reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
TX Nat Res Code § 51.193 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter E. Sale and Lease of Vacancies|Section 51.193. Application for and Determination of Good-Faith-Claimant Status

Sec. 51.193.  APPLICATION FOR AND DETERMINATION OF GOOD-FAITH-CLAIMANT STATUS.  (a)  A necessary party may apply for good-faith-claimant status not later than the 90th day after the date the commissioner issues a final order finding that a vacancy exists.(b)  The application must include certified copies of the applicable county records supporting the good-faith claimant's status.(c)  Not later than the 120th day after the date the commissioner issues a final order finding that a vacancy exists, the commissioner shall declare whether a necessary party is a good-faith claimant.(d)  A person who is denied good-faith-claimant status may:(1)  request a hearing by the commissioner; or(2)  appeal the denial as part of any appeal of a final order finding that a vacancy exists.(e)  If the commissioner grants a hearing, the commissioner shall:(1)  determine the scope of the hearing;(2)  provide timely notice of the time and place of the hearing to each necessary party; and(3)  provide each necessary party an opportunity to be heard.(f)  A declaration of good-faith-claimant status grants a preferential right to the claimant to purchase or lease the land or an interest in the land as provided by Section 51.194.  The declaration does not confer any other rights.|Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 874 (S.B. 1103), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2005.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.194 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter E. Sale and Lease of Vacancies|Section 51.194. Preferential Right of Good-Faith Claimant

Sec. 51.194.  PREFERENTIAL RIGHT OF GOOD-FAITH CLAIMANT.  (a)  A good-faith claimant who has been notified by the commissioner that a vacancy exists under this subchapter has a preferential right to purchase or lease the interest claimed in the land before the land was declared vacant.  The preferential right may be exercised after a final judicial determination or after the commissioner's final order and the period for filing an appeal has expired.  (a-1)  If a good-faith claimant does not apply to purchase or lease the interest before the later of the 121st day after the date the commissioner's order becomes final or the 60th day after the date of the final judicial determination of an appeal under this subchapter, then the good-faith claimant's preferential right expires.(a-2)  If a good-faith claimant does not close a transaction to purchase or lease the interest before the 121st day after the date the terms and conditions are determined by the board, then the good-faith claimant's preferential right expires.(b)  A good-faith claimant may purchase or lease the vacancy by submitting a written application to the board.(c)  A good-faith claimant that owns a separate surface interest, a contractual right to a mineral or leasehold interest, a leasehold interest, or a royalty interest in the land occupied or used that is found to be part of or to include a vacancy is entitled to purchase or lease that same interest in the portion of the land determined to be vacant  at the price and under the conditions set by the board and in accordance with the law in effect on the date the application is filed.(d)  If the interest purchased under Subsection (c) is less than a permanent interest, then:(1)  the interest purchased is limited to the duration of a deed, contract, instrument, or lease in existence before the filing of the vacancy application and subject to a division of the amount of the royalty between the state and the existing royalty owners, provided that the state retains at least one-half of the amount of the royalty interest; and(2)  the interest and any remaining mineral interest, including all executory rights, vest with the state at the expiration of the deed, contract, instrument, or lease.|Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 874 (S.B. 1103), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2005.Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1175 (H.B. 3461), Sec. 31, eff. June 19, 2009.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.195 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter E. Sale and Lease of Vacancies|Section 51.195. Purchase or Lease by Applicant

Sec. 51.195.  PURCHASE OR LEASE BY APPLICANT.  (a)  If no good-faith claimant exists or if no good-faith claimant exercises a preferential right within the applicable period, the applicant has a preferential right to purchase or lease the land determined to be vacant on or before the 60th day after the date:(1)  the commissioner determines that no good-faith claimant exists; or(2)  the period for a good-faith claimant to exercise a preferential right to purchase or lease the land determined to be vacant expires.(b)  If a good-faith claimant exercises the claimant's preferential right in the land determined to be vacant, the applicant has a preferential right to either:(1)  an award by the board of a perpetual 1/32 nonparticipating royalty of the full mineral interest of the vacancy; or(2)  a preferential right to purchase or lease any remaining interest in the land determined to be vacant.(c)  If a lease described by Section 51.194(d)(1) exists on the land determined to be vacant, the applicant's 1/32 nonparticipating royalty interest, as described by Subsection (b)(1), shall be taken from the state's royalty interest as reserved under Section 51.194(d)(1) for the duration of the lease, provided that the applicant's share for the duration of the lease may never equal more than the interest retained by the state.(d)  An applicant who exercises a preferential right under Subsection (a) or (b)(2) may purchase or lease the land or an interest in the land:(1)  at the price set by the board;(2)  subject to the royalty reservations provided by the board; and(3)  in accordance with the law in effect on the date the application is filed. |Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 874 (S.B. 1103), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2005.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.241 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.241. Issuance of Patent

Sec. 51.241.  ISSUANCE OF PATENT.  The commissioner shall issue a patent when the records of his office reflect that full payment for land has been made where required and fees that are due on the land have been paid to the land office and have not been withdrawn, including the fee for recording the patent in the county or counties in which the land is located.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2435, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.242 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.242. Patent Fees

Sec. 51.242.  PATENT FEES.  When a person applies for a patent, he shall pay to the land office in addition to all other required payments a fee set by the commissioner in an amount not less than $1 for each county in which all or a part of the land is located and shall give the name and address of the owner or agent.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2435, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 404, ch. 81, Sec. 21(h), eff. Sept. 1, 1983.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.243 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.243. Requisites of a Patent

Sec. 51.243.  REQUISITES OF A PATENT.  (a)  Each patent for land from the state shall be issued in the name and by authority of the state under the state seal and the land office seal and shall be signed by the governor and countersigned by the commissioner.(b)  Before the patent is delivered to the person who is entitled to it, it shall be registered in the land office patent book.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2436, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 300, Sec. 35, eff. Aug. 30, 1993.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.244 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.244. Delivery of Patent

Sec. 51.244.  DELIVERY OF PATENT.  (a)  When a patent is ready for delivery, the commissioner shall send it, together with the check for payment of the fee required by Section 51.242 of this code and the name and address of the owner or his agent, by certified mail to the clerk of the proper county.(b)  On receiving the patent, the clerk shall record it and shall send the patent, together with the name and address of the owner or his agent and the remaining recording fees, by certified mail to the clerk of another proper county until the patent has been recorded in each county in which all or part of the land is located.(c)  After the patent is recorded in all the proper counties, it shall be sent by certified mail to the proper party.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2436, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 354, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.245 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.245. Deceased Patentee

Sec. 51.245.  DECEASED PATENTEE.  A patent issued in the name of a person who is deceased at the time the patent is issued conveys and secures valid title to the heirs or assignee of the deceased person.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2436, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.246 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.246. Acquisition of Deed of Acquittance to Excess Acreage

Sec. 51.246.  ACQUISITION OF DEED OF ACQUITTANCE TO EXCESS ACREAGE.  (a)  If the area of a tract of land that is titled or patented exceeds the quantity provided in the title or patent and if under the existing law the title to all or a part of the tract may be affected by the existence of the excess acreage, the person who owns the survey or portion of the survey or has an interest in it may pay for the total excess acreage in the survey or the total excess in a given tract out of the patented or titled survey at the price fixed by the board.(b)  Any person who owns an interest in a titled or patented survey or any portion of a titled or patented survey in which excess acreage is located and who desires to pay for the excess acreage shall file with the commissioner a request for a determination of market value by an appraiser with corrected field notes in the form provided by law, together with a sworn statement of facts relating to his right to purchase and other evidence of his right to purchase which may be required by the commissioner.  The corrected field notes shall describe the patented tract, and if purchasing excess in a portion of a tract, shall include a description of the portion in which the applicant is making application to purchase excess.(c)  If it appears that excess acreage actually exists and that the applicant is entitled to obtain it under the law, the commissioner shall execute a deed of acquittance covering the land in the name of the original patentee or his assignees with a mineral reservation or with no mineral reservation accordingly as may have been the case when the survey was titled or patented.(d)  The transfer shall inure distributively to the benefit of the lawful owners of the land in proportion to their holdings.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2436, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 280, Sec. 26, eff. June 18, 2003.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.247 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.247. Patents for Land That Cannot Be Patented by Other Methods

Sec. 51.247.  PATENTS FOR LAND THAT CANNOT BE PATENTED BY OTHER METHODS.  (a)  Any headright survey, homestead donation, preemption survey, scrip survey, or other survey awarded or sold before August 20, 1931, which has been held and claimed in good faith by a person for 10 years before the date of application for a patent but which cannot be patented under existing law may be patented on payment to the commissioner of the purchase price as set by the board.(b)  The patent shall be issued to the owner of record as shown in the records of the land office and shall inure distributively to the legal owners of the land.(c)  If a tract of school land has been occupied by mistake as part of another tract, the occupant shall have a preference right for a period of six months after discovery of the mistake to purchase the land at the same price paid or contracted to be paid for the land actually conveyed to him.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2436, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.248 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.248. Doubtful Claim

Sec. 51.248.  DOUBTFUL CLAIM.  If it appears to the commissioner from the records of his office or from information given to him under oath that there is an illegality in a claim, the commissioner, if he considers it necessary, shall refer the matter to the attorney general, and the attorney general's written decision is sufficient authority for the commissioner to issue or withhold the patent.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2437, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.249 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.249. Conflicting Surveys

Sec. 51.249.  CONFLICTING SURVEYS.  If conflicts exist between surveys, the commissioner shall issue patents to the portions of the surveys that are free from conflict.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2437, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.250 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.250. Conflicting Title

Sec. 51.250.  CONFLICTING TITLE.  (a)  If a patent to land is issued by mistake on any valid claim for land and is afterwards found to be in conflict with an older title, the owner of the patent or any part of the land embraced by the patent which is in conflict may return the patent to the commissioner for cancellation.  If the owner of the land that is the subject of the conflict cannot obtain the patent, he shall return to the commissioner legal evidence of his title to the patent or part of the patent.(b)  The person returning the patent or filing the evidence also shall make and file with the commissioner an affidavit stating that he is still the owner of the land and has not sold or transferred it.(c)  If the land office records or a duly certified copy of a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction that has adjudicated the title reflects that a conflict exists, the commissioner may cancel the patent or the part of a patent that appears to belong to the party making the application.(d)  In cases where a survey in a block or system of surveys conflicts on one side or more, and omits an unpatented strip on another side or sides due to the patent being issued on an erroneous subsequent survey not conforming to the original and recognized pattern for the block or system, the commissioner, at the request of all parties owning under said patent, may cancel said patent and issue a corrected patent that shall conform to said block or system of surveys.  In the event that excess acreage exists, a deed of acquittance shall be procured, as provided by law, and will be issued simultaneously with the corrected patent.  This Subsection (d) shall not adversely affect the rights of any party in or entitled to possession of land affected by this subsection, but merely clarifies that the ownership in any land in a block or system of surveys exists as if the patent had been correctly issued on the date the erroneous patent was issued.  The rights of a claimant under applicable law shall be construed as if the corrected patent had been originally issued.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2437, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2239, ch. 535, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 31, 1981.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.251 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.251. Partial Conflict of Title

Sec. 51.251.  PARTIAL CONFLICT OF TITLE.  If there is only a partial conflict of title under a patent, the commissioner in the manner provided in Section 51.250 of this code may cancel any patent presented to him and issue a patent to the applicant for the portion of the land that is covered by his original patent but that is not in conflict with the older title if the area can be determined from the field notes.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2437, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.252 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.252. Refund of Purchase Money

Sec. 51.252.  REFUND OF PURCHASE MONEY.  (a)  If a patent cannot be issued for land because of a conflict, erroneous survey, or illegal sale or if a patent is issued for land and is later canceled, the comptroller, on proper proof, may issue his warrant to the proper parties for amounts paid in good faith to the State Treasury for taxes, lease payments, or purchase payments on this land.(b)  Proof of these good-faith payments may be shown by the certificate of the commissioner if the records of the land office show that a patent cannot be issued because of conflict, erroneous survey, or illegal sale or that a patent has been canceled.(c)  The provisions of this section do not apply to surveys on which the errors may be corrected.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2437, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.253 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter F. Patents|Section 51.253. Corrected Patent

Sec. 51.253.  CORRECTED PATENT.  (a)  An owner of land in one or more patented surveys may apply to the General Land Office for a corrected patent to correct scriveners' errors or obvious errors in the field note description of the original patent as determined by the commissioner.  The application must clearly identify the error in the original patent.(b)  The General Land Office may adopt rules relating to the implementation and operation of this section, including rules requiring the payment of reasonable filing and processing fees by an applicant for a corrected patent.|Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 752, ch. 182, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1983.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.291 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter G. Easements|Section 51.291. Grants of Easements

Sec. 51.291.  GRANTS OF EASEMENTS.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), the commissioner may execute grants of easements or other interests in property for rights-of-way or access across, through, and under unsold public school land, the portion of the Gulf of Mexico within the jurisdiction of the state, the state-owned riverbeds and beds of navigable streams in the public domain, and all islands, saltwater lakes, bays, inlets, marshes, and reefs owned by the state within tidewater limits for:(1)  telephone, telegraph, electric transmission, and power lines;(2)  oil pipelines, including pipelines connecting the onshore storage facilities with the offshore facilities of a deepwater port, as defined by the federal Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C.A. Section 1501 et seq.), gas pipelines, sulphur pipelines, and other electric lines and pipelines of any nature;(3)  irrigation canals, laterals, and water pipelines;(4)  roads; and(5)  any other purpose the commissioner considers to be in the best interest of the state.(b)  Consent to conduct an activity that would disturb or remove marl, sand, gravel, shell, or mudshell on or near the surface of a state-owned riverbed or the bed of a navigable stream in the public domain may be granted only under Chapter 86, Parks and Wildlife Code.(c)  Money received by the land office for the grants of easements through and under the state-owned riverbeds and beds of navigable streams in the public domain shall be deposited in a special fund account in the state treasury to be used for the removal or improvement of unauthorized structures on permanent school fund land.  This fund does not impose a duty or obligation on the state to accept ownership of, remove, or improve unauthorized structures on permanent school fund land.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2438, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 35, eff. Sept. 1, 1985;  Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 991, Sec. 15, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 387 (S.B. 654), Sec. 4, eff. June 15, 2007.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.292 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter G. Easements|Section 51.292. Easements and Leases for Certain Facilities

Sec. 51.292.  EASEMENTS AND LEASES FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES.  The commissioner may execute grants of easements or leases for electric substations, pumping stations, loading racks, and tank farms, and for any other purpose the commissioner determines to be in the best interest of the state, to be located on state land other than land owned by The University of Texas System.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2438, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 387 (S.B. 654), Sec. 5, eff. June 15, 2007.|
TX Nat Res Code § 51.295 (2021)
2021 Texas Statutes|Natural Resources Code|Title 2 - Public Domain|Subtitle D - Disposition of the Public Domain|Chapter 51 - Land, Timber, and Surface Resources|Subchapter G. Easements|Section 51.295. Conditions for Easement

Sec. 51.295.  CONDITIONS FOR EASEMENT.  Telephone, telegraph, electric transmission, powerline, and pipeline right-of-way easements and easements or rights-of-way for irrigation canals, laterals, and water pipelines shall be executed on terms to be determined by the commissioner.|Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2438, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 387 (S.B. 654), Sec. 7, eff. June 15, 2007.|