By: Harris of Anderson H.B. No. 14       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to certain approval procedures for property development   review by a political subdivision.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Chapter 250, Local Government Code, is amended   by adding Section 250.014 to read as follows:          Sec. 250.014.  REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT BY A THIRD   PARTY AND RELATED ACTIONS. (a) In this section:                (1)  "Development document" includes, without   limitation, a plan, plat, or any other document related to the   development of or improvement to land that must be approved by a   regulatory authority under an applicable law, rule, regulation,   order, or ordinance to authorize a person to initiate, continue,   perform an action related to, or complete the development of or   improvement to land.                (2)  "Development inspection" means the inspection of   an improvement to land required to be conducted as part of a project   to develop the land or construct or improve an improvement to the   land.                (3)  "Development permit" means a permit required to be   obtained to develop land or construct or improve an improvement to   land.                (4)  "Plan" has the meaning assigned by Section   212.001.                (5)  "Plat" has the meaning assigned by Section 212.001   and includes a development plat under Subchapter B, Chapter 212.                (6)  "Regulatory authority" means the governing body,   or a bureau, department, division, board, commission, or other   agency, of a political subdivision acting in its capacity of   processing or approving a development document or development   permit or conducting a development inspection.          (b)  If a regulatory authority does not approve,   conditionally approve, or disapprove a development document or   development permit by the 15th day after the time prescribed by a   provision of this code for the approval, conditional approval, or   disapproval of the document or permit, any required review of the   document or permit may be performed by any person:                (1)  other than:                      (A)  the applicant; or                      (B)  a person whose work is the subject of the   application; and                (2)  who is:                      (A)  employed as a reviewer by the regulatory   authority in which the land subject to the development document or   development permit is located;                      (B)  employed as a reviewer by any political   subdivision, if the regulatory authority in which the land subject   to the development document or development permit is located has   approved the person; or                      (C)  an engineer licensed under Chapter 1001,   Occupations Code.          (c)  If a regulatory authority does not conduct a required   development inspection by the 15th day after the time prescribed by   a provision of this code for conducting the inspection, the   required inspection may be conducted by any person:                (1)  other than:                      (A)  the owner of the land or improvement to the   land that is the subject of the inspection; or                      (B) a person whose work is the subject of the   inspection; and                (2)  who is:                      (A) certified to inspect buildings by the   International Code Council;                      (B)  employed as a building inspector by the   regulatory authority in which the improvement is located;                      (C)  employed as a building inspector by any   political subdivision, if the regulatory authority in which the   land or improvement to land is located has approved the person to   perform inspections; or                      (D)  an engineer licensed under Chapter 1001,   Occupations Code.          (d)  A regulatory authority may not collect an additional fee   related to a review performed under Subsection (b) or a development   inspection conducted under Subsection (c).          (e)  A person who performs a review or conducts a development   inspection under this section must:                (1)  satisfy all applicable regulations; and                (2)  not later than the 15th day after the date the   review or inspection is completed, provide notice to the regulatory   authority of the review or inspection.          (f)  The regulatory authority may prescribe a reasonable   format for the notice required under Subsection (e).          (g)  A regulatory authority may not request or require an   applicant to waive a deadline or other procedure under this   section.          (h)  A decision made by a reviewer employed or approved by a   regulatory authority to conditionally approve or disapprove a   development document or development permit under this section may   be appealed by the applicant to the governing body of the regulatory   authority. An appeal must be filed no later than the 15th day after   the date of the reviewer's decision. If the governing body of the   regulatory authority does not, by majority vote, affirm the   reviewer's decision on or before the 60th day after receiving   notice of the appeal, the development document or development   permit that is the subject of the appeal shall be deemed approved.          SECTION 2.  Section 250.014, Local Government Code, as   amended by this Act, applies only to a development document that is   submitted on or after the effective date of this Act. A development   document submitted before the effective date of this Act is   governed by the law in effect on the date the development document   was submitted, and the former law is continued in effect for that   purpose.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.