Pick the Texas guide for statewide rules or the DFW guide for local steps.
Texas owners can now ask the sheriff or a constable to remove a squatter without an eviction suit. Who qualifies, the sworn complaint, fees and risks.
Read the guideWhere a Tarrant, Dallas, Collin or Denton County owner files a squatter removal complaint, what local offices charge, and how to check your deed first.
Read the guideThe Texas court path to remove a squatter: notice to vacate, a sworn petition in the right precinct, summary disposition, trial, the writ and appeals.
Read the guideFiling a squatter eviction in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin or Denton County: finding the precinct, 2026 filing and writ fees, local forms and court quirks.
Read the guideSelling an empty house in Texas: the seller's disclosure occupancy question, keeping utilities on under TREC 20-19, insurance, homestead and IRS timing.
Read the guideBefore listing an empty Dallas-Fort Worth house: restart water and power for inspections, clear code issues in Fort Worth or Dallas, and check county records.
Read the guideThe owner-side squatter law in Texas: criminal trespass, the 2025 sheriff removal complaint in Property Code ch. 24B, the 2026 eviction steps and the penalties.
Read the guideWhere Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton owners file a 24B removal complaint or an eviction, what constables and justice courts charge, and how to start.
Read the guideWhat a squatter can claim in Texas: adverse possession periods of 3, 5, 10 and 25 years, color of title, and how holdover tenants and trespassers differ.
Read the guideHow a Dallas, Tarrant or Collin County owner checks an occupant's claim: deed searches, free property fraud alerts, appraisal records and local JP courts.
Read the guideCan a Texas owner cut power or water on a squatter? What Property Code 92.008 says about tenants, why chapter 24B is silent, and how meter tampering is handled.
Read the guideWho runs electric, water and gas service at a Dallas-Fort Worth house with an unwanted occupant, how to report a bypassed meter, and what providers ask for.
Read the guideKeeping power, water and gas on in an empty Texas house: what TDI says about freezes and vacancy, how retail electric choice works, and what to ask utilities.
Read the guideUtilities for an empty Fort Worth or Dallas house: starting power on Oncor lines, city water deposits and fees, Atmos gas reconnection and usage alerts.
Read the guideA Texas checklist for an empty house: call your insurer, post no-trespass notice, decide on utilities, protect the homestead exemption and track the deadlines.
Read the guideDFW vacant house checklist: Fort Worth and Dallas rules on securing empty buildings, the 12-inch grass limit, Dallas registration and county fraud alerts.
Read the guideWhat a Texas landlord risks between tenants: insurance vacancy limits, code enforcement, unauthorized occupants, taxes, lost rent and move-in duties.
Read the guideAn empty rental in Dallas-Fort Worth: Dallas registration and its yearly affidavit, Fort Worth's registration triggers, eviction courts and tax deadlines.
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