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|  | AN ACT | 
|  | relating to the authority granted to certain property owners' | 
|  | associations in dedicatory instruments and restrictive covenants. | 
|  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
|  | SECTION 1.  Chapter 209, Property Code, is amended by adding | 
|  | Section 209.012 to read as follows: | 
|  | Sec. 209.012.  RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS GRANTING EASEMENTS TO | 
|  | CERTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS' ASSOCIATIONS.  (a)  A property owners' | 
|  | association may not amend a dedicatory instrument to grant the | 
|  | property owners' association an easement through or over an owner's | 
|  | lot without the consent of the owner. | 
|  | (b)  This section does not prohibit a property owners' | 
|  | association from adopting or enforcing a restriction in a | 
|  | dedicatory instrument that allows the property owners' association | 
|  | to access an owner's lot to remedy a violation of the dedicatory | 
|  | instrument. | 
|  | SECTION 2.  (a) Chapter 209, Property Code, is amended by | 
|  | adding Section 209.013 to read as follows: | 
|  | Sec. 209.013.  AUTHORITY OF ASSOCIATION TO AMEND DEDICATORY | 
|  | INSTRUMENT.  (a)  A dedicatory instrument created by a developer of | 
|  | a residential subdivision or by a property owners' association in | 
|  | which the developer has a majority of the voting rights or that the | 
|  | developer otherwise controls under the terms of the dedicatory | 
|  | instrument may not be amended during the period between the time the | 
|  | developer loses the majority of the voting rights or other form of | 
|  | control of the property owners' association and the time a new board | 
|  | of directors of the association assumes office following the loss | 
|  | of the majority of the voting rights or other form of control. | 
|  | (b)  A provision in a dedicatory instrument that violates | 
|  | this section is void and unenforceable. | 
|  | (b)  Except as specifically provided by a dedicatory | 
|  | instrument in a provision that existed before the effective date of | 
|  | this Act, the change in law made by this section applies to a | 
|  | dedicatory instrument created before, on, or after the effective | 
|  | date of this Act. | 
|  | SECTION 3.  Section 209.012, Property Code, as added by this | 
|  | Act, applies only to an easement granted by a dedicatory instrument | 
|  | on or after the effective date of this Act.  An easement granted by a | 
|  | dedicatory instrument before the effective date of this Act is | 
|  | governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date | 
|  | of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that | 
|  | purpose. | 
|  | SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. | 
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|  | ______________________________ | ______________________________ | 
|  | President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | 
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|  | I certify that H.B. No. 2402 was passed by the House on May | 
|  | 10, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 137, Nays 1, 1 present, not | 
|  | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | 
|  | No. 2402 on May 25, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 134, Nays 0, | 
|  | 1 present, not voting. | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Chief Clerk of the House | 
|  | 
|  | I certify that H.B. No. 2402 was passed by the Senate, with | 
|  | amendments, on May 23, 2007, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays | 
|  | 0. | 
|  |  | 
|  | ______________________________ | 
|  | Secretary of the Senate | 
|  | APPROVED: __________________ | 
|  | Date | 
|  |  | 
|  | __________________ | 
|  | Governor |