In 1995, the Legislature passed the Texas Real Private Property Rights Preservation Act (RPPRPA), providing compensation to property owners for loss of value due to new regulations on land use. Authors sought a method of protection and a deterrent against local government regulations that would damage the value of someone’s property. Unfortunately, the act exempts municipalities. Since cities, due to re-zoning activities, are the largest condemnors, this exemption practically renders the act ineffective.
Property Rights
Oakland fined this couple $915,000 for preventing fires. That’s 18 times the penalty for actual arson
Imagine buying a piece of property, being ordered by the government to clear it of fire hazards, and then being handed a near-million-dollar bill by that same government for doing exactly what it asked. It sounds like a dystopian satire of bureaucratic overreach, but for Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner, it is a harrowing legal...
August 19, 2026