September 1st Effective Date for New Laws
For most bills passed into law during a legislative session, the default effective date is September 1st. On rare occasions when bills get a super-majority, they become effective the moment the governor signs them in the early summer. And other bills that need more time to be implemented can be pushed off until the new year in January.
But typically, most bills “go live” on September 1st.
For a full recap of all the bills that passed this session impacting our industry, you can look through our comprehensive recap. The links will send you to our explainers on all the bills, including more details on the bills listed below.
As for the bills we are interested in that go into effect on Friday, September 1st they are:
HB 2706 - relating to the regulation of manufactured homes.
HB 2127 - relating to state preemption of and the effect of certain state or federal law on certain municipal and county regulation. Note: this is the bill that also includes preemption over the eviction process and mandates only state law controls, not local eviction ordinances.
HB 2022 - relating to residential construction liability.
HB 14 - relating to third-party review of plats and property development plans, permits, and similar documents, and the inspection of an improvement related to such a document.
HB 3492 - relating to county and municipal authority to impose certain value-based fees and require disclosure of certain information related to subdivision construction.
HB 3697 - relating to county regulation of subdivisions and approval of subdivision plans or plats.
HB 3699 - relating to municipal regulation of subdivisions and approval of subdivision plans or plats.
HB 19 - relating to the creation of a specialty trial court to hear certain cases; authorizing fees.
SB 1259 - relating to the maximum judgment amount awarded by a justice court in certain civil cases regarding the repair of residential rental property.
HB 1382 - relating to the public sale of real property taken in execution of a judgment.
HB 219 - relating to the release of a deed of trust or other contract lien securing a home loan after payoff by mortgagor.
SB 62 - relating to posting certain documents and information related to certain real property sales on a county's Internet website.
HB 4164 - relating to the improper use and treatment of an assistance animal or service animal; increasing a criminal penalty.
SB 943 - relating to publication of notices by a governmental entity on the Internet websites of a newspaper and the Texas Press Association.
HB 1859 - relating to the regulation of air conditioning and refrigeration contracting, including eligibility for an air conditioning and refrigeration technician registration or certification.
HB 697 - relating to seller's disclosures regarding fuel gas piping in residential real property.
HB 2636 - relating to liability of a recreational vehicle park or campground entity for injuries arising from certain activities.
SB 594 - relating to requirements for and charges for service from public drinking water supply systems.