In a significant shift for property owners in Texas, lawmakers have passed a bill designed to make it more challenging for homeowners to halt or delay new housing developments in their neighborhoods.
Last week, House Bill 24 was finalized and sent to the governor’s desk, with bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats at the Capitol.
This bill targets a century-old Texas law that has been labeled the ‘tyrant’s veto’ by critics, as it has created hurdles for new developments—particularly in cities like Austin.
Under the existing law, homeowners holding at least 20% of the land adjacent to a proposed site can band together to oppose zoning changes, forcing the city council to obtain a supermajority vote to approve the change.
Proponents argue that this law protects homeowners’ rights and ensures their voices are considered in development decisions.
However, detractors contend that it disproportionately amplifies the concerns of a small number of residents and exacerbates the ongoing housing crisis by obstructing much-needed new housing.
Republican state Rep. Angelia Orr, the bill’s author, presented her case during a committee hearing in March, suggesting that the current requirements have historically hindered housing projects and contributed to the growing issues of housing shortages and affordability.
The newly passed bill raises the threshold for formally protesting zoning changes, requiring signatures from owners of at least 60% of nearby property—a significant increase from the previous 20%.
However, this change specifically applies only when a neighboring property owner plans to develop residential units.
Moreover, the amendments effectively diminish the power of these protests.
Instead of needing three-fourths majority approval from elected officials to advance zoning changes when facing homeowner protests, a simple majority vote will suffice under the new law.
This legislative action follows a series of events in Austin’s history, particularly a landmark case in 2019 when the city sought to revise its land development rules.
The intention was to make it simpler to construct apartments and duplexes, enabling local shops and offices to be integrated closer to residential areas.
However, this effort was met with resistance from a coalition of homeowners who argued that the city failed to adequately allow property owners to express their opposition to these changes.
In a noteworthy ruling, a judge sided with the homeowners, declaring that the city had violated state law, nullifying the council members’ votes on the matter.
Years later, this same group leveraged that ruling to obstruct various housing policies.
During the legislative session addressing HB 24, some of the plaintiffs in the case Acuña vs. The City of Austin voiced their concerns about the bill.
Barbara McArthur, a resident, articulated fears that the new law could leave property owners uninformed about significant revisions affecting their land and surroundings.
She criticized the legislation for seeming to allow cities to bypass informing residents regarding changes that impact them.
“This convoluted and hard-to-understand bill changes state law to allow cities to disregard residents…” McArthur expressed during the March hearing.
She warned that unless individuals actively sought out information about changes through local newspapers, they could remain unaware of important developments—a scenario she deemed untenable.
Gov. Abbott now has until June 22 to decide whether to sign or veto the bill.
If the governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill, it will automatically become law, impacting the future landscape of housing development and homeowner rights across Texas.
image source from：https://www.kut.org/housing/2025-06-10/texas-legislature-housing-bill-new-build-protests
