Texas House bill by Rep. Thompson allows vehicle tow notices via newspaper or approved websites

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Senfronia Thompson seeks to amend the Occupations Code to allow notice of towed vehicles by publication in newspapers or department-approved websites, aiming to improve notification when vehicle owner information is unavailable, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 52 Democrats and 80 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Senfronia Thompson introduced the bill in the Texas House on Thursday, March 6, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Thompson graduated from Texas Southern University with a BS and again from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with a JD.

Thompson, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 1983 to represent the state’s 141st House district, replacing previous state representative Gib Lewis.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to providing notice of a vehicle towed to a vehicle storage facility by publication on a third-party Internet website’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Occupations Code to allow notice of a vehicle towed to a storage facility to be provided by publication either in a newspaper or on a publicly accessible Internet website maintained by a department-approved third party. This applies when the vehicle is registered out of state, lacks identifiable owner information, lacks a valid registration address, or if lienholder identities and addresses are undeterminable. Additionally, notice can be given if the vehicle lacks a license plate or inspection certificate. The department’s website will include links to approved third-party sites for such notices. This act takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Monday, May 26, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.