Sec. 33.51. WRIT OF POSSESSION. (a) If the court orders the foreclosure of a tax lien and the sale of real property, the judgment shall provide for the issuance by the clerk of said court of a writ of possession to the purchaser at the sale or to the purchaser's assigns no sooner than 20 days following the date on which the purchaser's deed from the sheriff or constable is filed of record.

(b) The officer charged with executing the writ shall place the purchaser or the purchaser's assigns in possession of the property described in the purchaser's deed without further order from any court and in the manner provided by the writ, subject to any notice to vacate that may be required to be given to a tenant under Section 24.005(b), Property Code.

(c) The writ of possession shall order the officer executing the writ to:

(1) post a written warning that is at least 8-1/2 by 11 inches on the exterior of the front door of the premises notifying the occupant that the writ has been issued and that the writ will be executed on or after a specific date and time stated in the warning that is not sooner than the 10th day after the date the warning is posted; and

(2) on execution of the writ:

(A) deliver possession of the premises to the purchaser or the purchaser's assigns;

(B) instruct the occupants to immediately leave the premises and, if the occupants fail or refuse to comply, physically remove them from the premises;

(C) instruct the occupants to remove, or to allow the purchaser or purchaser's assigns, representatives, or other persons acting under the officer's supervision to remove, all personal property from the premises; and

(D) place, or have an authorized person place, the removed personal property outside the premises at a nearby location, but not so as to block a public sidewalk, passageway, or street and not while it is raining, sleeting, or snowing.

(d) The writ of possession shall authorize the officer, at the officer's discretion, to engage the services of a bonded or insured warehouseman to remove and store, subject to applicable law, all or part of the personal property at no cost to the purchaser, the purchaser's assigns, or the officer executing the writ. The officer may not require the purchaser or the purchaser's assigns to store the personal property.

(e) The writ of possession shall contain notice to the officer that under Section 7.003, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the officer is not liable for damages resulting from the execution of the writ if the officer executes the writ in good faith and with reasonable diligence.

(f) The warehouseman's lien on stored property, the officer's duties, and the occupants' rights of redemption as provided by Section 24.0062, Property Code, are all applicable with respect to any personal property that is removed under Subsection (d).

(g) A sheriff or constable may use reasonable force in executing a writ under this section.

(h) If a taxing unit is a purchaser and is entitled to a writ of possession in the taxing unit's name:

(1) a bond may not be required of the taxing unit for issuance or delivery of a writ of possession; and

(2) a fee or court cost may not be charged for issuance or delivery of a writ of possession.

(i) In this section:

(1) "Premises" means all of the property described in the purchaser's deed, including the buildings, dwellings, or other structures located on the property.

(2) "Purchaser" includes a taxing unit to which property is bid off under Section 34.01(j).

Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2296, ch. 841, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 906, Sec. 7, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 914, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1111, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1481, Sec. 42(1).

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1126 (H.B. 2491), Sec. 23, eff. September 1, 2005.