Texas Landman Bill SB 1172 Passes
AAPL-Sponsored Bill Eliminates Licensing Requirements for Landwork in Renewables & Other Energy Sources
On May 24, 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the AAPL-sponsored landman bill, SB 1172, into law. The bill amends the existing state code to eliminate any licensing requirements by the Texas Real Estate Commission for landwork in renewables and other energy sources. For years, landmen have enjoyed these protections for work in oil and gas development and production, but in June 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a surprising legal opinion holding that “a person negotiating a lease for property of a wind power project on behalf of another, for compensation, is required to hold a license issued by the Commission.” The opinion, which provided an unexpected interpretation of the long-standing licensing exemption for minerals in Texas, also called into question whether a TREC license would be required for landwork not just for wind leasing but also for other unspecified renewable energy sources not explicitly exempted in the state code.
The Attorney General’s new interpretation of Texas law upended a long-held state policy that a TREC license was not required for landwork in any energy source, leaving AAPL members confused and uncertain about the landwork they perform and whether they might be operating in violation of TREC licensing requirements. It was critical that AAPL protect its members, so we immediately took action to resolve this issue by ensuring that landmen were exempt from any TREC licensing requirements. With our sponsored bill, AAPL found broad support from Texas House and Senate lawmakers who agreed with our position to update the law to protect landmen.
Specifically, the new definition that AAPL successfully added to the state Occupations Code includes a nonexhaustive list of energy sectors that would have otherwise required licensing had AAPL not acted. Those new codified areas include, but are not limited to, geothermal, nuclear, solar, and wind energy — and even yet unknown sources of energy in which AAPL members may engage in the near future.
With the success of SB 1172, AAPL members can now rest assured that landman services performed in not just oil and gas but also in renewables and all other energy sources will not require a TREC real estate license.
What’s more, in the interim period before bill passage, AAPL capitalized on our strong working relationship with TREC leadership to receive assurances that no licensing actions would be imposed on AAPL members while the bill worked its way through the Texas legislature and ultimately to the governor’s desk. This additional advocacy work on behalf of AAPL members provided certainty and peace of mind for landmen throughout the legislative process.
Finally, the passage of SB 1172 is even more impressive because ordinarily, only a small number of Texas bills introduced are ever signed into law. For perspective, in the last Texas legislative session (2023), fewer than 14% of all bills introduced were enacted — so this is a huge victory for AAPL and members like you!
SB 1172 takes immediate effect.
To learn more about AAPL’s advocacy efforts on SB 1172, including access to the Texas Attorney General Opinion, see our prior Landnews posting.
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