City ordinance offenses punishable by a fine of more than $500 are not required to allege a culpable mental state.

• A. True
• B. Not stated
• C. False
• D. Not applicable

Answer: (C)

In Texas, crimes generally require proving a culpable mental state (mens rea) unless the statute is a strict-liability offense. For city ordinance offenses that carry a fine over $500, you don’t automatically ignore mental state—many of these offenses are not strict liability. The charging document should allege the appropriate culpable mental state unless the ordinance itself expressly provides that no mental state is required. Therefore, the statement that such offenses are not required to allege a culpable mental state is not correct—the proper approach is to plead a mens rea unless the ordinance clearly establishes strict liability.