Sections
Chapter 391 Regional Planning Commissions 391.001 – 391.016
Chapter 391A Stormwater Control and Recapture Planning Authorities in Certain Counties 391A.001 – 391A.006
Chapter 392 Housing Authorities Established by Municipalities and Counties 392.001 – 392.104
Chapter 393 Housing Cooperation Among Municipalities, Counties, and Certain Other Local Governments 393.001 – 393.010
Chapter 394 Housing Finance Corporations in Municipalities and Counties 394.001 – 394.907
Chapter 395 Financing Capital Improvements Required by New Development in Municipalities, Counties, and Certain Other Local Governments 395.001 – 395.081
Chapter 397 Strategic Planning Relating to Military Bases and Defense Facilities 397.001 – 397.007
Chapter 397A Regional Military Sustainability Commissions Relating to Certain Military Installations 397A.001 – 397A.112
Chapter 399 Municipal and County Water and Energy Improvement Regions 399.001 – 399.019

Terms Used In Texas Local Government Code > Title 12 > Subtitle C - Planning and Development Provisions Applying to More Than One Type of Local Government

  • Affidavit: means a statement in writing of a fact or facts signed by the party making it, sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths, and officially certified to by the officer under his seal of office. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
  • Agricultural use: means use or activity involving agriculture. See Texas Local Government Code 397A.051
  • Agriculture: means :
    (A) cultivating the soil to produce crops for human food, animal feed, seed for planting, or the production of fibers;
    (B) practicing floriculture, viticulture, silviculture, or horticulture;
    (C) raising, feeding, or keeping animals for breeding purposes or for the production of food, fiber, leather, pelts, or other tangible products having commercial value;
    (D) planting cover crops, including cover crops cultivated for transplantation, or leaving land idle for the purpose of participating in a government program or normal crop or livestock rotation procedure; or
    (E) engaging in wildlife management. See Texas Local Government Code 397A.051
  • Allegation: something that someone says happened.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
  • Bequest: Property gifted by will.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Effects: includes all personal property and all interest in that property. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. Source: OCC
  • Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. Source: OCC
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
  • Home-rule municipality: means a municipality designated by Chapter 5 as a home-rule municipality. See Texas Local Government Code 1.005
  • in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by writing, printing, or other means. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
  • Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. Source: OCC
  • Justice: when applied to a magistrate, means justice of the peace. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Licensed practitioner: includes a sex offender treatment provider who is licensed under Chapter 110, Occupations Code. See Texas Health and Safety Code 1.005
  • Livestock: means cattle, horses, mules, asses, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, exotic livestock, including elk and elk hybrids, and hogs, unless otherwise defined. See Texas Agriculture Code 1.003
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. Source: OCC
  • Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
  • Municipality: means a general-law municipality, home-rule municipality, or special-law municipality. See Texas Local Government Code 1.005
  • Oath: includes affirmation. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Population: means the population shown by the most recent federal decennial census. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Revolving credit: A credit agreement (typically a credit card) that allows a customer to borrow against a preapproved credit line when purchasing goods and services. The borrower is only billed for the amount that is actually borrowed plus any interest due. (Also called a charge account or open-end credit.) Source: OCC
  • Signature: includes the mark of a person unable to write, and "subscribe" includes the making of such a mark. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Succeeding: means immediately following. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. Source: OCC
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
  • Week: means seven consecutive days. See Texas Government Code 311.005