If You've Been Confused by the New TDLR Documentation Requirements — You're Not Alone

Let me tell you, explaining these changes to clients has been... an adventure.

Since September 2025, TDLR updated the TABS registration process, and it caught a lot of people off guard. Every project registration now requires a County Appraisal District (CAD) number and documentation. And if the building owner is an LLC, LLP, or LP? Add the Limited Liability Ownership (LLO) form and a Secretary of State document or Articles of Formation to the stack.

Simple enough on paper. Much harder in practice when you're calling a client about a project they registered months ago and telling them you need documents they've never heard of.

Here's the part that trips people up the most: this isn't just for new registrations. If your project was still open as of September 2025 — even if it was registered well before that — these documentation requirements apply. TDLR needs them before they'll process closures, inspections, and status updates.

I've had more than a few conversations that start with "But we already registered..." and I get it. It's frustrating. The rules changed mid-stream and now there's homework.

So I put together a Registration Guide and a companion Checklist — something I can hand to clients (and honestly, to anyone who touches the registration process) that lays out exactly what's needed, step by step. What documents, where to find them, and which path to follow based on the building owner type.

If it helps even one person avoid the back-and-forth of a kicked-back registration, it was worth making. And anything that helps when you have to go back to a client with "I need one more thing..." is good in my books.