Texas Porch

The directory

Texas rules, A to Z

37 guides, calculators, and rule hubs, sorted by name. Filter by keyword, start from a topic shelf, or jump to a letter. For towns, counties, and the thousands of local notes, use site search or the Almanac.

Type a word: a tax, a license, a rule, or a tool.

Start with a shelf

Property & taxes

The bill, the exemptions, the protest, and the calculators.

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Home buying & insurance

Closing costs, timelines, land homework, and coverage.

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Cars & driving

Registration, inspection, and insurance in Texas.

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The outdoors

Hunting, fishing, water, wildlife, weather, and the rules of the land.

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A

  • Appraisal protests Guide How to protest your appraised value. The appraisal review board deadlines you must meet.
  • Auto insurance Guide Texas minimum liability coverage and what actually moves your premium.

B

  • Birding & wildlife watching Rule hub The no-license side of Texas wildlife. Migration, the Austin bats, whooping cranes, and the free apps to start.
  • Boating & water safety Rule hub Life jackets, boat registration, and the drinking law. Paddling and the drain-plug rule.
  • Boundaries & access Guide Surveys, fence law, and easements. The right to reach a landlocked parcel.
  • Building on rural land Guide Septic, wells, power, and permits when you build outside city limits.
  • Buying land Guide The rural-property homework. Title, access, utilities, floodplain, and what the survey hides.

C

  • Camping & state parks Rule hub Entrance fees and the money-saving park pass. Reservations before parks fill, and campsite rules.
  • Closing costs Tool What a Texas buyer and seller each usually pay at the closing table.

D

  • Dark skies & stargazing Rule hub Where to find dark skies, and seeing more with no gear. Meteor showers, and keeping the night dark.

E

  • Eminent domain Guide What a pipeline or road can take. The process, and a landowner's rights along the way.
  • Explore by region Directory Texas by its ten regions. From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley.

F

  • Fishing Rule hub Fresh and salt water. Licenses, size and bag limits, legal gear, and where to fish.
  • Foraging & collecting Rule hub Wild food, mushrooms, rocks, fossils, and shed antlers. The one rule: know whose land you are on.

H

  • Hiking & biking Rule hub Heat and water first. Then flash floods, trail etiquette, and the rules for dirt and road.
  • Homebuyer timeline Tool Every date after a Texas closing, in order. Homestead, appraisal notice, protest, tax bill.
  • Homeowners insurance Guide Wind, hail, flood, roof age, and deductibles on a Texas policy.
  • Homestead exemption Guide The exemption you have to file for. Plus the appraisal cap that comes with it.
  • Hunting Rule hub Licenses, seasons, bag limits, methods, public land, and the county-by-county rules.
  • Hunting & fishing licenses Rule hub What you actually buy. The Super Combo, who needs none, endorsements, tags, and digital licenses.

L

  • Land & property rights Rule hub Rural property from the ground down. Wells, septic, minerals, water, boundaries, and takings.
  • Local notes Directory Thousands of short, sourced notes about Texas places, county by county.

M

  • Mineral rights Guide Who owns what's underground, severed estates, leases, and royalties.

O

  • Off-roading Rule hub The decal you need and where you can legally ride. Road rules and which agency handles what.

P

  • Places directory Directory 1,200+ Texas towns and all 254 counties. Each with its official appraisal and tax links.
  • Property tax estimator Tool Model the bill. It uses local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
  • Property taxes on land Guide Ag and wildlife valuation and the rollback tax. How raw acreage is taxed.

R

T

  • Target shooting Rule hub Gun safety first. Then the city, ETJ, and county lines that decide where you can legally shoot.
  • Texas Rules quiz Quiz Test yourself on real Texas rules. Property, outdoors, vehicles, and more.
  • The coast & beaches Rule hub Rip-current safety and the Open Beaches Act. Driving and parking on the sand, and sea turtles.
  • Tools Tool Every Texas Porch calculator in one place.
  • Topics Directory The six topic hubs. Home, money, cars, outdoors, history, and rules.

V

  • Vehicle registration Tool Registration and inspection fees. New-resident deadlines, and the counties that test emissions.

W

  • Water rights Guide Groundwater and the rule of capture. Surface water permits, and river access.
  • Weather & natural hazards Rule hub Heat, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, winter storms, and wildfire. Each with the life-saving move.
  • Wildlife: the animals you meet Rule hub Snakes, bats, baby birds, coyotes, stranded sea turtles. What it is, the law, and who to call.