Regular Session
Municipalities (restricted from enforcement) • Texas Courts (for declaratory judgment actions against non-compliant cities)
Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation
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This bill's path through the Texas Legislature
BILL ANALYSIS |
| C.S.H.B. 4163 |
| By: Guillen |
| Agriculture & Livestock |
| Committee Report (Substituted) |
| BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bill author has informed the committee that some cities currently impose requirements on agricultural operations that interfere with generally accepted agricultural practices, including mandates relating to the maintenance of vegetation along public road rights-of-way, which can create unnecessary burdens for farmers and ranchers, especially when such requirements are unrelated to public health or safety. C.S.H.B. 4163 seeks to protect agricultural operations from overly restrictive municipal ordinances by prohibiting a city from imposing certain governmental requirements on an agricultural operation.
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| CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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| RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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| ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 4163 amends the Agriculture Code to prohibit a city from imposing a governmental requirement that directly or indirectly requires the owner or lessee of an agricultural operation to mow, bale, shred, or hoe material on the right-of-way of a public road that is adjacent to the operation. The bill applies to a governmental requirement adopted before, on, or after the bill's effective date.
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| EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
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| COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 4163 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. With respect to the right-of-way to which the bill applies, the introduced specified the right-of-way of a portion of a public road, whereas the substitute omits the reference to any portion and only specifies the right-of-way of a public road. The substitute includes a provision absent from the introduced establishing that the bill applies to a governmental requirement adopted before, on, or after the bill's effective date. |
| H.B. No. 4163 | ||
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| relating to the authority of a city to impose certain governmental | ||
| requirements on an agricultural operation. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 251.0055(c), Agriculture Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| (c) A city may not impose a governmental requirement that | ||
| directly or indirectly: | ||
| (1) prohibits the use of a generally accepted | ||
| agricultural practice listed in the manual prepared under Section | ||
| 251.007, except as provided by Subsections (a) and (b); | ||
| (2) prohibits or restricts the growing or harvesting | ||
| of vegetation for animal feed, livestock forage, or forage for | ||
| wildlife management, except as provided by Subsection (d); | ||
| (3) prohibits the use of pesticides or other measures | ||
| to control vermin or disease-bearing insects to the extent | ||
| necessary to prevent an infestation; [ |
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| (4) requires an agricultural operation be designated | ||
| for: | ||
| (A) agricultural use under Section 1-d, Article | ||
| VIII, Texas Constitution; or | ||
| (B) farm, ranch, wildlife management, or timber | ||
| production use under Section 1-d-1, Article VIII, Texas | ||
| Constitution; or | ||
| (5) requires the owner or lessee of an agricultural | ||
| operation to mow, bale, shred, or hoe material on the right-of-way | ||
| of a public road that is adjacent to the agricultural operation. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 251.0055, Agriculture Code, as amended | ||
| by this Act, applies to a governmental requirement adopted before, | ||
| on, or after the effective date of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
| TO: | Honorable Ryan Guillen, Chair, House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock |
| FROM: | Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB4163 by Guillen (Relating to the applicability of certain city requirements to agricultural operations.), As Introduced |
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JMc, TUf, BC, CWi |
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Common questions about HB4163
HB 4163 immediately strips municipalities of the authority to force agricultural operations to maintain public rights-of-way (ROW) or to require specific tax valuations (1-d or 1-d-1) as a condition of operation. This legislation is retroactive, rendering any existing city ordinances that impose these specific burdens on farms, ranches, and timber operations null and void. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Effective immediately upon signature).
HB4163 was authored by Texas Representative Ryan Guillen during the Regular Session.
HB4163 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.
HB4163 is enforced by Municipalities (restricted from enforcement) and Texas Courts (for declaratory judgment actions against non-compliant cities).
The compliance urgency for HB4163 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.
The cost impact of HB4163 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.
HB4163 addresses topics including agriculture, city government and city government--land use & zoning.
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