Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2977 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4396 SCL-D
2	2	By: Harris H.B. No. 2977
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the authority of certain persons to obtain third-party
10	10	review of plats and property development plans, permits, and
11	11	similar documents, and the inspection of an improvement related to
12	12	such a document.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. Section 247.002, Local Government Code, as added
15	15	by Chapter 654 (H.B. 14), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular
16	16	Session, 2023, is amended to read as follows:
17	17	Sec. 247.002. OPTION FOR THIRD-PARTY REVIEW OR INSPECTION
18	18	[REQUIRED]. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, an applicant for
19	19	[If a regulatory authority does not approve, conditionally approve,
20	20	or disapprove a development document by the 15th day after the date
21	21	prescribed by a provision of this code for the approval,
22	22	conditional approval, or disapproval of the document,] any required
23	23	review of a development [the] document may obtain review of the
24	24	document from [be performed by] a person:
25	25	(1) other than:
26	26	(A) the applicant; or
27	27	(B) a person whose work is the subject of the
28	28	application; and
29	29	(2) who is:
30	30	(A) employed by the regulatory authority to
31	31	review development documents;
32	32	(B) employed by another political subdivision to
33	33	review development documents, if the regulatory authority has
34	34	approved the person to review development documents; or
35	35	(C) an engineer licensed under Chapter 1001,
36	36	Occupations Code.
37	37	(b) Notwithstanding any other law, an owner of land or an
38	38	improvement to the land that requires a development [If a
39	39	regulatory authority does not conduct a required development
40	40	inspection by the 15th day after the date prescribed by a provision
41	41	of this code for conducting the inspection, the] inspection may
42	42	obtain the inspection from [be conducted by] a person:
43	43	(1) other than:
44	44	(A) the owner of the land or improvement to the
45	45	land that is the subject of the inspection; or
46	46	(B) a person whose work is the subject of the
47	47	inspection; and
48	48	(2) who is:
49	49	(A) certified to inspect buildings by the
50	50	International Code Council;
51	51	(B) employed by the regulatory authority as a
52	52	building inspector;
53	53	(C) employed by another political subdivision as
54	54	a building inspector, if the regulatory authority has approved the
55	55	person to perform inspections; or
56	56	(D) an engineer licensed under Chapter 1001,
57	57	Occupations Code.
58	58	SECTION 2. Section 247.004(a), Local Government Code, as
59	59	added by Chapter 654 (H.B. 14), Acts of the 88th Legislature,
60	60	Regular Session, 2023, is amended to read as follows:
61	61	(a) A person who reviews a development document or conducts
62	62	a development inspection under Section 247.002 shall:
63	63	(1) review the document, conduct the inspection, and
64	64	take all other related actions in accordance with all applicable
65	65	provisions of law as if the person is the regulatory authority; and
66	66	(2) not later than the 15th day after the date the
67	67	person completes the review or inspection, provide notice to the
68	68	regulatory authority of the results of the review or inspection.
69	69	SECTION 3. Section 247.005, Local Government Code, as added
70	70	by Chapter 654 (H.B. 14), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular
71	71	Session, 2023, is amended to read as follows:
72	72	Sec. 247.005. WAIVER AND ADDITIONAL APPROVAL PROHIBITED. A
73	73	regulatory authority may not request or require an applicant to:
74	74	(1) waive:
75	75	(A) the applicant's right to obtain third-party
76	76	review under Section 247.002; or
77	77	(B) a deadline or other procedure under this
78	78	chapter; or
79	79	(2) obtain the regulatory authority's approval for a
80	80	development document or development inspection that a third-party
81	81	reviewer has approved.
82	82	SECTION 4. Chapter 247, Local Government Code, as amended
83	83	by this Act, applies only to a development document or a request for
84	84	a development inspection, as those terms are defined by Section
85	85	247.001 of that chapter, that was not final on the effective date of
86	86	this Act. A development document or request for a development
87	87	inspection that was final before the effective date of this Act is
88	88	governed by the law applicable to the document or inspection
89	89	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
90	90	continued in effect for that purpose.
91	91	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
92	92	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
93	93	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
94	94	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
95	95	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.