Texas Porch

Agriculture / Land use

Texas right-to-farm law limits nuisance suits against ag operations

Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects farms and ranches that have run for at least one year from most nuisance lawsuits—even from new neighbors who move in next door.

Bexar County Rules & Licenses

If you buy land near a farm or ranch in Bexar County, Texas law can stop you from suing that operation as a nuisance. That is true even if odors, noise, or dust bother you. Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects operations that have run lawfully and without major changes for at least one year.

The law covers crop farming, livestock and poultry, beekeeping, horticulture, viticulture, and wildlife management. Changes that took effect September 1, 2023 added vegetation management and the commercial sale of animals.

This matters in Bexar County. The metro edge mixes new homes with ranches and small farms. If you buy near rural land, a neighbor's long-running farm use is legally protected. Read the statute at statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Check Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's Texas Agriculture Law blog for plain-language analysis.

Source to confirm: Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 – Effect of Nuisance Actions

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