BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 2012
89R6321 DNC-D	By: Bell, Cecil; Holt (Creighton)
	Transportation
	5/21/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Current Texas law allows commissioners courts in counties with populations over 1.3 million, such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Bexar Counties, to regulate roadside vendor activity in unincorporated areas. These regulations apply to vending and solicitation that occurs on public highways, road rights-of-way, or parking lots. However, fast-growing counties like Montgomery have experienced a significant rise in unregulated roadside vending without having the same regulatory authority.

H.B. 2012 seeks to extend the same regulatory authority currently granted to other larger counties to include counties with populations over 600,000 that are adjacent to counties with populations over 4 million. This bill would also allow counties to regulate the sale of food or merchandise by vendors, placement or maintenance of vendor structures, and the solicitation of money on public highways, road rights-of-way, and parking lots in unincorporated areas. 

H.B. 2012 amends current law relating to regulation by certain counties of roadside or parking lot vendors and solicitors.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 285.001(a), Transportation Code, to authorize the commissioners court of certain counties, including a county with a population of more than 600,000 that is adjacent to a county with a population of more than four million, to promote the public safety, by order to regulate certain activities in the unincorporated area of the county if they occur on a public highway or road, in the right-of-way of a public highway or road, or in a parking lot.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2025.