Tex. Water Code § 49.504
This is the official text of Tex. Water Code § 49.504, 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.
§ 49.504. EFFECT OF MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLIER'S FAILURE TO FILE A PETITION.
Official statutory text
(a) If a municipal water supplier does not file a petition under Section 49.503, the district may retain the water rights for use by the district or may declare the water as excess and contract for the sale or use of the water as determined by the district.
(b) Before a district may contract for the sale or use of water for more than one year with a purchaser located outside of a county described by Section 49.502, the district must, for 90 days:
(1) make the water available under the same terms to all municipal water suppliers located in those counties; and
(2) advertise the offer to sell or contract for the use of the water by posting notice on:
(A) any website of the Rio Grande Watermaster's Office;
(B) any website of the Rio Grande Regional Water Authority; and
(C) the official posting place for the district's board meetings at the district's office.
(c) If, after the 90th day after the last date on which the district posted notice, a municipal water supplier in a county described by Section 49.502 has not contracted with the district for the sale or use of the water, the district may contract with any other person for the sale or use of the water under the terms of the offer advertised under Subsection (b).
(b) Before a district may contract for the sale or use of water for more than one year with a purchaser located outside of a county described by Section 49.502, the district must, for 90 days:
(1) make the water available under the same terms to all municipal water suppliers located in those counties; and
(2) advertise the offer to sell or contract for the use of the water by posting notice on:
(A) any website of the Rio Grande Watermaster's Office;
(B) any website of the Rio Grande Regional Water Authority; and
(C) the official posting place for the district's board meetings at the district's office.
(c) If, after the 90th day after the last date on which the district posted notice, a municipal water supplier in a county described by Section 49.502 has not contracted with the district for the sale or use of the water, the district may contract with any other person for the sale or use of the water under the terms of the offer advertised under Subsection (b).
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.