Monitoring the Session

SB 325

bill on when rural land splits can skip the plat

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Charles PerryRSenate 28

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 county regulation of subdivisions and approval of subdivision plans or plats.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

No streets, no parks, no plat. Groundwater counties keep their water rules.

The bill rewrites the two rules that stop a Texas county from demanding a plat when a rural landowner splits land outside city limits: one for farm, ranch, wildlife or timber land, and one where every lot is over 10 acres. Under the new wording, the owner keeps that no-plat treatment only if he does not lay out streets, parks or similar shared areas, or a part of the tract described in a separate section of county subdivision law. The bill also lets county commissioners in a priority groundwater management area keep setting water availability rules for platted land, even where that separate section of law would say otherwise, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the Senate Local Government committee on Apr 14, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB325 · 2024-11-13

SOLD BY

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to county regulation of subdivisions and approval of subdivision plans or plats.

WHAT IT DOES

No streets, no parks, no plat. Groundwater counties keep their water rules.

The bill rewrites the two rules that stop a Texas county from demanding a plat when a rural landowner splits land outside city limits: one for farm, ranch, wildlife or timber land, and one where every lot is over 10 acres. Under the new wording, the owner keeps that no-plat treatment only if he does not lay out streets, parks or similar shared areas, or a part of the tract described in a separate section of county subdivision law. The bill also lets county commissioners in a priority groundwater management area keep setting water availability rules for platted land, even where that separate section of law would say otherwise, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 11, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Local Government
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Co-author authorized
FILED UNDER

DATA CENTERS, WATER AND THE GRID

THE TEXT

…“may adopt water availability requirements in an area where platting is required”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill protects the power of counties in priority groundwater areas to set water supply rules for new subdivisions so that water use does not exceed the county's safe supply.

No flags

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 · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 13, 2024 to Oct 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: 100983698, 101007598, 101030579, 101072377.

Ryan Texas PAC$35,000.00

Ryan Texas PAC

$35,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$35,000.00

Also funds 25 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 23, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Mar 12, 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: 100983698, 101057700.

Fort Stockton Holdings LP$25,000.00

Fort Stockton Holdings LP

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Nov 23, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 23, 2024. 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: 100983698.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 13, 2024 to Oct 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: 100983698, 101007598, 101030579, 101072377.

×

Ryan Texas PAC

$35,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$35,000.00

Also funds 25 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 23, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Mar 12, 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: 100983698, 101057700.

×

Fort Stockton Holdings LP

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Nov 23, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 23, 2024. 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: 100983698.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 11, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 13, 2024

04/14/2025 S Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors

Senate committee · Local Government · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

HB 2384 by Guillen (identical)

Subjects

County Government--Land Use & Zoning

PLATTING

Text

The text as introduced · 387 words

89R4185 DRS-F

By: Perry
S.B. No. 325

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. Sections 232.0015(c) and (f), Local Government

Code, are amended to read as follows:

(c) A county may not require the owner of a tract of land

located outside the limits of a municipality who divides the tract

into two or more parts to have a plat of the subdivision prepared

if:

(1) the owner does not lay out :

(A) a part of the tract described by Section

232.001(a)(3) ; or

(B) one or more streets, alleys, squares, parks,

or other parts of the tract intended for the use of purchasers or

owners of lots fronting on or adjacent to the streets, alleys,

squares, parks, or other parts ; and

(2) the land is to be used primarily for agricultural

use, as defined by Section 1-d, Article VIII, Texas Constitution,

or for farm, ranch, wildlife management, or timber production use

within the meaning of Section 1-d-1, Article VIII, Texas

Constitution.

(f) A county may not require the owner of a tract of land

located outside the limits of a municipality who divides the tract

into two or more parts to have a plat of the subdivision prepared

if:

(1) all of the lots of the subdivision are more than 10

acres in area; and

(2) the owner does not lay out :

(A) a part of the tract described by Section

232.001(a)(3) ; or

(B) one or more streets, alleys, squares, parks,

or other parts of the tract intended for the use of purchasers or

owners of lots fronting on or adjacent to the streets, alleys,

squares, parks, or other parts .

SECTION 2. Section 35.019(a), Water Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) Notwithstanding Section 232.001(h), Local Government

Code, the [ The ] commissioners court of a county in a priority

groundwater management area may adopt water availability

requirements in an area where platting is required if the court

determines that the requirements are necessary to prevent current

or projected water use in the county from exceeding the safe

sustainable yield of the county's water supply.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.