By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill aimed at strengthening protections for Texas farmers and ranchers.

SB 1035 allows farmers and ranchers to seek legal relief when local government actions conflict with the constitutional right to farm and ranch as established by Proposition 1 in 2023.

The legislation was authored by Texas Sen. Kevin Sparks of Midland County. The companion bill, HB 1964, was authored by State Rep. David Spiller of Jack County.

“The bill allows farmers and ranchers to recover legal fees if they’re forced to sue a local government for violating protections already guaranteed by state law and the Texas Constitution,” said Charlie Leal, Texas Farm Bureau state legislative director. “In 2023, the Legislature passed laws to prevent regulatory overreach by cities and counties. That November, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment further protecting the right to farm and ranch, which would also apply to actions by homeowners associations, in  addition to local governments.”

Despite those measures, Leal said some municipalities have ignored the passage of the law and the Constitutional amendment, and some TFB members have been affected by homeowner’s association restrictions.

“Certain cities have continued to have ordinances that regulate farming and ranching where they are no longer allowed to,” Leal said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “One example of that is we have some cities requiring a permit to own livestock. Another example is prohibiting agriculture period through land zoning restrictions.”

Abbott signed SB 1035 on May 19. It took immediate effect and is now law.

Read the latest on ag-related bills with TFB’s Austin Newsletter. The weekly legislative recap is delivered straight to your inbox on Friday. TFB members can sign up here.