Fort Worth, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has formally submitted updated administrative measures intended to enforce restrictions on real estate acquisitions by entities tied to designated foreign adversary nations, state officials announced Friday.
The revised framework expands enforcement mechanisms for Senate Bill 17, which cleared the 89th Texas Legislature and took effect in September 2025. The underlying statute prohibits individuals, corporations, and governments connected to adversarial countries—specifically China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—from purchasing or obtaining interests in real property across the state. Under the newly published guidelines, state prosecutors are building an online public mapping database structured similarly to the state's sex-offender registry, enabling Texans to search geographical records and track parcels subject to statutory prohibitions.
The regulatory proposal also establishes a dedicated reporting portal allowing any member of the public to file formal tips regarding suspected unlawful holdings, including property acquired prior to the enactment of the 2025 law. To avoid penalizing standard commerce, the rules provide safe-harbor legal protections for title companies, brokers, and real estate agents who conduct transaction due diligence in accordance with recognized industry standards. Additionally, state prosecutors are assembling a specialized investigative task force focused on discovering and halting illicit land deals.
> “Under my watch, communist China, Russia, Iran, or any other of our nation’s enemies or foreign nationals who threaten our national security will not be allowed to buy property in Texas,” Attorney General Paxton said. “My strengthened rules will increase transparency, empower Texans to report potential violations, and give my office additional tools to identify foreign land ownership and vigorously enforce the law.”
In Fort Worth, the county seat of Tarrant County encompassing more than 950,000 residents, the commercial real estate market spans extensive industrial warehousing, aviation corridors, and residential neighborhoods.
