Regular Session
County Clerks (Fee Collection) • Texas Attorney General (Cost Rule Oversight)
Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation
The shift to the Public Information Act (PIA) cost model introduces significant discretion for County Clerks:
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This bill's path through the Texas Legislature
BILL ANALYSIS
| Senate Research Center | S.B. 1547 |
| By: Zaffirini | |
| Local Government | |
| 3/14/2025 | |
| As Filed |
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In 2023 Senator Zaffirini passed S.B. 1612 to make various administrative updates for district courts. The bill, however, included language allowing county clerks to charge $0.10 per page for electronic copies of real property records. This fee significantly exceeds the actual cost of production and conflicts with existing laws that regulate public records fees. Specifically, current law limits fees to the actual cost of producing records and ensures charges reflect only the necessary work and expenses required for public information requests, preventing excessive fees.
The passage of S.B. 1612 has created a legal conflict by contradicting these existing cost limitations, allowing an unintended overcharge for electronic copies. To correct this issue, S.B. 1547 would remove the additional charge for electronic copies of real property records, restoring the original intent of the law. This change would ensure that fees remain fair, reasonable, and aligned with the actual cost of providing public records.
As proposed, S.B. 1547 amends current law relating to fees charged by county clerks for certain property records.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 118.011, Local Government Code, by amending Subsections (a) and (e), as follows:
(a) Creates an exception to the requirement that a county clerk collect certain fees for certain services if the service is an electronic copy of real property records.
(e) Requires a county clerk who provides a copy in a format other than paper of a record maintained by the clerk, including real property records, to provide the copy and charge a fee in accordance with Sections 552.231 (Responding to Requests for Information That Require Programming or Manipulation of Data) and 552.262 (Rules of the Attorney General), Government Code.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.
| S.B. No. 1547 | ||
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| relating to fees charged by county clerks for certain property | ||
| records. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Sections 118.011(a) and (e), Local Government | ||
| Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
| (a) A county clerk shall collect the following fees for | ||
| services rendered to any person: | ||
| (1) Personal Property Records Filing (Sec. 118.012): | ||
| (A) for the first page$ 5.00; | ||
| (B) for each additional page or part of a page on | ||
| which there are visible marks of any kind$ 4.00; | ||
| (2) Real Property Records Filing (Sec. 118.013): | ||
| (A) for the first page$ 5.00; | ||
| (B) for each additional page or part of a page on | ||
| which there are visible marks of any kind$ 4.00; | ||
| (C) for all or part of each 8-1/2" X | ||
| 14" attachment or rider$ 4.00; | ||
| (D) for each name in excess of five names that has | ||
| to be indexed in all records in which the document must be | ||
| indexed . $ 0.25; | ||
| (3) Certified Papers (Sec. 118.014): | ||
| (A) for the clerk's certificate$ 5.00; | ||
| (B) printed on paper, plus a fee for each page or | ||
| part of a page$ 1.00; | ||
| (C) that is a paper document converted to | ||
| electronic format, for each page or part of a page$1; | ||
| (D) that is an electronic copy of an electronic | ||
| document: | ||
| (i) for each document up to 10 pages in | ||
| length$1; | ||
| (ii) for each page or part of a page of a | ||
| document over 10 pages$0.10; | ||
| (4) Noncertified Papers (Sec. 118.0145): | ||
| (A) printed on paper, for each page or part of a | ||
| page$ 1.00; | ||
| (B) that is a paper document converted to | ||
| electronic format, for each page or part of a page$1; | ||
| (C) that is an electronic copy of an electronic | ||
| document, except for real property records: | ||
| (i) for each document up to 10 pages in | ||
| length$1; | ||
| (ii) for each page or part of a page of a | ||
| document over 10 pages$0.10; | ||
| (5) Birth or Death Certificate (Sec. 118.015)same | ||
| as state registrar; | ||
| (6) Bond Approval (Sec. 118.016)$ 3.00; | ||
| (7) Marriage License (Sec. 118.018)$60.00; | ||
| (8) Declaration of Informal Marriage (Sec. | ||
| 118.019)$25.00; | ||
| (9) Brand Registration (Sec. 118.020)$ 5.00; | ||
| (10) Oath Administration (Sec. 118.021)$ 1.00. | ||
| (e) A county clerk who provides a copy in a format other than | ||
| paper of a record maintained by the clerk, including real property | ||
| records, shall provide the copy and charge a fee in accordance with | ||
| Sections 552.231 and 552.262, Government Code. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
| TO: | Honorable Paul Bettencourt, Chair, Senate Committee on Local Government |
| FROM: | Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1547 by Zaffirini (Relating to fees charged by county clerks for certain property records.), As Introduced |
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JMc, SZ, BC, CWi |
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Common questions about SB1547
SB1547 eliminates the fixed statutory fee cap ($1. 00 per document) for noncertified electronic copies of real property records, replacing it with variable "cost recovery" pricing governed by the Texas Public Information Act (PIA). This change forces title companies, data aggregators, and landmen to shift from flat-rate budgeting to variable-cost accounting across Texas's 254 counties.
SB1547 was authored by Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini during the Regular Session.
SB1547 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.
SB1547 is enforced by County Clerks (Fee Collection) and Texas Attorney General (Cost Rule Oversight).
The compliance urgency for SB1547 is rated as "moderate". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.
The cost impact of SB1547 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.
SB1547 addresses topics including fees & other nontax revenue, fees & other nontax revenue--local, property interests, property interests--real property and county government.
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