HB 4617
bill requiring floodplain disclosure on undeveloped land sales
Died in committee
Verdict: No flags
Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade
Caption
relating to requiring the seller of unimproved real property to disclose if the property is in a floodplain.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
Sellers tell buyers in writing if they know of FEMA flood zones.
The bill requires anyone selling undeveloped land in Texas to give the buyer a written notice saying whether the seller knows any part of the land sits in a FEMA-designated special or moderate flood hazard area. It touches every seller of unimproved land, including developers who sell lots to others for resale, and every buyer of that land. If the seller skips the notice before the contract binds the buyer, the buyer can cancel the contract for any reason within seven days.
Labels
Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 12, 2025 and referred to the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-HB4617 · 2025-03-12
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to requiring the seller of unimproved real property to disclose if the property is in a floodplain.
WHAT IT DOES
Sellers tell buyers in writing if they know of FEMA flood zones.
The bill requires anyone selling undeveloped land in Texas to give the buyer a written notice saying whether the seller knows any part of the land sits in a FEMA-designated special or moderate flood hazard area. It touches every seller of unimproved land, including developers who sell lots to others for resale, and every buyer of that land. If the seller skips the notice before the contract binds the buyer, the buyer can cancel the contract for any reason within seven days.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development
FILED UNDER
No verified beat found.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Donors
Not tied to this bill.
Sources
The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.
Derived itemized flow · Nov 11, 2024 to Oct 21, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$20,000.00
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
$20,000.00
- Cash
- $20,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $20,000.00
Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Jul 21, 2025 to Oct 15, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101033942, 101072986.
Texas Sands PAC$4,000.00
Texas Sands PAC
$4,000.00
- Cash
- $4,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $4,000.00
Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · on Jun 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101064628.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
$20,000.00
- Cash
- $20,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $20,000.00
Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Jul 21, 2025 to Oct 15, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101033942, 101072986.
Texas Sands PAC
$4,000.00
- Cash
- $4,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $4,000.00
Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · on Jun 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101064628.
Votes
No floor vote loaded for this bill.
Fiscal
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
How this was graded
Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.
Sources
Texas House · Filed Mar 12, 2025
04/03/2025 H Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development: Apr 3 2025 12:38PM
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
House committee · Trade, Workforce & Economic Development · Final status: Died in committee
Subjects
Property Interests--Real Property
FLOODS
Text
The text as introduced · 398 words
89R9696 JBD-D By: Lozano H.B. No. 4617 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to requiring the seller of unimproved real property to disclose if the property is in a floodplain. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 5, Property Code, is amended by adding Section 5.0131 to read as follows: Sec. 5.0131. SELLER'S DISCLOSURE REGARDING UNIMPROVED REAL PROPERTY IN FLOODPLAIN. (a) In this section, "floodplain" means an area of land designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. Section 4001 et seq.) to be a special or moderate flood hazard area. (b) A seller of unimproved real property located in this state shall provide to the purchaser of the property a written notice disclosing whether any part of the property is located in a floodplain. The disclosure must be substantially equivalent to the following: "(Seller) ( ) is aware or ( ) is not aware that the unimproved real property that you are purchasing is located wholly or partly in a floodplain. A floodplain is an area of land designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be a special or moderate flood hazard area. If neither box is checked, you should assume all or part of the property is located in a floodplain." (c) The notice must be delivered by the seller on or before the effective date of an executory contract binding the purchaser to purchase the property. If a contract is entered into without the seller providing the notice as required by this section, the purchaser may terminate the contract for any reason not later than the seventh day after the effective date of the contract. (d) This section applies to any seller of unimproved real property, including a seller who is the developer of the property and who sells the property to others for resale. SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to a contract for the sale of real property entered into on or after the effective date of this Act. A contract entered into before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the contract was entered into, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.