Bill > HB294

This bill establishes new regulations for property owners' associations (POAs) regarding food production on single-family residential lots in Texas. The legislation allows homeowners to grow fruits and vegetables, raise up to six domestic fowl or six adult rabbits, and operate cottage food production businesses, even if existing POA rules might previously have prohibited such activities. While POAs cannot completely ban these food production efforts, they can impose reasonable restrictions that do not effectively prevent the activities. These reasonable restrictions can include requirements for maintaining visible growing areas, controlling odor and noise, establishing minimum housing space for animals, setting limits on animal numbers beyond the initial six, prohibiting roosters, mandating fencing and sanitary conditions, and regulating where animals can be kept on the property. The bill specifically does not apply to condominiums or unit owner associations, and it allows POAs to regulate certain aesthetic elements like animal shelter appearance, signage, and parking related to these activities. Any existing POA provisions that conflict with this new law will be considered void. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, giving POAs and homeowners time to prepare for the new regulations.