When Your Land is Damaged by the Acts of Another, You have a Limited Time to Bring Suit. By: Trey Wilson, real estate attorney and water rights lawyer in San Antonio. INTRODUCTION Like all claims recognized under Texas law, suits for damage to land are...
What is a “Casual Fence” in Texas?
What Is a Causal Fence in Texas? Introduction In rural Texas, fences do more than keep livestock in and neighbors out. They can become decisive legal battlegrounds—especially in boundary disputes and adverse possession claims. One concept that frequently arises is the...
Rainwater in Texas: HOA Restrictions + Incentives
Can a Texas HOA Restrict My Right to Harvest Rainwater or Maintain Rain Barrels? By Trey Wilson, Texas Real Estate and Water Lawyer Water conservation in Texas isn’t just smart policy—it’s backed by law. With drought cycles, population growth, and aquifer strain...
Ownership of Rivers and Public Access to Riverbeds in Texas
Who Owns the Rivers in Texas? Public Access and Private Property Rights By Trey Wilson, Real Estate Lawyer and Water Rights Attorney – San Antonio, Texas In Texas, questions about who owns a river—and who can legally walk, wade, or paddle through it—are more than...
Can I Build a Stock Tank Without a Permit in Texas?
Can I Build a Stock Tank Without a Permit in Texas? By Trey Wilson, Texas Real Estate and Water Lawyer It’s a common question for Texas landowners: Can I build a stock tank without a permit? In a state where ranching, water storage, and rural land development...
Water Wells in Real Estate Deals
Water Wells in Real Estate Deals: What Buyers and Sellers Must Know By Trey Wilson, San Antonio Real Estate and Water Law Attorney In Texas, a water well can be a major asset—or a hidden liability. Whether you’re buying ranchland, a Hill Country retreat, or a rural...
Eisenhower Park: From Army Land to Public Parkland
Eisenhower Park: From Army Land to Public Parkland in San Antonio By Trey Wilson, Real Estate, Land Use and Water Lawyer – San Antonio, TX Just south of Camp Bullis, in the southernmost fringes of Hill Country brush and limestone escarpments, sits Eisenhower Park —...
Exempt Water Wells in Texas
Exempt Groundwater Wells in Texas: What Landowners Need to Know By Trey Wilson, Real Estate and Water Law Attorney | San Antonio, TX If you’re a Texas landowner with access to groundwater, you may have heard the term “exempt well.” But what does it really mean? And...
How Long Is a Surveyor Liable for Errors in Their Work?
How Long Is a Surveyor Liable for Errors in Their Work? By Trey Wilson, Real Estate Attorney | San Antonio, TX The Short Answer: It Depends on the Legal Claim Texas law allows a few possible routes to sue a surveyor, and each has its own time limit (known as a...
Texas Landowners: Read This Before Drilling a Water Well
Drilling a Water Well in Texas: Legal and Practical Considerations By Trey Wilson, Real Estate and Water Lawyer – San Antonio, TX Introduction Drilling a water well in Texas can provide long-term water security for rural landowners, agricultural operations,...
What Groundwater Aquifer Is Beneath Your Property?
UNDERSTANDING THE GROUNDWATER FORMATIONS UNDERLYING SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS In South Central Texas, water law starts with geology. The aquifer beneath your land determines whether your water is fresh, brackish, or even legally usable—and it can make or break a real estate...
Recent Developments in Texas Real Estate Law
What San Antonio Property Owners and Professionals Need to KnowBy Trey Wilson, San Antonio Real Estate LawyerAs a real estate lawyer based in San Antonio, I closely monitor the legal shifts that affect property owners, developers, and professionals in our region....
Zoning Contingencies in Real Estate Contracts
WHAT IS A ZONING CONTINGENCY? A zoning contingency is a provision in a real estate contract that conditions the obligations of one party (usually the buyer) upon successful modification to the property's zoning designation. Zoning contingencies are frequently used...
Texas Nudges Feds to Pressure Mexico for Water
The Texas Legislature is seeking assistance from the United States government in its efforts to secure delivery of water owed by Mexico under a decades old treaty. This week, both the Texas House and Texas Senate saw concurrent resolution filings urging the U.S State...
4 Things To Do When Faced with a Landlock
WHAT IS A "LANDLOCK"? In real estate, the term "landlocked" refers to the circumstance where a piece of property has no legal access to a road or highway. To be truly "landlocked" a property must literally have no means of access, regardless how circuitous or...
Residential Seller Disclosures May Soon Include Water Rights Notice
A Bill filed in the Texas House of Representatives seeks to add new sections to the written Disclosures that the Seller of residential property must furnish to buyers. This notice, called the "Seller's Disclosure Notice" is already required under Section 5.008 of the...
Jesus Tells Lawyer the Key to Eternal Life
OLD NEWS IS NEW TO ME I realize that the title to this post reads like a tabloid headline, but this story is old news. REALLY old. Thousands of years old, in fact. But it's new to me, and maybe to You, Today (2/9/25 - Super Bowl Sunday) is the first time I...
New Bill Invites Big Bro to Real Estate Closings
Some Legislators appear to want Big Brother at the closing table when Texans buy and sell real estate. I don't like the idea one bit. A bill filed this week by state representative Janis Holt (R - Silsbee) proposes to require the parties to real estate purchase and...
Proposed Law Would Limit Investment Firm purchase of SFRs
A bill introduced on February 3, 2025 by Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D- Austin) would restrict investment firms from from entering into executory contracts to purchase single family homes during the first thirty (30) days that the property is listed for sale. The measure, HB...
Mineral Reservation in Deed Doesn’t Reserve Groundwater
INCREASE IN LANDOWNER-SELLERS' DESIRE TO RETAIN GROUNDWATER RIGHTS BY EXCLUDING THEM FROM SALE As prolonged drought and population explosion persists in Texas, groundwater and the right to produce it are becoming increasingly valuable components of Texans' bundle of...
Right to Force Easement Relocation Coming to Texas?
INTRODUCTION TO THE UERA For years now, a group of interested parties including attorneys have made a nationwide push to adopt a uniform procedure providing for the relocation of some easements. I learned in a recent Bar Association meeting that the initiative to...