The Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) met on August 8, 2025, with a new chair, two new members, and a new vice chair. Packed into their agenda were committee appointments, legislative updates, adopted and proposed rule changes, and a federal requirement that takes effect soon for all appraisers and appraiser applicants.

Opening Remarks From the New Chair

Board Member R. Chance Bolton (pictured above), who has served as an appraiser member since 2016, was appointed on May 19, 2025, by Governor Abbott to serve as Board chair. He said this to open the meeting:

“It is an honor to step in the role of chairman of TALCB.

I'd like to begin by thanking the prior leadership of this board for their steadfast service and thoughtful stewardship. Your work has built a strong foundation of integrity, professionalism, and public trust—a legacy I intend to uphold and carry forward. I also want to recognize our TALCB staff. Your commitment to regulatory efficiency, education, and fairness is the backbone of our mission. I'm grateful for your work behind the scenes to ensure appraisers across Texas are supported and standards are enforced with clarity and consistency.

As chair, my focus will be threefold. First, to uphold public trust, which is the cornerstone. Second, to continue our efforts in lowering barriers to entry without compromising standards; and strengthen our support for licensed appraisers who serve an essential role in the health of our real estate markets and the protection of property rights.

Together, we will promote an appraisal ecosystem in Texas that is inclusive, fair, and accountable. I look forward to working with each of you and serving the people of this great state.”

Chair Bolton’s opening remarks may be viewed in the below video.

Chair Bolton then welcomed new members Mark Luna and Clayton Ripley (pictured below in order). Ripley is a Certified Public Accountant from Austin and Luna is a certified general appraiser from Lubbock.

 

Board Member Martha Gayle Reid Lynch was elected as TALCB vice chair. The position was left vacant after Board Member Bolton’s appointment to TALCB chair.

Committee Appointments

Chair Bolton made the following appointments:

Education and Licensing Committee

• Mark Luna

Ex officio member Mark McAnally chairs this committee. He is joined by Board Secretary Rolando Castro.

Budget and Finance Committee

• Clayton Riley

Public member Stephanie Robinson, Ph.D. chairs this committee. She is joined by public member Paola Escalante-Castillo.

Texas Real Estate Commission and TALCB Joint Audit Committee

Chair Bolton appointed himself to remain a member of this committee.Commissioners Ben Peña and J.B. Goodwin of the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) are also on the audit committee.

Legislative Updates: Stipends, Your Contact Info, Licensing Military Members

House Bill 3250, The Board’s housekeeping bill, gives the Board rule-making authority to adopt rules to administer a stipend program that will award funds to aspiring appraisers and certified appraisers serving as sponsors. This program will be funded through grants and donations, not through fees.

The Board will also have the authority to collect and display business contact information (like business address and phone number) of license holders on its website for public view.

The stipend section of HB 3250 went into effect immediately. The rest of the bill goes into effect September 1, 2025.

Another bill, also effective September 1, makes the path to licensure easier for military service members, their spouses, and veterans who hold a current license issued in another state for a similar scope of practice and are in good standing with the state’s licensing authority. Their application processing time will also be cut from 30 days to 10 business days from application filing. Another change affects the duration of a military spouse’s practice time in the event of a divorce. The Board proposed rule changes to accommodate these legislative updates.

New Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Requirement

Beginning January 1, 2026, a new federal requirement will take effect. All license holders and new appraiser applicants will be required to complete a valuation bias and fair housing course. This applies to anyone whose license expires in January 2026 or later, as well as any applicant approved on or after January 1, 2026.

These changes to appraiser education were adopted by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) in June 2023: eight hours of qualifying education and seven hours of continuing education on the topics of valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulation, for all license types. After satisfying that requirement, license holders will be required to take a four-hour valuation bias course every two years.

The new Fair Housing and Valuation Bias Course in the 2026 Criteria is now currently available to license holders.

This Meeting’s Adopted Rule Changes

The following newly adopted rule changes were proposed at TALCB’s last meeting. Some of them are part of the Board’s quadrennial rule review—a process all state agencies use to review rules every four years to determine whether the reasons for their adoption still exist.

After that process, amendments to 22 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 153 were adopted. They facilitate the rollout of the agency’s new license management portal which will allow license holders to ditch paper forms and instead provide information to the agency through an online process. Amendments to Chapter 159 were adopted for the same reason.

This Meeting’s Proposed Rule Changes

The following proposed rule changes, in addition to the above military-related proposed amendments, will be open for public comment and up for potential adoption at the Board’s next meeting.

Licensing Those With Criminal History

Several amendments were proposed as a result of statutory changes from Senate Bill 1080 which became effective May 27, 2025. The bill modifies Chapter 53 of the Texas Occupations Code relating to the revocation of an occupational license form certain license holders and the issuance of an occupational license to certain applicants with criminal convictions. Changes include language added to the chapter that accommodates certain work programs that assist people in prison get licensed. This process would exclude the same offenses that disqualify an applicant from the traditional path to licensure.

Rule language within this chapter is also clarified to accommodate the agency’s upcoming new portal.

Exploring Another Way To Lower Barriers to Entry

Because one of the biggest barriers to entry to the appraisal profession is how to get appraisal experience hours, the Board is set to establish an approval process for practicum courses and their providers. This discussion topic was introduced at the Board’s last meeting and included Melissa Bond, the creator of Mississippi’s practicum program, which is now in multiple states.

Currently, the most common way Texas appraiser trainees gain experience to become licensed is through the appraiser-trainee supervisor model. It requires trainees to find a willing supervisor to guide them through the pathway to licensure. This can be challenging to those who enter the profession without an inside connection through a family member or friend, for example.

A practicum program would provide an additional pathway for trainees to gain experience. The Board is proposing changes to align TALCB rules to the practicum process.

Meeting Materials

TALCB’s August 2025 meeting materials and video recording are online.

The Board will meet again on November 14, 2025, at its headquarters in Austin. As the date approaches, meeting materials, the agenda, and a livestream link will be available through the same link.