The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Texas HB 261 limits appraised value increases for commercial real property valued at $10 million or less
Last action · August 19, 2025: FiledSponsor: Will Metcalf
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas House Bill 261 caps annual increases for qualifying commercial real property valued at $10 million or less at 20 percent for purposes, effective January 1, 2027, conditional on voter approval of a constitutional amendment.
- In Texas, ad valorem property taxes are assessed by local appraisal districts and levied by local taxing units. context
- State law historically provides appraisal caps for residential homesteads, which this bill mirrors for certain commercial properties. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Commercial real property owners
Their qualifying properties receive a statutory cap on annual appraised value increases for ad valorem tax purposes.
Appraisal districts
They must track market values, record appraisal limitations, update notices, and process protests related to Section 23.232.
Local taxing units
Their taxable property values and calculations are impacted by the appraisal caps applied to qualifying commercial real estate.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can property owners protest if their property is denied this limitation?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
1 action- Aug 19, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Extension of Appraisal Caps to Commercial Real Estate
The bill extends appraisal growth restriction concepts traditionally reserved for homesteads to commercial real property valued at $10 million or less.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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