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HB2025

Regular Session

Relating to the filing for record of a plat, replat, or amended plat or replat of a subdivision of real property or a condominium.

Moderate
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies

County Clerks

HB2025
Relating to the filing for record of a plat, replat, or amended plat or replat of a subdivision of real property or a condominium.
Moderate Urgency
Unanimous Passage
House Vote132 - 0
YEA
100% in favor132 voting
Senate Vote31 - 0
YEA
100% in favor31 voting
Cost Impact
Low
Effective
2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
County Clerks
Primary Author: Rep. Carl Tepper
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025. Any plat submitted for recording on or after this date is subject to the new rules, regardless of when the application was originally filed.
  • Agency Rulemaking: None. This is a statutory change to the Property Code. However, individual County Clerks will need to update their internal intake procedures immediately.

Immediate Action Plan

  • 1. Update Intake Forms: Immediately revise internal "Plat Recording Requirements" documents to remove references to current-year tax estimates.
  • 2. Create a Statutory "One-Pager": Prepare a PDF containing the text of HB 2025, highlighting the repealed section. Equip all filing runners with this document to resolve disputes at the counter immediately.
  • 3. Audit Pending Pipelines: Identify all projects scheduled for final plat recording between September 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Flag them to ensure the new documentation standard is applied.
  • 4. Proactive Outreach: For major developments, have your counsel send a formal letter to the County Clerk's recording department in August 2025, confirming their readiness for the statutory change.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • Purchase & Sale Agreements (PSAs): Review "Conditions to Closing" in raw land contracts. If your standard PSA requires the Seller to provide "statements of estimated taxes" or "tax certificates covering the current year" for fall closings, strike this language. It creates a contractual obligation to provide a document that is no longer legally required or easily obtainable.
  • Development Agreements: Ensure tax proration clauses are robust. With the removal of the statutory lever to force current-year tax consideration at the time of platting, the contract becomes the sole mechanism for ensuring tax liability is properly divided.

Hiring/Training

  • Title Runners & filing Clerks: Train staff to push back against rejection. County Deputy Clerks are habit-driven and may reject September/October filings that lack the "current year" tax statement based on outdated training.
  • Surveyors: Inform your surveying partners that they no longer need to coordinate the collection of "Statement of Taxes Not Calculated" letters from tax assessors.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • Filing Checklists: Update your pre-recording checklist.
  • Remove: "Current Year Tax Estimate" or "Statement of Non-Calculation."
  • Retain: Original Tax Certificate showing no *delinquent* taxes.
  • Add: "Preceding Year Tax Receipt" (Required *only* if the standard tax certificate does not yet reflect payment for the preceding year).

Fees & Costs

  • Cost Reduction: Administrative costs associated with obtaining estimated tax statements from multiple taxing jurisdictions are eliminated.
  • No Fee Changes: Filing fees remain unchanged.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

The "Legacy Clerk" Risk:

The statute is clear, but implementation across Texas's 254 counties will be inconsistent. The primary ambiguity is not in the text, but in the operational readiness of rural County Clerks.

  • Risk: A clerk rejects a compliant filing in September 2025 because their internal "cheat sheet" has not been updated to reflect the repeal of the bracketed text in Property Code Sec. 12.002(e).
  • Mitigation: Do not rely on the Clerk to know the law. You must provide the proof.

Need Help Understanding Implementation?

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Jan 22, 2025
Passed House
May 10, 2025
Passed Senate
May 25, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
TopicsCounty GovernmentCounty Government--land Use & ZoningProperty InterestsProperty Interests--real PropertyTaxationTaxation--property-appraisals & Appraisal DistrictsPlatting
03

House Authors

Rep. Carl TepperRepublican · Primary Author

Senate Sponsor

Sen. Bryan HughesRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB2025

Q

What does Texas HB2025 do?

Effective September 1, 2025, HB 2025 eliminates the "September 1 to December 31" bottleneck for recording subdivision and condominium plats. Developers are no longer required to obtain statements regarding current-year tax estimates or "not calculated" letters to record plats during the fall; the requirement is now strictly limited to proof that no delinquent taxes are owed. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025.

Q

Who authored HB2025?

HB2025 was authored by Texas Representative Carl Tepper during the Regular Session.

Q

When was HB2025 signed into law?

HB2025 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce HB2025?

HB2025 is enforced by County Clerks.

Q

How urgent is compliance with HB2025?

The compliance urgency for HB2025 is rated as "moderate". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

Q

What is the cost impact of HB2025?

The cost impact of HB2025 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does HB2025 address?

HB2025 addresses topics including county government, county government--land use & zoning, property interests, property interests--real property and taxation.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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