Sec. 4.102. PARTITION OR EXCHANGE OF COMMUNITY PROPERTY. At any time, the spouses may partition or exchange between themselves all or part of their community property, then existing or to be acquired, as the spouses may desire.
Property acquired during the marriage (outside of the noted exceptions) is considered community property. The spouses can, however, agree to convert (or “transmute”) community property into separate property. In Texas, this is done via a written agreement establishing a partition or exchange between the parties.
Unless both spouses agree, a spouse must prove that something is separate property by “clear and convincing evidence.” If a spouse cannot prove something is separate property, it is considered to be community property. Read Gathering and Presenting Evidence to help you understand what is allowed in court.
There are two potential pathways in seeking a partition: Partitions may be in kind (meaning that property is divided into separate parcels and each parcel is allotted to a separate owner) or by sale (meaning that property is sold and sale proceeds are divided among the owners).
County Exceptions - State Law. Chapter 232 of the Local Government Code outlines several county exceptions to the land-subdivision requirements. Most common is the 10-acre exemption, allowing a landowner to subdivide into tracts of 10 acres or more as long as public right-of-way is not dedicated.
Under Texas law, spouses can enter into partition or exchange agreements in which one spouse transfers all or part of their present or soon-to-be-acquired community property to the other, thereby transmuting it into the separate property of the receiving spouse.
Texas Laws on Community Debt In many community property jurisdictions, debts incurred during the marriage are presumed to be the joint responsibility of both spouses.
A partition agreement divides, or partitions, a married couple's community estate into two separate estates. It is sometimes called a post-nuptial or post-marital agreement and is similar to a prenuptial agreement, except that it is executed by a married couple.
4.102. PARTITION OR EXCHANGE OF COMMUNITY PROPERTY. At any time, the spouses may partition or exchange between themselves all or part of their community property, then existing or to be acquired, as the spouses may desire.