Felts v. Harris County

ENOCH, Justice.

This is an inverse condemnation case which questions whether property owners have a right to compensation under Article I, Section 17 of the Texas Constitution for damage to their property resulting from roadway traffic noise. Because the Feltses have not established a constitutionally compensable damage, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals, but for reasons different from those that court expressed.

In 1978, the Feltses purchased a half-acre lot in Cypress, Texas and built their home. Nine years later, Harris County decided to build North Eldridge Parkway, a four-lane…