88R25450 AMF-F
 
  By: Wilson H.B. No. 3697
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to county regulation of subdivisions and approval of
  subdivision plans or plats.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 232.001(a), Local Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The owner of a tract of land located outside the limits
  of a municipality must have a plat of the subdivision prepared if
  the owner divides the tract into two or more parts to lay out:
               (1)  a subdivision of the tract, including an addition;
               (2)  lots; or
               (3)  streets, alleys, squares, parks, or other parts of
  the tract intended by the owner of the tract to be dedicated to
  public use or for the private use of purchasers or owners of lots
  fronting on or adjacent to the streets, alleys, squares, parks, or
  other parts to be maintained by the purchasers or owners of those
  lots.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 232.0025(a) and (i), Local Government
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The commissioners court of a county or a person
  designated by the commissioners court shall issue a written list of
  all [the] documentation and other information that must be
  submitted with a plat application. The documentation or other
  information must relate to a requirement authorized under this
  section or other applicable law. An application submitted to the
  commissioners court or the person designated by the commissioners
  court that contains all [the] documents and other information on
  the written list is considered complete.  The commissioners court
  shall post and continuously maintain the most current version of
  the list on the county's Internet website.
         (i)  If the commissioners court or the court's designee fails
  to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove a plat
  application as required by this subchapter:
               (1)  the commissioners court shall refund the greater
  of the unexpended portion of any application fee or deposit or 50
  percent of an application fee or deposit that has been paid;
               (2)  the application is granted by operation of law;
  [and]
               (3)  the applicant may apply to a district court in the
  county where the tract of land is located for a writ of mandamus to
  compel the commissioners court to issue documents recognizing the
  plat application's approval; and
               (4)  the prevailing party in an action filed under
  Subdivision (3) may recover reasonable attorney's fees and court
  costs incurred in the action.
         SECTION 3.  Section 232.0033, Local Government Code, is
  amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
         (c)  The commissioners court of a county or the court's
  designee may not refuse to review a plat application or refuse to
  approve a plat for recordation for failure to identify a corridor,
  as defined by Section 201.619, Transportation Code, unless the
  corridor is part of an agreement between the Texas Department of
  Transportation and the county under that section.
         SECTION 4.  As soon as practicable after the effective date
  of this Act but not later than January 1, 2024, each county shall
  adopt and publish the list described by Section 232.0025, Local
  Government Code, as amended by this Act.
         SECTION 5.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  a plat application submitted on or after the effective date of this
  Act.  A plat application submitted before the effective date of this
  Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the application was
  submitted, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.