Texas State Law cheat sheet

    TREC Duties and Powers Texas Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet

    This Texas area tests what TREC may do, how complaints move through investigation and hearing, and how the Commission handles violations, discipline, and the Recovery Trust Account.

    PortionTexas State Law
    Scored items3
    Approximate weight3%
    Study rule

    Keep the institutions separate. The Legislature enacts TRELA, TREC adopts and enforces rules within its authority, and SOAH can conduct contested-case hearings.

    What Pearson tests

    • TREC composition, general powers, duties, advisory committees, and rulemaking authority
    • Complaints, investigations, hearings, appeals, and disciplinary action
    • Unlicensed activity, administrative penalties, and the Real Estate Recovery Trust Account

    Three traps to catch

    1. TREC does not write TRELA. The Texas Legislature enacts the statute.
    2. A complaint does not itself prove a violation. Investigation and due process come before final discipline.
    3. The Recovery Trust Account can compensate qualifying claimants under statutory conditions. It is not ordinary transaction insurance.

    Essential vocabulary

    TREC Duties and Powers terms to know

    Open the full glossary
    TREC
    The Texas Real Estate Commission, the state agency that administers and enforces Texas real estate licensing law.
    TRELA
    The Real Estate License Act in Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101.
    TREC Rules
    Administrative rules adopted by the Commission, principally in Title 22, Part 23 of the Texas Administrative Code.
    Complaint
    An allegation submitted for agency review, not a final finding by itself.
    SOAH
    The State Office of Administrative Hearings, which conducts specified contested-case hearings.
    Administrative penalty
    A monetary sanction TREC may impose when authorized by law.
    Disciplinary action
    Agency action such as reprimand, suspension, or revocation when legally supported.
    Recovery Trust Account
    The statutory account that may pay qualifying claims subject to eligibility and limits.

    Check your recall

    Can you answer these without notes?

    1Who enacts TRELA?

    The Texas Legislature.

    2Which agency enforces Texas real estate licensing law?

    TREC.

    3Does filing a complaint establish that a violation occurred?

    No. A complaint begins a review process.

    Use the sheet, then retrieve

    Test the rules while they are still fresh.

    Read the full lesson when a definition is fuzzy. Then answer the topic questions without looking back at this sheet.

    Practice TREC Duties & PowersSee the Pass Texas app

    Primary sources

    This is exam-prep education, not legal, tax, or transaction advice. Confirm the current law, form, and official exam materials before relying on a rule in practice.