Parks Department to Upgrade Boating and Marine Licensing System

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has $1.5 billion in its overall budget for 2024 and $447.5 million for 2025, according to the state’s 2024-25 biennial budget.

The 2024 TPWD budget includes a $1 billion one-time transfer from the state's general fund to create the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund.

Of the remaining department budget, $36.3 million is dedicated to information resources. In the capital projects budget, $10.9 million is allocated to information resource technology allocation; $9.4 million to data center consolidation.

The appropriations will enable TPWD to update the Boat Registration Information and Titling System (BRITS), in need of modernization, with a total of about $5 million in the course of two years.

The in-house system “supports boat/marine transactions such as boat registration and registration renewal, titling, applicable sales tax and other professional marine licenses. The system provides transaction processing, inquiry, reporting and fulfillment capabilities at TPWD headquarters, field offices and tax assessor-collector offices,” according to the agency’s budget request. These titles generate at least $22 million in revenue.

The IT Division, balancing the outdoor experience and technology-supported tourism, has approximately 80 employees serving more than 3,000 full-time employees.

TPWD oversees 89 state parks, historic sites and natural areas across 640,000 acres. The department plans to serve more than 6.5 million paying visitors during this fiscal year, which began Sept. 1.