemeanor fine, raised to $500 in 1991)
• Penal Code §§ 12.21, 12.22 (class A and B misdemeanors)
• Code Crim. Proc. art. 4.11 (justice court criminal jurisdiction; $500 cap)

Cases discussed:

• Ex parte Morris, 325 S.W.2d 386 (Tex. Crim. App. 1959) (implied fine-only limitation)
• Ex parte Howard, 347 S.W.2d 721 (Tex. Crim. App. 1961) (accord)
• Reasonover v. Reasonover, 58 S.W.2d 817 (Tex. 1933) (legislature cannot strip constitutional jurisdiction)
• Lord v. Clayton, 352 S.W.2d 718 (Tex. 1962) (adhering to Reasonover)
• Jordan v. Crudgington, 231 S.W.2d 641 (Tex. 1950)

Prior Attorney General opinions: JM-1089 (1989) (reaffirmed); Letter Opinion No. 92-23 (1992) (overruled).

Legislation referenced: S.J.R. 14, Acts 1985, 69th Leg., § 7, at 3359; H.J.R. 37, Acts 1977, 65th Leg., § 1, at 3372; Acts 1965, 59th Leg., ch. 722, § 1, at 331; House Bill 407, Acts 1991, 72d Leg., ch. 108.

Source

• Landing page: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/opinions/dan-morales/dm-0277
• Original PDF: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/opinion-files/opinion/1993/dm0277.pdf

Original opinion text

Best-effort transcription from a scanned PDF. Minor errors may remain — the linked PDF is authoritative.

Office of the Attorney General
State of Texas

DAN MORALES
ATTORNEY GENERAL

December 20, 1993

Ms. LaVonne Garland
Interim Director
Texas Board of Architectural Examiners
8213 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Suite 107
Austin, Texas 78758-7589

Opinion No. DM-277

Re: Whether complaints under V.T.C.S. article 249a, section 13, may be tried in justice courts as class C misdemeanors (RQ-215)

Dear Ms. Garland:

Your predecessor requested our opinion concerning the effect of the 1991 amendment to section 12.23 of the Penal Code upon V.T.C.S. article 249a, section 13. The 1991 amendment to section 12.23 raised the maximum fine for a class C misdemeanor from $200 to $500. [Footnote 1] Section 13 defines the unauthorized practice of architecture as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine ranging from $250 to $1,000. [Footnote 2]

Your predecessor asked:

Pursuant to [the 1991 amendment] increasing the fine amounts for Class C misdemeanors to Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), may complaints filed under Article 249a Texas Revised Civil Statutes Annotated, regarding non-registrant violations be tried in Justice Courts as Class C misdemeanors?

There are two parts to this question: (1) may complaints filed under article 249a be tried as class C misdemeanors? and (2) may complaints under article 249a be filed and tried in justice court?

We apply the following considerations in answering the first part of the question. Section 1.03 of the Penal Code provides in part: "[T]he punishment affixed to an offense defined outside this code shall be applicable unless the punishment is classified in accordance with this code." Penal Code § 1.03(b). The offense defined in section 13 is not an offense defined in the Penal Code. Furthermore, article 249a does not classify a violation of section 13 as a class C misdemeanor.

For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the class C misdemeanor fine limitation set forth in section 12.23 of the Penal Code has no bearing on the range of fines established in section 13 of article 249a, V.T.C.S. Violations of article 249a, section 13, may not be tried as class C misdemeanors.

Regarding the second part of the question, the Texas Constitution grants jurisdiction to the justice courts as follows:

Sec. 19. Justice of the peace courts shall have original jurisdiction in criminal matters of misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only, exclusive jurisdiction in civil matters where the amount in controversy is two hundred dollars or less, and such other jurisdiction as may be provided by law.

Tex. Const. art. V, § 19 (emphasis added). The punishment provided in article 249a, section 13, is a fine only. Therefore, it appears that the justice court has original jurisdiction of violations of article 249a, section 13, by virtue of section 19 of article V of the constitution.

On the other hand, article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure purports to establish the following monetary limitation on the criminal jurisdiction of the justice courts: "Justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction in criminal cases where the fine to be imposed may not exceed five hundred dollars." Unlike the constitutional provision, article 4.11 does not expressly limit justice-court jurisdiction to criminal cases punishable "by fine only" and therefore might be construed literally as a grant of additional jurisdiction of criminal cases punishable by fine and some other penalty rather than as a limitation on the justice court's constitutional, fine-only jurisdiction. Nevertheless, the provision's statutory predecessor, which also lacked such an express limitation, was construed in the case of Ex parte Morris, 325 S.W.2d 386, 388 (Tex. Crim. App. 1959), as impliedly incorporating the fine-only jurisdictional limitation by its codification from an even earlier statute, which did contain the express limitation. Accord Ex parte Howard, 347 S.W.2d 721 (Tex. Crim. App. 1961). We therefore construe the current article 4.11 as a purported statutory limitation of jurisdiction to criminal cases punishable by a fine only in the maximum amount of $500 or less. This construction of article 4.11, contrary to the constitutional grant of jurisdiction, would deny the justice courts jurisdiction over prosecutions under article 249a, section 13, because the fine under section 13 may exceed $500.

The inconsistency between section 19 of article V of the Texas Constitution and article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure arose in 1985, when the constitutional provision was amended. See S.J.R. 14, Acts 1985, 69th Leg., § 7, at 3359. Before the constitutional amendment, both provisions contained a $200 limitation on the criminal jurisdiction of the justice courts. Compare Tex. Const. art. V, § 19, as amended by H.J.R. 37, Acts 1977, 65th Leg., § 1, at 3372 (prior version of article V, section 19: "Justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction in criminal matters of all cases where the penalty or fine to be imposed by law may not be more than for two hundred dollars") with Acts 1965, 59th Leg., ch. 722, § 1, at 331 (prior version of article 4.11: "Justices of the peace shall have jurisdiction in criminal cases where the fine to be imposed by law may not exceed two hundred dollars"); cf. S.J.R. 14, Acts 1985, 69th Leg., § 7, at 3359 (limitation struck out in resolution to amend constitution). Article 4.11 was amended to its current form in 1991. See Acts 1991, 72d Leg., ch. 108, § 4. [Footnote 3] We have found nothing in the legislative history of the 1991 amendment to shed light on the legislative intent, if any, in regard to the conflict between the statute and the constitutional provision.

After due consideration, we conclude that the $500 limitation in article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is unconstitutional because it would deprive the justice courts of some of their jurisdiction. This conclusion is based on the principle that the legislature can add to, but it cannot take away from, the jurisdiction granted to the district courts and inferior courts in the constitution.

This principle has been applied in several cases involving the jurisdiction of the district courts. Thus, in Reasonover v. Reasonover, 58 S.W.2d 817 (Tex. 1933), the court held unconstitutional a statute that purported to withhold from a certain district court jurisdiction of all causes for divorce and adjudication of property rights related thereto and to confer exclusive jurisdiction of those causes to a criminal district court. The supreme court decided that the statutory attempt to oust the district court of such jurisdiction violated section 8 of article V of the constitution, which granted the district court "original jurisdiction 'of all cases of divorce.'" Id. at 818 (quoting Tex. Const. art. V, § 8 (1891)). The court noted the language in the 1891 amendment to section 1 of article V of the constitution, providing that the legislature "'may conform the' jurisdiction of the district and other inferior courts ['to'" the jurisdiction prescribed for other courts that it establishes, id., and construed the provision to mean that the legislature could make the district court's jurisdiction concurrent with that of any statutory court but could not deprive the district court of its constitutional jurisdiction:

The amendment to section 1, article 5, adopted in 1891, does not purport to take away from the district court, or to authorize the Legislature to take away from it, its constitutional jurisdiction. It does authorize the Legislature to take from it the exclusive nature of its jurisdiction over the subjects mentioned in section 8, article 5, and permits the Legislature to give jurisdiction over them also to other courts.

Id. at 819; see Lord v. Clayton, 352 S.W.2d 718, 721-22 (Tex. 1962) (adhering to Reasonover holding); see also Jordan v. Crudgington, 231 S.W.2d 641, 643 (Tex. 1950) (observing that statute creating court of domestic relations did "not undertake to divest any court of its constitutional jurisdiction and vest same exclusively in the court of domestic relations").

The holding of Reasonover applies with equal force to the justice courts because section 1 of article V of the constitution applies by its express terms to courts inferior to the district court. That provision still reads, in pertinent part: "The Legislature may establish such other courts as it may deem necessary and prescribe the jurisdiction and organization thereof, and may conform the jurisdiction of the district and other inferior courts thereto." Tex. Const. art. V, § 1 (emphasis added).

In Attorney General Opinion JM-1089 (1989) we decided that the 1985 amendment to section 19 of article V of the constitution controlled over the $200 jurisdictional limitation then contained in article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. We also decided in that opinion that the constitutional amendment's "provision for justice court jurisdiction over 'misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only' does not require further legislative action to be given effect." Attorney General Opinion JM-1089 at 2. We here reaffirm that opinion [Footnote 4] and add that the 1991 amendment to article 4.11 is unconstitutional and void to the extent it purports to increase the limitation to $500. [Footnote 5] Therefore, we conclude that complaints under article 249a may be filed and tried in justice court.

SUMMARY

The $500 maximum fine limitation for class C misdemeanors set forth in section 12.23 of the Penal Code does not apply to the misdemeanor of unauthorized practice of architecture defined in V.T.C.S. article 249a, section 13, which sets punishment as a fine ranging from $250 to $1,000. The $500 limitation on the criminal jurisdiction of justice courts contained in article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is void for violation of section 19 of article V of the Texas Constitution, which contains no maximum limit on that court's jurisdiction over fine-only misdemeanors. Article V, section 19, does not require legislative implementation; therefore, complaints under article 249a may be filed and tried in justice court. Letter Opinion No. 92-23 (1992) is overruled.

DAN MORALES
Attorney General of Texas

WILL PRYOR
First Assistant Attorney General

JORGE VEGA
Deputy Attorney General for Litigation

RENEA HICKS
State Solicitor

MADELEINE B. JOHNSON
Chair, Opinion Committee

Prepared by James B. Pinson
Assistant Attorney General

Footnote 1: Penal Code section 12.23 now reads: "An individual adjudged guilty of a Class C misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500."

Footnote 2: Section 13 of article 249a, V.T.C.S., provides in part: "(a) If any person . . . shall, for a fee or other direct compensation, practice the profession of architecture in this State as herein defined, . . . without first having complied with the provisions of this Act, such person shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) and not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for each offense."

Footnote 3: House Bill 407 of the 72d Legislature, which amended article 4.11, also amended, inter alia, section 12.23 of the Penal Code to increase the class C misdemeanor fine maximum from $200 to $500. Acts 1991, 72d Leg., ch. 108, § 1, at 681.

Footnote 4: In Letter Opinion No. 92-23 (1992) this office contradicted the holding of Attorney General Opinion JM-1089 that the provision of justice court jurisdiction of "misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only" contained in section 19 of article V is self-enacting. Letter Opinion No. 92-23 is overruled.

Footnote 5: Lest there be confusion, we emphasize that this opinion has no application to the jurisdiction of the courts over class A, B, and C misdemeanors as those offenses are defined, respectively, in Penal Code sections 12.21 through 12.23. Regardless of whether or not the $500 limitation in article 4.11 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is valid, the justice courts have jurisdiction, Tex. Const. art. V, § 19, over class C misdemeanors because those offenses are punishable only by a fine of a maximum amount not exceeding $500. Penal Code § 12.23. Class A and B misdemeanors are punishable by fine or confinement in jail, or both (that is, not by fine only). Id. §§ 12.21-.22.