Sec. 34.015. PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO PURCHASE REAL PROPERTY. (a) In this section, "person" does not include a taxing unit or an individual acting on behalf of a taxing unit.

(b) An officer conducting a sale of real property under Section 34.01 may not execute a deed in the name of or deliver a deed to any person other than the person who was the successful bidder. The officer may not execute or deliver a deed to the purchaser of the property unless the purchaser exhibits to the officer an unexpired written statement issued under this section to the person by the county assessor-collector of the county in which the sale is conducted showing that:

(1) there are no delinquent taxes owed by the person to that county; and

(2) for each school district or municipality having territory in the county there are no known or reported delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality.

(c) On the written request of any person, a county assessor-collector shall issue a written statement stating whether there are any delinquent taxes owed by the person to that county or to a school district or municipality having territory in that county. A request for the issuance of a statement by the county assessor-collector under this subsection must:

(1) sufficiently identify any property subject to taxation by the county or by a school district or municipality having territory in the county, regardless of whether the property is located in the county, that the person owns or formerly owned so that the county assessor-collector and the collector for each school district or municipality having territory in the county may determine whether the property is included on a current or a cumulative delinquent tax roll for the county, the school district, or the municipality under Section 33.03;

(2) specify the address to which the county assessor-collector should send the statement;

(3) include any additional information reasonably required by the county assessor-collector; and

(4) be sworn to and signed by the person requesting the statement.

(d) On receipt of a request under Subsection (c), the county assessor-collector shall send to the collector for each school district and municipality having territory in the county, other than a school district or municipality for which the county assessor-collector is the collector, a request for information as to whether there are any delinquent taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality. The county assessor-collector shall specify the date by which the collector must respond to the request.

(e) If the county assessor-collector determines that there are delinquent taxes owed to the county, the county assessor-collector shall include in the statement issued under Subsection (c) the amount of delinquent taxes owed by the person to that county. If the county assessor-collector is the collector for a school district or municipality having territory in the county and the county assessor-collector determines that there are delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to the school district or municipality, the assessor-collector shall include in the statement issued under Subsection (c) the amount of delinquent taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality.

(f) If the county assessor-collector receives a response from the collector for a school district or municipality having territory in the county indicating that there are delinquent taxes owed to that school district or municipality on the person's current or former property for which the person is personally liable, the county assessor-collector shall include in the statement issued under Subsection (c):

(1) the amount of delinquent taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality; and

(2) the name and address of the collector for that school district or municipality.

(g) If the county assessor-collector determines that there are no delinquent taxes owed by the person to the county or to a school district or municipality for which the county assessor-collector is the collector, the county assessor-collector shall indicate in the statement issued under Subsection (c) that there are no delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to the county or to the school district or municipality.

(h) If the county assessor-collector receives a response from the collector for any school district or municipality having territory in that county indicating that there are no delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality, the county assessor-collector shall indicate in the statement issued under Subsection (c) that there are no delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality.

(i) If the county assessor-collector does not receive a response from the collector for any school district or municipality to whom the county assessor-collector sent a request under Subsection (d) as to whether there are delinquent taxes on the person's current or former property owed by the person to that school district or municipality, the county assessor-collector shall indicate in the statement issued under Subsection (c) that there are no reported delinquent taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality.

(j) To cover the costs associated with the issuance of statements under Subsection (c), a county assessor-collector may charge the person requesting a statement a fee not to exceed $10 for each statement requested.

(k) A statement under Subsection (c) must be issued in the name of the requestor, bear the requestor's name, include the dates of issuance and expiration, and be eligible for recording under Section 12.001(b), Property Code. A statement expires on the 90th day after the date of issuance.

(k-1) If within six months of the date of a sale of real property under Section 34.01, the successful bidder does not exhibit to the officer who conducted the sale an unexpired statement that complies with Subsection (k), the officer who conducted the sale shall provide a copy of the officer's return to the county assessor-collector for each county in which the real property is located. On receipt of the officer's return, the county assessor-collector shall file the copy with the county clerk of the county in which the county assessor-collector serves. The county clerk shall record the return in records kept for that purpose and shall index and cross-index the return in the name of the successful bidder at the auction and each former owner of the property. The chief appraiser of each appraisal district that appraises the real property for taxation may list the successful bidder in the appraisal records of that district as the owner of the property.

(l) The deed executed by the officer conducting the sale must name the successful bidder as the grantee and recite that the successful bidder exhibited to that officer an unexpired written statement issued to the person in the manner prescribed by this section, showing that the county assessor-collector of the county in which the sale was conducted determined that:

(1) there are no delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to that county; and

(2) for each school district or municipality having territory in the county there are no known or reported delinquent ad valorem taxes owed by the person to that school district or municipality.

(m) If a deed contains the recital required by Subsection (l), it is conclusively presumed that this section was complied with.

(n) A person who knowingly violates this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor.

(o) To the extent of a conflict between this section and any other law, this section controls.

(p) This section applies only to a sale of real property under Section 34.01 that is conducted in:

(1) a county with a population of 250,000 or more in which the commissioners court has not by order adopted the provisions of Section 34.011; or

(2) a county with a population of less than 250,000 in which the commissioners court by order has adopted the provisions of this section.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1010, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 86 (S.B. 644), Sec. 2, eff. May 17, 2005.

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1147 (H.B. 2926), Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 2005.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1126 (H.B. 3951), Sec. 2, eff. January 1, 2016.