Texas Legislature

Dallas Opens the Door to Low-Intensity Density

By CandysDirt / May 5, 2025 /

A move by the Dallas City Council last month to amend its building code might help encourage the construction of small apartment buildings with up to eight units. The amendment to the code was voted on during the city council’s April 23 meeting, with Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) touting the change as a…

One Bill Aims To Boost Residential Solar Panels, While Another Slows New Solar Development

By Charles Grand / April 17, 2025 /

With residential solar panels becoming more common in North Texas, you’d think the process would be a relatively painless one. Dueling bills could speed up solar permits in Dallas — or slow development of new clean energy projects in Texas altogether. One bill under consideration is Senate Bill 1202. If enacted, it would allow private…

City Zoning Authority Increasingly Under Threat From Texas Legislature, Critics Say

By Charles Grand / March 25, 2025 /

State lawmakers have made no bones about how they plan on alleviating the housing shortage in Texas: stripping cities of their ability to regulate space through zoning. Zoning has traditionally been the purview of municipalities, allowing local officials (elected or otherwise) to plot out what things can be built where in a way that makes…

House Bill 32: Anti-Squatting Bill or Rollback of Tenant Rights?

By Charles Grand / March 18, 2025 /

If enacted, House Bill 32 would remove the existing requirement for landlords to issue a notice to vacate before initiating eviction proceedings, except in cases involving nonpayment of rent; enable landlords to obtain a summary judgment for eviction without a hearing; and allow landlords to file for eviction in neighboring precincts where they may get…

Dallas Housing Coalition’s ‘Lege Tracker’ Monitors Bills That Will Affect New Home Construction, Property Taxes

By April Towery / February 18, 2025 /

Real estate reporters are constantly asking state legislators what bills we should be keeping an eye on and what’s happening with things like low-income housing tax credits, accessory dwelling units, and, of course, property taxes. But the Dallas Housing Coalition just rolled out a “lege tracker” webpage that’s going to make our jobs a little…