Tex. Water Code § 16.343 · Subchapter J. ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS
MINIMUM STATE STANDARDS AND MODEL POLITICAL SUBDIVISION RULES.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) The board shall, after consultation with the attorney general and the commission, prepare and adopt model rules to assure that minimum standards for safe and sanitary water supply and sewer services in residential areas of political subdivisions, including rules of any state agency relating to septic tanks and other waste disposal systems, are met.
(b) The model rules must:
(1) assure that adequate drinking water is available to the residential areas in accordance with Chapter 341, Health and Safety Code, and the Rules and Regulations for Public Water Systems and the Drinking Water Standards Governing Water Quality and Reporting Requirements for Public Water Supply Systems adopted by the commission and other law and rules applicable to drinking water; and
(2) provide criteria applicable to tracts that were divided into two or more parts to lay out a subdivision and were not platted or recorded before September 1, 2005.
(c) The model rules must:
(1) assure that adequate sewer facilities are available to the residential areas through either septic tanks or an organized sewage disposal system that is a publicly or privately owned system for the collection, treatment, and disposal of sewage operated in accordance with the terms and conditions of a valid waste discharge permit issued by the commission or private sewage facilities in accordance with Chapter 366, Health and Safety Code, and the Construction Standards for On-Site Sewerage Facilities adopted by the commission and other law and rules applicable to sewage facilities; and
(2) provide criteria applicable to tracts that were divided into two or more parts to lay out a subdivision and were not platted or recorded before September 1, 2005.
(d) The model rules must prohibit the establishment of residential developments with lots of five acres or less in the political subdivision without adequate water supply and sewer services. Also, the model rules must prohibit more than one single-family, detached dwelling to be located on each lot.
(e) The model rules must provide criteria governing the distance that structures must be set back from roads or property lines to ensure proper operation of water supply and sewer services and to reduce the risk of fire hazards.
(f) The model rules may impose a platting or replatting requirement pursuant to Subsection (b)(2), (c)(2), or (d). Except as may be required by an agreement developed under Chapter 242, Local Government Code, and subject to Subsection (f-1), a municipality that has adopted the model rules may impose the applicable platting requirements of Chapter 212, Local Government Code, and a county that has adopted the model rules may impose the applicable platting requirements of Chapter 232, Local Government Code, to real property that is required to be platted or replatted by the model rules under this section.
(f-1) The model rules do not supersede an exception to a platting requirement prescribed by Subchapter G, Chapter 232, Local Government Code.
(g) Before an application for funds under Section 15.407 or Subchapter P, Chapter 15, or Subchapter K, Chapter 17, may be considered by the board, if the applicant is located:
(1) in a municipality, the municipality must adopt and enforce the model rules in accordance with this section;
(2) in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality, the applicant must demonstrate that the model rules have been adopted and are enforced in the extraterritorial jurisdiction by the municipality or the county; or
(3) outside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality, the county must adopt and enforce the model rules in accordance with this section.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 2.13. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 284(71), (78), eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 422, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 648, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 11.290, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 979, Sec. 15, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 404, Sec. 34, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1234, Sec. 27, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 927 (H.B. 467), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 927 (H.B. 467), Sec. 15, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1364 (S.B. 1599), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 526 (H.B. 3680), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/WA/htm/WA.16.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 cbd329ab64768ecdfbdd433addda13cb63a9e5f076c8e4cc2fb9bdb9f9eb5bda
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Health and Safety Code
Local Government Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 212MUNICIPAL REGULATION OF SUBDIVISIONS AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTPrinted as Chapter 212, Local Government Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 232COUNTY REGULATION OF SUBDIVISIONSPrinted as Chapter 232, Local Government Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 232, subch. GSUBDIVISION PLATTING REQUIREMENTS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES NEAR INTERNATIONAL BORDER AND GULF OF MEXICOPrinted as Subchapter G, Chapter 232, Local Government Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code ch. 242AUTHORITY OF MUNICIPALITY AND COUNTY TO REGULATE SUBDIVISIONS IN AND OUTSIDE MUNICIPALITY'S EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTIONPrinted as Chapter 242, Local Government Code
Water Code
- Tex. Water Code § 15.407FACILITY ENGINEERING IN ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS.Printed as Section 15.407
- Tex. Water Code ch. 15, subch. PCOLONIA SELF-HELP PROGRAMPrinted as Subchapter P, Chapter 15
- Tex. Water Code ch. 17, subch. KASSISTANCE TO ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SEWER SERVICE PROJECTSPrinted as Subchapter K, Chapter 17
Cited by 37 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Water Code § 16.343. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Local Government Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 212.0105WATER AND SEWER REQUIREMENTS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 212.0106BOND REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL GUARANTEES IN CERTAIN COUNTIES.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 212.012CONNECTION OF UTILITIES.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 212.0175ENFORCEMENT IN CERTAIN COUNTIES; PENALTY.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 212.172DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.0085CANCELLATION OF CERTAIN SUBDIVISIONS IF LAND REMAINS UNDEVELOPED.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.021DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 16.343(b)(1), Water Code | Section 16.343(c)(1), Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.023PLAT REQUIRED.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.027BOND REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.029CONNECTION OF UTILITIES IN COUNTIES WITHIN 50 MILES OF INTERNATIONAL BORDER.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.030SUBDIVISION REGULATION; COUNTY AUTHORITY.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.0305COUNTY INSPECTOR.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.032SERVICES PROVIDED BY SUBDIVIDER.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.037ENFORCEMENT.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.043VARIANCES FROM PLATTING REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.045APPLICABILITY OF INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS TO LOTS UNDEVELOPED FOR 25 YEARS OR MORE.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.072PLAT REQUIRED.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.074BOND REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.0775COUNTY INSPECTOR.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.080ENFORCEMENT.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.201DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 16.343(b)(1), Water Code | Section 16.343(c)(1), Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.203PLAT REQUIRED.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.204EXCEPTIONS TO PLAT REQUIREMENT.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.209BOND REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343(c), Water Code | Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.211CONNECTION OF UTILITIES.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.212SUBDIVISION REGULATION; COUNTY AUTHORITY.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.213COUNTY INSPECTOR.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.216SERVICES PROVIDED BY SUBDIVIDER.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.221ENFORCEMENT.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.227VARIANCES FROM PLATTING REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 232.229APPLICABILITY OF INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS TO LOTS UNDEVELOPED FOR 25 YEARS OR MORE.Printed as Section 16.343, Water Code
Water Code
- Tex. Water Code § 13.246NOTICE AND HEARING; ISSUANCE OR REFUSAL; FACTORS CONSIDERED.Printed as Section 16.343
- Tex. Water Code § 15.735APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL.Printed as Section 16.343
- Tex. Water Code § 16.350ELIGIBLE COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES TO ADOPT RULES.Printed as Section 16.343
- Tex. Water Code § 17.927APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.Printed as Section 16.343
- Tex. Water Code § 17.929CONSIDERATIONS IN PASSING ON APPLICATION.Printed as Section 16.343
- Tex. Water Code § 17.937REPORTING AND TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS.Printed as Section 16.343
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.