Bill > HB4150

This bill modifies Texas Transportation Code to expand county commissioners' authority to regulate commercial activities in unincorporated areas along public highways and gives the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) enforcement powers. Previously, the law limited such regulatory powers to counties with populations over 1.3 million, but now removes that population restriction, allowing any county to regulate vendors selling food, merchandise, or live animals, and soliciting money in highway rights-of-way or parking lots. The bill also adds a new section empowering TxDOT to enforce these regulations by first issuing verbal warnings to structure owners violating local regulations, then notifying local law enforcement, and potentially removing and disposing of non-compliant structures after a 24-hour warning period. If the structure's owner can be identified, they must be notified in writing about the removal and given 10 days to reclaim their property before TxDOT or local law enforcement can dispose of it. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, providing counties with broader regulatory capabilities and TxDOT with more explicit enforcement mechanisms for roadside commercial activities.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB4150