TX HB5245

Private entities with eminent domain authority must provide property owners with initial offers based on appraisals by licensed certified general appraisers, or market analyses using at least three comparable sales prepared by licensed real estate brokers or appraisers

Private entities seeking to acquire 25+ tracts from 25+ separate property owners for pipeline or electric transmission projects must hold mandatory property owner information meetings before condemnation proceedings can proceed, with meetings required for each 100-mile segment of a project

Conveyance instruments for pipeline easements must now specify maximum pipeline diameter, require written notice to property owners before any assignment to another entity (eliminating previous exemptions for affiliate transfers), and describe whether easement rights are exclusive, nonexclusive, or otherwise limited

Private entities must send written notice of intent to county judges before making initial acquisition offers, identifying the proposed route and specific tracts to be acquired by tax assessor-collector tract numbers

Special commissioners in condemnation proceedings must now consider additional factors when estimating damages, including infrastructure visibility, limitations on future property expansion, and easement terms/alignment; parties also receive extended timeframes of 15 days (up from 10) to strike commissioners