Texas Environmental
Practice Questions & Answers (2026)
Environmental questions on the Texas exam cover both federal environmental laws and Texas-specific disclosure requirements. Federal topics include lead-based paint (pre-1978 housing), asbestos, radon, underground storage tanks, and CERCLA liability. Texas has additional state-level environmental disclosure requirements enforced by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) — including Texas-specific environmental conditions that affect property use and disclosure. Environmental questions trip up candidates who studied only federal law without reviewing the TX-specific overlay.
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Texas Environmental — Practice Questions & Answers
113 questions on Environmental from the Texas real estate question bank. First 10 are free — sign up to unlock all 113.
Q1. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the state agency primarily responsible for:
Explanation
TCEQ is the state environmental agency in Texas responsible for protecting the state's human and natural resources by administering environmental regulations for air quality, water quality, and waste management.
Q2. Lead-based paint disclosure is required for homes built before:
Explanation
Federal law requires sellers and landlords to disclose known lead-based paint hazards in residential properties built before 1978, when the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-based paint.
Q3. Radon gas in Texas homes enters primarily through:
Explanation
Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, enters homes primarily through cracks, gaps, and openings in foundations and floors from the soil beneath the structure.
Q4. An underground storage tank (UST) leak on a Texas property is regulated primarily by:
Explanation
TCEQ oversees the petroleum storage tank program in Texas, including regulations for underground storage tanks, leak detection, and cleanup of contamination from USTs.
Q5. Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in older Texas buildings are regulated under:
Explanation
Asbestos is regulated federally under EPA's NESHAP rules and in Texas by TCEQ. Renovation or demolition of buildings containing ACM requires specific procedures, notifications, and licensed abatement contractors.
Q6. Texas water law follows a combination of systems for surface water. Under the prior appropriation doctrine for surface water in Texas:
Explanation
Texas surface water is governed by the prior appropriation doctrine: water rights are allocated by permit and older permits ('senior rights') have priority over newer permits ('junior rights') during shortages.
Q7. Groundwater rights in Texas are governed by the 'rule of capture,' which means:
Explanation
Texas groundwater is governed by the rule of capture (the English Rule): a landowner generally has the right to pump groundwater from beneath their land, even if it reduces water available to neighboring wells, subject to Groundwater Conservation District rules.
Q8. A Texas property with a known history of dry-cleaning operations should be investigated for contamination from which common chemical?
Explanation
Dry cleaning facilities commonly use perchloroethylene (PCE or PERC), a chlorinated solvent. PCE can contaminate soil and groundwater and is regulated as a hazardous substance under CERCLA and by TCEQ in Texas.
Q9. CERCLA (Superfund) in Texas addresses:
Explanation
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) establishes federal authority and funding to clean up hazardous waste sites and creates strict, joint and several liability for responsible parties.
Q10. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) in Texas is designed to:
Explanation
A Phase I ESA identifies Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) through non-intrusive methods: reviewing historical records, regulatory databases, conducting a site visit, and interviewing knowledgeable parties. Sampling occurs in Phase II.
Q11. The Texas Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) administered by TCEQ allows property owners to:
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