Tex. Water Code § 26.302
This is the official text of Tex. Water Code § 26.302, part of Texas’s Water Code — governs water rights and water resource management.
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.
§ 26.302. REGULATION OF POULTRY FACILITIES.
Official statutory text
(a) A person who owns or operates a poultry facility shall ensure that the facility has adequate means or is adequately equipped to handle and dispose of poultry carcasses, poultry litter, and other poultry waste regardless of whether the person owns the poultry.
(b) A person who owns or operates a poultry facility shall implement and maintain a water quality management plan for the facility that is certified by the State Soil and Water Conservation Board under Section 201.026, Agriculture Code.
(b-1) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board may certify a water quality management plan for a poultry facility that:
(1) does not use a liquid waste handling system; and
(2) is required to obtain a permit or other authorization from the commission.
(b-2) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board in consultation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality by rule shall establish criteria to determine the geographic, seasonal, and agronomic factors that the board will consider to determine whether a persistent nuisance odor condition is likely to occur when assessing the siting and construction of new poultry facilities.
(b-3) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board may not certify a water quality management plan for a poultry facility located less than one-half of one mile from a business, off-site permanently inhabited residence, or place of worship if the presence of the facility is likely to create a persistent odor nuisance for such neighbors, unless the poultry facility provides an odor control plan the executive director determines is sufficient to control odors. This subsection does not apply to:
(1) a revision of a previously certified and existing water quality management plan unless the revision is necessary because of an increase in poultry production of greater than 50 percent than the amount included in the existing certified water quality management plan for the facility; or
(2) any poultry facility located more than one-half of one mile from a surrounding business, permanently inhabited off-site residence, or place of worship established before the date of construction of the poultry facility.
(c) The commission may bring a cause of action to remedy or prevent a violation of this section.
(d) This section does not affect the authority of the commission to investigate or take enforcement action against an unauthorized discharge under Section 26.121.
(b) A person who owns or operates a poultry facility shall implement and maintain a water quality management plan for the facility that is certified by the State Soil and Water Conservation Board under Section 201.026, Agriculture Code.
(b-1) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board may certify a water quality management plan for a poultry facility that:
(1) does not use a liquid waste handling system; and
(2) is required to obtain a permit or other authorization from the commission.
(b-2) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board in consultation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality by rule shall establish criteria to determine the geographic, seasonal, and agronomic factors that the board will consider to determine whether a persistent nuisance odor condition is likely to occur when assessing the siting and construction of new poultry facilities.
(b-3) The State Soil and Water Conservation Board may not certify a water quality management plan for a poultry facility located less than one-half of one mile from a business, off-site permanently inhabited residence, or place of worship if the presence of the facility is likely to create a persistent odor nuisance for such neighbors, unless the poultry facility provides an odor control plan the executive director determines is sufficient to control odors. This subsection does not apply to:
(1) a revision of a previously certified and existing water quality management plan unless the revision is necessary because of an increase in poultry production of greater than 50 percent than the amount included in the existing certified water quality management plan for the facility; or
(2) any poultry facility located more than one-half of one mile from a surrounding business, permanently inhabited off-site residence, or place of worship established before the date of construction of the poultry facility.
(c) The commission may bring a cause of action to remedy or prevent a violation of this section.
(d) This section does not affect the authority of the commission to investigate or take enforcement action against an unauthorized discharge under Section 26.121.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
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.