--- title: "Texas Data Privacy and Security Act: Agent Website Check" description: "Check Texas privacy-law coverage, the small-business exception, sensitive inquiry data, and website controls before briefing your website builder." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/texas-data-privacy-agent-website-check" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Texas Data Privacy and Security Act: check your agent website Start with the business behind your seller and buyer forms. The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act generally exempts SBA-defined small businesses. They still need prior consent before selling sensitive personal data. [Texas Business & Commerce Code §§ 541.002 and 541.107, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.002). A typical independent solo agent or small team likely falls below the relevant SBA size standard. Treat that as a starting expectation to verify. Record the entity, receipts, affiliations, and data uses before choosing website controls. This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm applicability, exemptions, data classifications, and website requirements with counsel. Scale With Search builds websites and AI systems. It does not provide compliance, consent, or legal services. ## Check Texas coverage without importing another state's thresholds The Act generally took effect on 2024.07.01. Section 541.002 requires all three conditions: Texas business activity or services consumed by Texas residents; processing or selling personal data; and non-small-business status. [Current statute, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.002). That section sets no general visitor-count or inquiry-count threshold. Its size boundary refers to the SBA definition. Do not substitute California's business thresholds or your site's monthly traffic for this decision. [§ 541.002, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.002). SBA's published table lists **$15 million** for **NAICS 531210, Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers**. The table is effective 2023.03.17. Footnote 10 includes commissions as revenue and excludes specified funds held for unaffiliated third parties, such as sales subject to commissions. [SBA size table, main size-standard sheet and footnote 10, checked 2026.10.14](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/Table%20of%20Size%20Standards_Effective%20March%2017%2C%202023_.xlsx). SBA says industry classification and affiliates affect size calculations. [SBA size-standard guidance, checked 2026.10.14](https://legacy.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards). Have counsel and your accountant confirm the applicable classification, calculation period, receipts, and affiliations. Do not compare the total price of homes sold directly with the table's amount. Identify who decides the purposes and means of processing inquiry data. That is the statute's controller definition. A processor handles data on a controller's behalf. [§ 541.001(8), (23), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). List the agent business, team company, brokerage, and website vendors separately. Ask counsel to assign their roles. Texas consumers are residents acting in an individual or household context. Commercial and employment contexts are excluded from that definition. [§ 541.001(7), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). Include Texas-resident relocation inquiries in your review, even if your office is elsewhere. Do not decide resident coverage from the property's state alone. For a claimed exemption, attach the exact provision and affected entity or information. Section 541.002 includes financial-institution and specified financial-data exclusions. Section 541.003 lists further information exceptions. [Current exemption provisions, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.002). Ask counsel to classify the records. Do not treat every buyer inquiry as exempt because the page discusses financing. ## Examine sensitive data even when the business is small Texas sensitive data includes health diagnoses, citizenship or immigration status, specified identifying genetic or biometric data, known-child data, and precise geolocation. [§ 541.001(29), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). Precise geolocation concerns technology-derived information locating an individual within a radius of 1,750 feet. The definition excludes the content of communications. [§ 541.001(21), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). Do not automatically classify a seller's typed property address as device-derived geolocation. Ask counsel to review any location feature and the data it transmits. Use the following inventory as a preparation worksheet. These are questions to investigate, not findings about your current site. | Inquiry path | Evidence to collect | Question for counsel and the technical owner | | --- | --- | --- | | Seller valuation or contact form | Field list, free-text handling, recipient, and later exports | What is needed to answer the seller's question? | | Buyer consultation or property inquiry | Required fields, destination, and downstream uses | Does the route collect sensitive information unnecessarily? | | Listing search or location feature | Location permission, transmitted values, and vendor documentation | Does it process precise geolocation, and who receives it? | | Chat, scheduling, analytics, or advertising tools present | Configuration, contracts, purposes, and observed destinations | Is the activity processing, sale, or targeted advertising under Texas definitions? | Texas defines sale as a transfer for money or other valuable consideration. It excludes qualifying disclosures to processors and disclosures serving a consumer's requested product or service. [§ 541.001(28), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). An outside destination alone does not establish a sale. Review the actual contract and purpose. For an exempt small business, § 541.107 still prohibits selling sensitive personal data without prior consumer consent. [Small-business duty, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.107). Have counsel resolve that question for each affected transfer. Do not treat the exemption as permission to sell sensitive inquiries. Texas consent requires a clear affirmative act. Acceptance of broad terms, closing content, and dark patterns do not qualify. [§ 541.001(6), checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.001). Keep any approved consent purpose, wording, action, and evidence distinct from an ordinary request to speak with an agent. ## Give an exempt website a practical review The following checks are recommended website requirements. They do not turn the covered-controller duties below into mandatory TDPSA duties for an exempt business. Remove fields that the agent does not need for the initial conversation. Ask visitors to keep private financial, identity, and medical documents out of ordinary inquiry forms. Provide an approved route for later document handling when necessary. Check the description beside each form against its actual recipient and use. Have counsel review published privacy wording against the inventory. Keep unknown vendor uses unresolved until the responsible account owner supplies evidence. Use synthetic details to follow a seller question and a buyer question to the agreed destination. Confirm the message, reply details, and relevant page context arrive intact. Review account access and any additional copies created by notifications or exports. Save the dated applicability decision with the website brief. Revisit it when ownership, brokerage relationships, vendors, markets, or data uses change. Ask counsel separately about other applicable laws. ## Translate confirmed coverage into a website brief For a covered controller, Texas grants access, correction, deletion, specified portability, and opt-out rights. Opt-outs cover sale, targeted advertising, and qualifying consequential profiling. [§ 541.051, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.051). Use this table after counsel confirms coverage. The legal duties cited below generally took effect on 2024.07.01. | Duty | Website requirement to approve | Statutory source, checked 2026.10.14 | | --- | --- | --- | | Accessible, clear privacy notice | Identify data categories, purposes, third-party categories, rights methods, and appeals | [§ 541.102](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.102) | | Disclose sale or targeted advertising and the opt-out method | Provide the approved explanation and a working choice route | [§ 541.103](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.103) | | Secure, reliable request methods | Normally provide at least two methods and the required website mechanism; have counsel assess the exclusively-online exception | [§ 541.055(a)–(d)](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.055) | | Timely responses and an appeal process | Assign request receipt, authentication, action, reply, and appeal ownership | [§§ 541.052–541.053](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.052) | | Necessary collection, reasonable security, and sensitive-data consent | Approve each field and purpose, access rules, and any required consent before processing | [§ 541.101](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.101) | The ordinary response deadline is without undue delay, no later than 45 days after receipt. One additional 45-day extension is available when reasonably necessary, with timely notice and reasons. Appeals require a written response within 60 days. [§§ 541.052–541.053, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.052). Brief the full request process, including denied appeals and the Attorney General complaint route. A working form does not complete that process. Technology-based authorized-agent opt-outs under § 541.055(e) took effect on 2025.01.01. The provision contains verification requirements and exceptions; subsection (f) specifies qualifying technology. [Current § 541.055, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.055); [HB 4, Section 7(b)](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00004F.htm). Ask counsel which signals your site must handle. Give the developer an approved behavior for each affected integration. Covered processing also requires appropriate processor contracts and assessments for specified activities, including sensitive-data processing, sale, and targeted advertising. [§§ 541.104–541.105, checked 2026.10.14](https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/BC/htm/BC.541.htm#541.104). Assign those tasks to the responsible business and advisers. Do not accept a new privacy page as evidence that contracts and assessments are complete. ## Accept privacy handling and inquiry delivery separately The Texas worksheet separates counsel's applicability decision from vendor behavior and inquiry delivery. Submit approved page changes through [whole website fix: Texas privacy requirements](/for/real-estate). The whole website fix records integration dependencies before work starts. [Published offer, checked 2026.10.14](https://scalewithsearch.com/work). - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ## Related: Real estate - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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