✅Relating to fees charged by county clerks for certain property records.

✅ SB 1547: Cutting junk fees on electronic property records

What it says it does:
SB 1547 says county clerks must follow the Public Information Act when charging for electronic copies of real property records. It aims to make those fees fair and consistent statewide.

What it actually changes:
It removes the separate per page electronic copy fee from the county clerk schedule and replaces it with statewide cost based pricing under the Attorney General’s fee rules. Paper copy fees stay the same.

Who is pushing for it:
Supporters listed in the record include the Texas Land Title Association and the County and District Clerks’ Association of Texas.

Who benefits:
Title companies, journalists, researchers, and any Texan who requests property records electronically will pay only what it actually costs to process and deliver those files.

Who gets left out or exposed:
Some county clerk offices that used electronic copy fees as a revenue source may see smaller returns, but the change is not projected to cause a major fiscal impact.

Why this matters long term:
This move brings transparency and uniformity to public record pricing and ensures that digital access costs reflect real expenses rather than arbitrary page counts.

What to watch next:
Watch how counties apply labor or data handling charges under the Public Information Act to avoid turning those into new hidden fees.

Bottom line:
SB 1547 is a practical fix that limits overcharging for electronic public records and aligns county practices with statewide transparency standards.

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