Texas: The Official Stance for Construction

Construction Status: Essential

With construction deemed essential for energy projects, housing, and infrastructure, the stay at home orders are extended untill April 30, 2020. Though sticking with a stay at home guidelines, a new order was released in which Governor Abbott has three new executive orders lifting many restrictions on work, travel, and retail, etc.

The state of Texas is moving towards reopening under the recent executive orders of Governor Abbott under which he has specified the plan to open activities and business. However, the state is still looking towards contact tracing and testing to ensure control over the spread and bring the state back to normal.

October 2020 Update: The recent orders issued by Governor Abbott have lifted restrictions on public gatherings and visit to the bars. However, the outdoor events are not restricted to the limit on gathering but have to stick with social distancing rules. Since September, government has also opened bidding options for public projects which can turn to be an opportunity for the contractors.

Governing Body: The Office Of Governor Greg Abbott  ​

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FAQs: Texas Construction Updates on the COVID-19 Pandemic

How construction is addressed in the state?
Leaning on CISA Guidelines, construction in Texas is deemed as an essential service in the statewide orders.

However, the different counties had a different perspective on construction. For instance, Austin County has considered construction of affordable housing only as essential. However, San Antonio County has considered both residential and commercial construction as essential.
Following the guidelines of CISA memorandum, the building supply chain workers and the hardware stores are permitted to function, along with essential workforces such as electricians, plumbers, and other essential construction workers. However, the rules may vary for local or county orders and therefore must be checked or referred with the orders of local authorities.
•City of Longview
•Amarillo County
•Bell County
•Bexar County
•Brazoria County
•Cameron County
•Chambers County
•Collin County
•Dallas County Extended to May 15
•Denton County
•El Paso County
•Ellis County
•Fort Bend County
•Galveston County
•Gregg County
•Harris County
•Hays County
•Hidalgo County
•Hunt County
•Kaufman County
•Liberty County
•McLennan County
•Nacogdoches County
•Nueces County
•Polk County
•Robertson County
•Rockwall County
•San Jacinto County
•Scurry County
•Smith County
•Starr County
•Tarrant County
•Travis County
•Willacy County
•Williamson County
Yes, the Government of Texas has announced workplace guidelines Under these guidelines, construction firms must ensure that they stick with all the safety protocols as well as precautionary measures that can help mitigate exposure
Construction could be kept open amid COVID-19 by practicing the safety measures at the site. The workers need to ensure that they keep a safe six-foot distance at work. Moreover, the employers need to make sure that sites are completely sanitized and there should be a proper arrangement to avoid illness. These steps could include providing safety gear to the workers, sanitizing the site frequently, etc.
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