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Tex. Local Government Code § 251.001

This is the official text of Tex. Local Government Code § 251.001, part of Texas’s Local Government Code — governs the powers and operations of Texas cities and counties.

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.

§ 251.001. RIGHT OF EMINENT DOMAIN.

Official statutory text

(a) When the governing body of a municipality considers it necessary, the municipality may exercise the right of eminent domain for a public use to acquire public or private property, whether located inside or outside the municipality, for any of the following uses:

(1) the providing, enlarging, or improving of a municipally owned city hall; police station; jail or other law enforcement detention facility; fire station; library; school or other educational facility; academy; auditorium; hospital; sanatorium; market house; slaughterhouse; warehouse; elevator; railroad terminal; airport; ferry; ferry landing; pier; wharf; dock or other shipping facility; loading or unloading facility; alley, street, or other roadway; park, playground, or other recreational facility; square; water works system, including reservoirs, other water supply sources, watersheds, and water storage, drainage, treatment, distribution, transmission, and emptying facilities; sewage system including sewage collection, drainage, treatment, disposal, and emptying facilities; electric or gas power system; cemetery; and crematory;

(2) the determining of riparian rights relative to the municipal water works;

(3) the straightening or improving of the channel of any stream, branch, or drain;

(4) the straightening, widening, or extending of any alley, street, or other roadway; and

(5) any other municipal public use the governing body considers advisable.

(b) A municipality condemning land under this section may take a fee simple title to the property if the governing body expresses the intention to do so.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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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.