The Texas local candidate compliance checklist

Almost no local candidate gets into trouble for *cheating*. They get into trouble for missing a deadline — taking a check before the treasurer paperwork is filed, blowing past an 8-day report, or forgetting the final report after the votes are counted. Compliance in Texas is not complicated, but it is unforgiving about sequence and timing. This checklist walks you through the whole arc, in order, so a busy first-time candidate can stay clean from the day they decide to run to the day they close the books.

What do you do before you raise or spend any money?

There's a hard legal line at the very start of every Texas campaign, and stepping over it out of order is the single most common rookie mistake. Do these three things before money moves:

1. 1.File your Campaign Treasurer Appointment (CTA). This is the legal starting gun. You cannot accept a contribution or make an expenditure until it's on file. See our campaign treasurer appointment guide.
2. 2.Confirm your filing authority. A city-council candidate usually files with the city secretary; a school-board candidate files with the school district. Statewide rules come from the Texas Ethics Commission, but your reports often go local.
3. 3.Decide on modified vs. full reporting. If you'll stay under the 2027 threshold (about $34,890 — verify), you may elect modified reporting. Make this choice when you appoint your treasurer.

What do you track while the campaign is running?

Compliance is mostly bookkeeping done in real time. If you wait until a report is due to reconstruct your finances, you will miss something. Keep a running record of:

• Every contribution — date, amount, and the contributor's name and address. In-kind contributions count too.
• Every expenditure — date, amount, payee, and purpose. Reimbursements and small cash outlays are easy to forget.
• Your running totals against the threshold, so a late surge doesn't quietly cost you your modified-reporting status.
• Loans and personal funds you put into the campaign — these have to be reported, not just spent.

Which reports are due, and when?

The 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports are where most candidates slip — they're due in the busiest stretch of the campaign, when door-knocking and fundraising are at full tilt. Put both on your calendar the day you file your CTA. For the full schedule, see our 2027 campaign finance deadlines guide.

What do you do after Election Day?

Winning or losing doesn't close your compliance obligations. There's still a report to file — and if you keep the campaign active, an ongoing reporting cadence. Wrap up by doing this:

1. 1.File your post-election / final report on schedule — confirm the exact date with your filing authority.
2. 2.Resolve outstanding obligations. Unpaid invoices and outstanding loans have to be reported until they're settled.
3. 3.Decide whether to keep or close the committee. If you're done, file to dissolve; if you might run again, understand your ongoing semiannual reporting.
4. 4.Archive everything. Keep your records for the period your filing authority requires in case of a review.

The bottom line

Texas local-candidate compliance comes down to sequence and calendar discipline: treasurer first, clean records all season, the pre-election reports on time, and a final report to close out. None of it is hard — but all of it is mandatory, and the penalties land on the candidate. Run the checklist top to bottom, confirm your specific dates with your filing authority, and grab the free Collin County filing kit to get the forms in one place. Ready to run? Apply to launch with Mandate or explore the platform.