Tex. Code of Criminal Procedure § 47.02

This is the official text of Tex. Code of Criminal Procedure § 47.02, part of Texas’s Code of Criminal Procedure — sets the procedural rules for criminal cases in Texas.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 47.02. RESTORED ON TRIAL.

Official statutory text

(a) On the trial of any criminal action for theft or any other offense involving the illegal acquisition of property, the court trying the case shall order the property to be restored to the person appearing by the proof to be the owner of the property.

(b) On written consent of the prosecuting attorney and following an order described by Subsection (a), any magistrate having jurisdiction in the county in which the property was alleged to have been stolen or, if the criminal action for theft or any other offense involving the illegal acquisition of property is pending in another county, the county in which the action is pending may hold a hearing to determine the right to possession of the property. If it is proved to the satisfaction of the magistrate that any person is a true owner of the property alleged to have been stolen, and the property is under the control of a peace officer, the magistrate may, by written order, direct the property to be restored to that person.

(c) The owner of the property is responsible for any transportation necessary to restore the property to the owner as ordered under this article.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.