Texas Natural Resources Code Title 2, Chapter 31 - General Land Office

SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS

• Texas Section 31.001 - Definitions
  In this chapter: (1) "Appraiser" means a state-certified or state-licensed real estate appraiser who: (A) is employed by or contracts with the land office; and...

SUBCHAPTER B ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

• Texas Section 31.002 - Exemption From Certain Real Estate Transaction Laws
  (a) Unless the statute specifically states that the statute applies to the land office, the following statutes do not apply to the land office: (1)...
• Texas Section 31.011 - Land Office Established
  There shall be one General Land Office located in Austin, which shall register all land titles emanating from the state if not prohibited by the...
• Texas Section 31.014 - Commissioner's Liability
  The commissioner and a surety on a bond authorized under Chapter 653, Government Code, are responsible to any person who is injured by removal, withdrawal,...
• Texas Section 31.015 - Chief Clerk
  (a) The commissioner shall appoint a chief clerk. (b) The chief clerk may perform any of the duties of the commissioner if the commissioner is...
• Texas Section 31.016 - Abstract Clerk
  The commissioner shall designate one of his clerks as the abstract clerk and shall assign to him the special duty to correct the abstracts of...
• Texas Section 31.017 - Receiver
  With the consent of the governor, the commissioner shall appoint a suitable person to serve as receiver for the land office. Acts 1977, 65th Leg.,...
• Texas Section 31.018 - Translator
  (a) The commissioner shall appoint a translator who thoroughly understands the Spanish and English languages. (b) The translator shall take the official oath. (c) The...
• Texas Section 31.019 - Surveyors
  (a) The commissioner shall appoint a chief surveyor and as many assistant surveyors as authorized by law. (b) The chief surveyor and the chief surveyor's...

SUBCHAPTER C POWERS AND DUTIES

• Texas Section 31.021 - Reimbursement For Notary Public Expense
  The land office may reimburse an employee for the fees and costs of a bond that are required for appointment as a notary public if...
• Texas Section 31.051 - General Duties
  The commissioner shall: (1) superintend, control, and direct the official conduct of subordinate officers of the land office; (2) execute and perform all acts and...
• Texas Section 31.0515 - Duties Related To The Alamo Complex
  The land office shall: (1) employ staff necessary to preserve and maintain the Alamo complex and contract for professional services of qualified consultants; and (2)...
• Texas Section 31.052 - Custody Of Records
  (a) Books, accounts, records, papers, maps, and original documents relating to real property titles which are termed archives by law shall be the books and...
• Texas Section 31.053 - Filing Papers
  (a) The commissioner shall adopt the most convenient method for filing papers and preserving records of the land office. (b) A list of all papers...
• Texas Section 31.054 - Public Access To And Removal Of Papers
  (a) Any person who desires to examine any paper, record, or file must make a written request on a form and according to procedures prescribed...
• Texas Section 31.056 - Revision, Compilation, And Printing Of Abstracts
  (a) The commissioner shall prepare a revision and compilation of the various volumes of the abstracts of patented, titled, and surveyed real property which were...
• Texas Section 31.058 - Receiving Funds
  (a) The receiver shall receive funds required by law to be paid to the commissioner and on request shall give to each person who deposits...
• Texas Section 31.059 - Receiver's Books
  (a) The receiver shall keep books in which the following shall be entered: (1) each deposit separately; and (2) the name of the person. (b)...
• Texas Section 31.062 - Embezzlement
  If a suspended receiver is found guilty of embezzlement, the receiver shall be removed from office and a suit shall be instituted to recover on...
• Texas Section 31.064 - Setting And Collecting Fees
  The commissioner shall set and collect, for the use of the state, reasonable fees in amounts for filing fees, preparation of certificates of fact, certified...
• Texas Section 31.065 - Authority To Accept Grants, Gifts, Devises, Trusts, And Bequests
  (a) In the absence of any law to the contrary, the commissioner may, if the commissioner determines it to be in the best interest of...
• Texas Section 31.0655 - State Employee Contributions To Save Texas History And Adopt-a-beach Programs
  For purposes of Subchapter I, Chapter 659, Government Code: (1) the land office, for the sole purpose of managing the Save Texas History and Adopt-A-Beach...
• Texas Section 31.066 - Authority To Accept Title To A Site Following Completion Of Remedial Action In Accordance With Federal Law
  (a) If it is necessary for the United States government to acquire real property in this state to conduct remedial action at a site listed...
• Texas Section 31.067 - Authority To Sell Certain Agency Real Property
  The division is authorized to sell any real property acquired on behalf of the state pursuant to Section 402.025, Government Code. Sale of such real...
• Texas Section 31.0671 - Agency Authority To Sell Or Exchange Real Property
  Any state agency or political subdivision may directly sell or exchange real property to which it holds title with the School Land Board for the...
• Texas Section 31.0672 - Authority To Conduct Certain Real Property Transactions
  (a) The division may directly sell to a political subdivision or a development corporation organized under Subtitle C1, Title 12, Local Government Code, any real...

SUBCHAPTER E REAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT

• Texas Section 31.068 - Standing To Enforce Restrictions
  (a) The commissioner and the attorney general have standing to enforce a: (1) restrictive covenant affecting real property owned by the permanent school fund or...
• Texas Section 31.153 - Real Property Accounting And Records
  (a) All real property owned by the state shall be accounted for by the state agency that possesses the real property. (b) Each state agency...
• Texas Section 31.154 - Real Property Inventory
  The division shall review and keep inventory records of all real property owned by the state. The division shall compile the inventory records from the...
• Texas Section 31.155 - Special Status Of Certain Agencies
  (a) The division is not responsible for maintaining the inventory records, as provided by Section 31.154, of the real property administered by the Texas Department...
• Texas Section 31.156 - Real Property Review
  (a) The division shall review the real property inventory of each state agency not less than every four years, and a review shall be made...
• Texas Section 31.157 - Evaluation Report
  (a) The commissioner shall prepare a draft evaluation report, which shall include the results and findings of the evaluation of the real property owned by...
• Texas Section 31.1571 - Governor's Report
  (a) At any time, the commissioner may make a report to the governor recommending real estate transactions or other actions involving any real property included...
• Texas Section 31.1573 - Real Estate Transactions Authorized By Governor
  (a) The land office shall take charge and control of real property as necessary to conduct and close a real estate transaction authorized by the...
• Texas Section 31.158 - Real Estate Transactions Authorized By Legislature
  (a) If the legislature authorizes a real estate transaction involving real property owned by the state, the division shall take possession and control of the...
• Texas Section 31.1581 - Transfer Of Real Property For Use As Affordable Housing
  (a) If the legislature authorizes or the governor approves the transfer of title to real property to an entity for use as affordable housing, the...
• Texas Section 31.1582 - Sale Of Certain Mineral Interests
  (a) If the General Land Office receives from a landowner an offer to buy the state's interest in the mineral estate in real property to...
• Texas Section 31.1585 - Certain Proceeds
  Notwithstanding any other law, proceeds from the sale of real property purchased with general revenue funds that was recommended for sale by the division and...
• Texas Section 31.159 - First Option To Purchase
  (a) The School Land Board has a first option to purchase real property authorized for sale by the legislature or the governor. The board may...
• Texas Section 31.161 - Development Plan
  (a) If the state intends to conduct a sale or lease for nongovernmental purposes of real property belonging to the state, to the permanent school...
• Texas Section 31.1611 - Public Hearing Before Preparation Of Development Plan
  (a) If the division is requested to prepare a development plan under Section 31.161, the division shall notify the local government to which the plan...
• Texas Section 31.162 - Submission Of The Plan To Affected Local Government
  (a) The plan shall be submitted to any local government having jurisdiction over the real property in question for consideration. (b) The local government shall...
• Texas Section 31.163 - Rezoning
  (a) If the plan would require zoning inconsistent with any existing zoning or other land use regulation, the division or its designated representative may at...
• Texas Section 31.164 - Fees And Assessments
  (a) The local government may impose no application, filing, or other fees or assessments on the state for consideration of the plan or the application...
• Texas Section 31.165 - Special Board Of Review
  (a) If the local government denies the rezoning request, the matter may be appealed to a special board of review consisting of the following members:...
• Texas Section 31.166 - Hearing
  (a) The special board of review shall conduct one or more public hearings to consider the proposed development plan. (b) Hearings shall be conducted in...

SUBCHAPTER G SUPER COLLIDER SITE

• Texas Section 31.167 - Binding Effect Of Development Plan
  (a) Except as provided by this subsection, a development plan promulgated by the special board of review and any plan accepted by a local government...
• Texas Section 31.307 - Dedication Of Roads
  The commissioner may dedicate roads located on the real property used as the site for the superconducting super collider research facility to the county in...
• Texas Section 31.308 - Conveyance Of Surface And Subsurface Estate
  (a) In this section, "subsurface estate" means the subsurface acquired by the state to construct or maintain the underground accelerator partially built or proposed to...

SUBCHAPTER H USE OF STATE ENERGY RESOURCES

• Texas Section 31.309 - Preference Right To Purchase Certain Real Property
  (a) A person or the person's heirs who conveyed real property to the state for use by the superconducting super collider research facility has a...
• Texas Section 31.401 - Natural Gas Acquisition Contracts
  (a) The land office shall review and must approve any contract entered into by a state agency for the acquisition of an annual average of...

SUBCHAPTER I THE ALAMO COMPLEX

• Texas Section 31.402 - Rules
  The commissioner shall adopt any rules necessary to carry out this subchapter, including rules regarding review and approval of natural gas acquisition contracts under Section...
• Texas Section 31.450 - Findings; Memorandum Of Understanding
  (a) The legislature finds that: (1) the Alamo has played an important role in the history of this state and continues to be a symbol...
• Texas Section 31.451 - Preservation And Maintenance Of Alamo
  (a) The Alamo complex is under the jurisdiction of the land office. The land office is responsible for the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of the...
• Texas Section 31.452 - Assistance From State Preservation Board
  The land office may consult with the State Preservation Board in the performance of duties under this subchapter. On request of the land office, the...
• Texas Section 31.453 - Agreement With Daughters Of The Republic Of Texas
  (a) The land office shall enter into an agreement with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for the management, operation, and financial support of...
• Texas Section 31.454 - The Alamo Complex Account
  (a) The Alamo complex account is a separate account in the general revenue fund. (b) The account consists of: (1) transfers made to the account;...
• Texas Section 31.455 - Alamo Preservation Advisory Board
  (a) The land office may establish an Alamo Preservation Advisory Board to provide advice, proposals, and recommendations to: (1) promote the development of a world-class...

Last modified: September 28, 2016