THE HOME BUILDER
January 2026
Page Two
The HomeFront Government Affairs News and Info
David Lehde Director of Government Affairs
Dallas BA Advocacy Charging Into The New Year
Welcome Back to Election Season Candidate filing for the March 2026 Primary Elections concluded on Dec. 9. Across the state, more than 20 State House seats were vacated and will have an open race. The State Sen- ate will see 5 open seats. That, in addi- tion to incumbents up for re-election in both chambers, as well as statewide and county races, will make for a remark- ably busy primary. And several of the heated races will be in the Dallas BA service area. This, along with newly drawn U.S. Congressional Districts, will have a shock effect on municipal races that will come later in the year. For the State and County races, as well as the Congressional ballot, March 3 will be Primary Election Day for both parties. Any runoffs would occur on May 26. All culminating to a heated General Election Day on Nov. 3. Members should keep an eye out for updates from TAB and Dallas BA.
With the New Year comes a wide- eyed chapter for Dallas BA advocacy. But it comes with the fortunate advan- tage of a script outlined on continued success. Dallas BA closed out 2025 as it always does, charging through the finish line. A year that had already been up tempo with our Rally Day, saw members testifying in Austin on key legislation, support for new zoned development opportunities as well as an ease in parking code requirements in Dallas, work for balance in park- land fees and relief via advocacy on regional amendments for adoptions of 2024 I-codes, to name a few highlights. Regulation never being the area to slow down, the opportunity for advocacy presented itself again in November and December both at the local and state levels. Prosper Stormwater Ordinance In Prosper, Dallas BA worked with the city to remove an additional re-inspection fee that was being as- sessed with warning notifications related to the town’s stormwater ordinance. As have other cities in the service area, Prosper had instituted a process whereby site inspections could incur a warning, and if not addressed, a notification of violation for inadequate use of management practices related to stormwater and material runoff.
Typical to the process is a notice of warning where builders are given a window of time to correct any issues, with the understanding that weather and other uncontrollable issues can have an unintended impact. However, in Prosper, the process instituted an automatic reinspection fee for total. Dallas BA and the town agreed that the spirit of the rule is to prevent issues and not target fees, as there is already a sizable fee at notice of violation when a warning is not addressed. The result is an inspection process that still preserves the wellbeing of the area but removes the automatic reinspection fee at notice of warning. When you consider how many home sites can be platted in a development and how one night of strong storm winds can wreak havoc, the removal of the fee at notice of warning helps maintain project predictability. Dallas BA members who build in those communities often have either in-house or contracted service to do weekly checks on best management practices. The continued attention to these details is appreciated. Dallas BA Offers Support for TAB’s Recommendations on Proposed Adoption for 2024 Energy Codes The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) issued a Request for Comments regarding the potential
adoption of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and International Residential Code (IRC) in Texas. The request for comments is regarding the efficacy of the 2024 IRC’s efficiency chapter compared to the 2015 IRC. This is related to the state minimum. The energy chapter of the 2024 IRC and the 2024 IECC contain nu- merous changes to the prescriptive, performance and ERI compliance paths that would significantly increase the cost of residential construction in Texas if adopted without amendment. The Texas Association of Builders has recommended needed modifications that preserve product neutrality, which is required by state law, and maintain realistic enforcement while protecting housing attainability across the state. The Dallas BA has offered com - ments in support of TAB’s recom- mendations.
JLD Custom Homes Reaches 20-Year Milestone Past President Jeff Dworkin of JLD Custom Homes accepts his Mile - stone Award for 20 continuous years of membership in the Dallas BA. The presentation was made at the Dec. 3 Board of Directors meeting by Executive Officer Gena Godinez, Membership Chair Pat Nagler of Edge Home Finance, and Association President Matt Walls of Winston Custom Homes.
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