General Law City is a city that is...

• A. A city governed by a charter that gives self-government.
• B. A city that is subject to the general laws of the state and may act only when authorized by state law.
• C. A city that operates under an unwritten constitution.
• D. A municipality with full home-rule autonomy in all matters.

Answer: (B)

In Texas, a general-law city is a municipality that operates strictly under the state's general laws and may act only when the state specifically authorizes it. That means its powers come from state statutes, and it cannot go beyond what the state allows. The other descriptions point to home-rule arrangements: a city governed by a charter with self-government is home-rule, not general-law; an unwritten constitution isn’t how municipalities are organized here; and a municipality with full home-rule autonomy would not be a general-law city. Understanding this distinction helps you see why the statement describing a general-law city as one that acts only when state law authorizes it is correct.