Texas Codes

Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113 (2026)

Bona Fide Offer Required

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section TX-LEGstatutes.capitol.texas.gov Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Sec. 21.0113. BONA FIDE OFFER REQUIRED. (a) An entity with eminent domain authority that wants to acquire real property for a public use must make a bona fide offer to acquire the property from the property owner voluntarily.

(b) An entity with eminent domain authority has made a bona fide offer if:

(1) an initial offer is made in writing to a property owner that includes:

(A) a copy of the landowner's bill of rights statement prescribed by Section 402.031, Government Code, including the addendum prescribed by Section 402.031(c-1), Government Code, if applicable;

(B) a statement, in bold print and a larger font than the other portions of the offer, indicating whether the compensation being offered includes:

(i) damages to the remainder, if any, of the property owner's remaining property; or

(ii) an appraisal of the property, including damages to the remainder, if any, prepared by a certified appraiser certified to practice as a certified general appraiser under Chapter 1103, Occupations Code;

(C) an instrument of conveyance, provided that if the entity is a private entity as defined by Section 21.0114(a), the instrument must comply with Section 21.0114, as applicable, unless:

(i) the entity has previously provided an instrument complying with Section 21.0114;

(ii) the property owner desires to use an instrument different than one complying with Section 21.0114 and consents in writing to use a different instrument; or

(iii) the property owner provided the entity with the instrument prior to the issuance of the initial offer; and

(D) the name and telephone number of a representative of the entity who is:

(i) an employee of the entity;

(ii) an employee of an affiliate providing services on behalf of the entity;

(iii) a legal representative of the entity; or

(iv) if the entity does not have employees, an individual designated to represent the day-to-day operations of the entity;

(2) a final offer is made in writing to the property owner;

(3) the final offer is made on or after the 30th day after the date on which the entity makes a written initial offer to the property owner;

(4) before making a final offer, the entity obtains a written appraisal from a certified appraiser of the value of the property being acquired and the damages, if any, to any of the property owner's remaining property;

(5) the final offer is equal to or greater than the amount of the written appraisal obtained by the entity;

(6) the following items are included with the final offer or have been previously provided to the owner by the entity:

(A) a copy of the written appraisal;

(B) a copy of the deed, easement, or other instrument conveying the property sought to be acquired; and

(C) the landowner's bill of rights statement prescribed by Section 21.0112; and

(7) the entity provides the property owner with at least 14 days to respond to the final offer and the property owner does not agree to the terms of the final offer within that period.

Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 81 (S.B. 18), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2011.

Amended by:

Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 826 (H.B. 2730), Sec. 6, eff. January 1, 2022.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2012–2024 · leading case: Cherry Knoll, L.L.C. v. HDR Eng'g, Incorpora, 922 F.3d 309 (5th Cir. 2019).
Cherry Knoll, L.L.C. v. HDR Eng'g, Incorpora, 922 F.3d 309 (5th Cir. 2019). “Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(b)(4), (5). 3 This Court may review documents attached to the complaint in an appeal of a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal.”
Love Terminal Partners, L.P. v. United States, 889 F.3d 1331 (Fed. Cir. 2018). “See Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113 (requiring the government to negotiate before filing a condemnation suit).”
John Boerschig v. Trans-Pecos Pipeline, L.L.C., 872 F.3d 701 (5th Cir. 2017). “Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113. Those negotiations failed, so Trans-Pecos invoked Texas eminent domain power via the following statute: “A gas or electric corporation has the right and power to enter on, condemn, and appropriate the land, right-of-way, easement, or other property of…”
San Jacinto River Auth. v. Vicente Medina, Ashley Medina & Aris Antoniou, 570 S.W.3d 820 (Tex. App. 2018). “12 TEX. PROP. CODE §§ 21.0113, 21.012(b)(6), 21.”
City of Rosenberg v. State, 477 S.W.3d 878 (Tex. App. 2015). “Tex. Prop. Code Ann. § 21.0113 (a) (West 2014).”
Eddie Sheard & Blanca S. M. Sheard v. Tarrant Reg'l Water Dist., a Water Control & Improvement Dist. (Tex. App. 2024). · cites it 5× “Standard of Review Because summary judgment is a question of law, a trial court’s summary judgment decision 2 See Act of May 19, 2011, 82nd Leg.”
Copano NGL Servs., LLC v. John Ashcraft, Individually & as Tr. for the John Ashcraft Fam. Trust 2012 (Tex. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “25, 52 Tex. Prop. Code § 21.011. . . . . . . . .”
in Re State of Texas (Tex. App. 2020). “See Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113. The trial court sustained the plea, abating the case until the State complies with Section 21.”
Hidalgo Cnty. Water Improvement Dist. No. 3 v. Hidalgo Cnty. Irrigation Dist. No. 1 (Tex. App. 2021). “See TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. §§ 21.0113(a) (“An entity with eminent domain authority that wants to acquire real property for a public use must make a bona fide offer 9 to acquire the property from the property owner voluntarily.”
Gerald Lynn Clark & Jo Ann Clark v. Titus Cnty., Texas (Tex. App. 2014). “” TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. § 21.0113(b)(4) (West Supp.”
W.A. McKinney v. City of Cedar Hill (Tex. App. 2012). “TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. § 21.0113(a) (West Supp.”
in Re Elec. Transmission Texas, LLC (Tex. App. 2015). “Wyatt also asserts that mandamus relief is improper because it has raised disputed factual issues regarding whether ETT made a bona fide offer to acquire the property voluntarily.”
— Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(a) — 3 cases
Hidalgo Cnty. Water Improvement Dist. No. 3 v. Hidalgo Cnty. Irrigation Dist. No. 1 (Tex. App. 2021). “See TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. §§ 21.0113(a) (“An entity with eminent domain authority that wants to acquire real property for a public use must make a bona fide offer 9 to acquire the property from the property owner voluntarily.”
Eddie Sheard & Blanca S. M. Sheard v. Tarrant Reg'l Water Dist., a Water Control & Improvement Dist. (Tex. App. 2024). “Standard of Review Because summary judgment is a question of law, a trial court’s summary judgment decision 2 See Act of May 19, 2011, 82nd Leg.”
W.A. McKinney v. City of Cedar Hill (Tex. App. 2012). “TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. § 21.0113(a) (West Supp.”
— Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(b)(1)(B) — 1 case
Eddie Sheard & Blanca S. M. Sheard v. Tarrant Reg'l Water Dist., a Water Control & Improvement Dist. (Tex. App. 2024). “Standard of Review Because summary judgment is a question of law, a trial court’s summary judgment decision 2 See Act of May 19, 2011, 82nd Leg.”
— Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(b)(1)(B)(i) — 1 case
Eddie Sheard & Blanca S. M. Sheard v. Tarrant Reg'l Water Dist., a Water Control & Improvement Dist. (Tex. App. 2024). “Standard of Review Because summary judgment is a question of law, a trial court’s summary judgment decision 2 See Act of May 19, 2011, 82nd Leg.”
— Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(b)(4) — 2 cases
Cherry Knoll, L.L.C. v. HDR Eng'g, Incorpora, 922 F.3d 309 (5th Cir. 2019). “Tex. Prop. Code § 21.0113(b)(4), (5). 3 This Court may review documents attached to the complaint in an appeal of a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal.”
Gerald Lynn Clark & Jo Ann Clark v. Titus Cnty., Texas (Tex. App. 2014). “” TEX. PROP. CODE ANN. § 21.0113(b)(4) (West Supp.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.