In Texas, recent changes are giving landowners newfound power. This is a game-changer for developers. It's called Senate Bill 2038.
For years, Texas cities have had the authority to claim areas just outside city limits as Extra Territorial Jurisdictions, or ETJs. This allowed them to impose regulations on land while being under no obligation to provide services.
Take, for example, the City of Buda. Here's what their
city limits map looks like with the ETJ included. Some larger cities could even forcibly annex zones within 5 miles of their boundaries. But now state lawmakers have created a pathway for people to break away from this if the City isn't providing them with utilities.
Milestone Community Builders owns a 775-acre tract in Buda and was going back and forth with the City for years attempting to move forward with a subdivision plan but was not making much progress. So when the Senate passed Bill 2038, Milestone was ready to use it to remove the land from the City's ETJ. I have seen multiple developers start to use this to their advantage.
Now, why is this such a big deal? Well, if you're located in the ETJ, developing your land used to involve navigating the bureaucratic maze of both the county and the city.
But if you choose to de-annex yourself, you only have to get development plans approved through the county. It's a streamlined process that can save you time, money, and headaches.
So in short, Senate Bill 2038 is changing the game for landowners
No more city ETJ struggles, now it’s all about straightforward dealings with the county.
This will allow for
- Easier approvals ✅
- Less bureaucracy ✅
This is a true win for development projects streamlining the process to saving time, money, and hassle.
The Texas land revolution is here!
Watch our YouTube video here for more information!
