(a) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.      
        (1) Cable system--The system through which a cable service provider delivers cable television or bundled cable service, as those terms are defined in §3.313 of this title (relating to Cable Television Service and Bundled Cable Service).       
        (2) City--An incorporated city, municipality, town, or village.       
        (3) City sales and use tax--The tax authorized under Tax Code, §321.101(a), including the additional municipal sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §321.101(b), the municipal sales and use tax for street maintenance authorized under Tax Code, §327.003, the Type A Development Corporation sales and use tax authorized under Local Government Code, §504.251, the Type B Development Corporation sales and use tax authorized under Local Government Code, §505.251, a sports and community venue project sales and use tax adopted by a city under Local Government Code, §334.081, and a municipal development corporation sales and use tax adopted by a city under Local Government Code, §379A.081. The term does not include the fire control, prevention, and emergency medical services district sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §321.106, or the municipal crime control and prevention district sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §321.108.       
        (4) Comptroller's website--The comptroller's website concerning local taxes located at: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/sales/.       
        (5) County sales and use tax--The tax authorized under Tax Code, §323.101, including a sports and community venue project sales and use tax adopted by a county under Local Government Code, §334.081. The term does not include the county health services sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §324.021, the county landfill and criminal detention center sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §325.021, or the crime control and prevention district sales and use tax authorized under Tax Code, §323.105.       
        (6) Drop shipment--A transaction in which an order is received by a seller at one location, but the item purchased is shipped by the seller from another location, or is shipped by the seller's third-party supplier, directly to a location designated by the purchaser.       
        (7) Engaged in business--This term has the meaning given in §3.286 of this title (relating to Seller's and Purchaser's Responsibilities).       
        (8) Extraterritorial jurisdiction-An unincorporated area that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of a city as defined in Local Government Code, §42.021.       
        (9) Fulfill--To complete an order by transferring possession of a taxable item to a purchaser, or to ship or deliver a taxable item to a location designated by the purchaser. The term does not include receiving or tracking an order, determining shipping costs, managing inventory, or other activities that do not involve the transfer, shipment, or delivery of a taxable item to the purchaser or a location designated by the purchaser.       
        (10) Itinerant vendor--A seller who travels to various locations for the purpose of receiving orders and making sales of taxable items and who has no place of business in this state. A person who sells items through vending machines is also an itinerant vendor. A salesperson that operates out of a place of business in this state is not an itinerant vendor.       
        (11) Kiosk--A small stand-alone area or structure:                  (A) that is used solely to display merchandise or to submit orders for taxable items from a data entry device, or both;                   (B) that is located entirely within a location that is a place of business of another seller, such as a department store or shopping mall; and                   (C) at which taxable items are not available for immediate delivery to a purchaser.         
        (12) Local taxes--Sales and use taxes imposed by any local taxing jurisdiction.       
        (13) Local taxing jurisdiction--Any of the following:                  (A) a city that imposes sales and use tax as provided under paragraph (3) of this subsection;                   (B) a county that imposes sales and use tax as provided under paragraph (5) of this subsection;                   (C) a special purpose district created under the Special District Local Laws Code or other provisions of Texas law that is authorized to impose sales and use tax by the Tax Code or other provisions of Texas law and as governed by the provisions of Tax Code, Chapters 321 or 323 and other provisions of Texas law; or                   (D) a transit authority that imposes sales and use tax as authorized by Transportation Code, Chapters, 451, 452, 453, 457, or 460 and governed by the provisions of Tax Code, Chapter, 322.         
        (14) Marketplace provider--This term has the meaning given in §3.286 of this title.       
        (15) Order placed in person--An order placed by a purchaser with the seller while physically present at the seller's place of business regardless of how the seller subsequently enters the order.       
        (16) Place of business of the seller - general definition--A place of business of the seller must be an established outlet, office, or location operated by a seller for the purpose of receiving orders for taxable items from persons other than employees, independent contractors, and natural persons affiliated with the seller. An "established outlet, office, or location" usually requires staffing by one or more sales personnel. The term does not include a computer server, Internet protocol address, domain name, website, or software application. The "purpose" element of the definition may be established by proof that the sales personnel of the seller receive three or more orders for taxable items at the facility during the calendar year. Additional criteria for determining when a location is a place of business of the seller are provided in subsection (b) of this section for distribution centers, manufacturing plants, storage yards, warehouses and similar facilities; kiosks; and purchasing offices. An outlet, office, facility, or any location that contracts with a retail or commercial business to process for that business invoices, purchase orders, bills of lading, or other equivalent records onto which sales tax is added, including an office operated for the purpose of buying and selling taxable goods to be used or consumed by the retail or commercial business, is not a place of business of the seller if the comptroller determines that the outlet, office, facility, or location functions or exists to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapters 321, 322, and 323 or exists solely to rebate a portion of the tax imposed by those chapters to the contracting business. An outlet, office, facility, or location does not exist to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapters 321, 322, and 323 or solely to rebate a portion of the tax imposed by those chapters if the outlet, office, facility, or location provides significant business services, beyond processing invoices, to the contracting business, including logistics management, purchasing, inventory control, or other vital business services.       
        (17) Purchasing office--An outlet, office, facility, or any location that contracts with a retail or commercial business to process for that business invoices, purchase orders, bills of lading, or other equivalent records onto which sales tax is added, including an office operated for the purpose of buying and selling taxable goods to be used or consumed by the retail or commercial business.       
        (18) Remote Seller--As defined in §3.286 of this title, a remote seller is a seller engaged in business in this state whose only activity in the state is:                  (A) engaging in regular or systematic solicitation of sales of taxable items in this state by the distribution of catalogs, periodicals, advertising flyers, or other advertising, by means of print, radio, or television media, or by mail, telegraphy, telephone, computer data base, cable, optic, microwave, or other communication system for the purpose of effecting sales of taxable items; or                   (B) soliciting orders for taxable items by mail or through other media including the Internet or other media that may be developed in the future.         
        (19) Seller--This term has the meaning given in §3.286 of this title and also refers to any agent or employee of the seller.       
        (20) Special purpose district--A local governmental entity authorized by the Texas legislature for a specific purpose, such as crime control, a local library, emergency services, county health services, or a county landfill and criminal detention center.       
        (21) Storage--This term has the meaning given in §3.346 of this title (relating to Use Tax).       
        (22) Temporary place of business of the seller--A location operated by a seller for a limited period of time for the purpose of selling and receiving orders for taxable items and where the seller has inventory available for immediate delivery to a purchaser. For example, a person who rents a booth at a weekend craft fair or art show to sell and take orders for jewelry, or a person who maintains a facility at a job site to rent tools and equipment to a contractor during the construction of real property, has established a temporary place of business. A temporary place of business of the seller includes a sale outside of a distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility of the seller in a parking lot or similar space sharing the same physical address as the facility but not within the walls of the facility.       
        (23) Transit authority--A metropolitan rapid transit authority (MTA), advanced transportation district (ATD), regional or subregional transportation authority (RTA), city transit department (CTD), county transit authority (CTA), regional mobility authority (RMA) or coordinated county transportation authority created under Transportation Code, Chapters 370, 451, 452, 453, 457, or 460.       
        (24) Two percent cap--A reference to the general rule that, except as otherwise provided by Texas law and as explained in this section, a seller cannot collect, and a purchaser is not obligated to pay, more than 2.0% of the sales price of a taxable item in total local sales and use taxes for all local taxing jurisdictions.       
        (25) Use--This term has the meaning given in §3.346 of this title.       
        (26) Use tax--A tax imposed on the storage, use or other consumption of a taxable item in this state.       
      (b) Determining the place of business of a seller.      
        (1) Distribution centers, manufacturing plants, storage yards, warehouses, and similar facilities.                  (A) A distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility operated by a seller for the purpose of selling taxable items where sales personnel of the seller receive three or more orders for taxable items during the calendar year from persons other than employees, independent contractors, and natural persons affiliated with the seller is a place of business of the seller. Forwarding previously received orders to the facility for fulfilment does not make the facility a place of business.                   (B) If a location that is a place of business of the seller, such as a sales office, is in the same building as a distribution center, manufacturing plant, storage yard, warehouse, or similar facility operated by a seller, then the entire facility is a place of business of the seller.         
        (2) Kiosks. A kiosk is not a place of business of the seller for the purpose of determining where a sale is consummated for local tax purposes. A seller who owns or operates a kiosk in Texas is, however, engaged in business in this state as provided in §3.286 of this title.       
        (3) Purchasing offices.                  (A) A purchasing office is not a place of business of the seller if the purchasing office exists solely to rebate a portion of the local sales and use tax imposed by Tax Code, Chapters 321, 322, or 323 to a business with which it contracts; or if the purchasing office functions or exists to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapters 321, 322, or 323. A purchasing office does not exist solely to rebate a portion of the local sales and use tax or to avoid the tax legally due under Tax Code, Chapters 321, 322, or 323 if the purchasing office provides significant business services to the contracting business beyond processing invoices, including logistics management, purchasing, inventory control, or other vital business services.                   (B) In making a determination under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, as to whether a purchasing office provides significant business services to the contracting business beyond processing invoices, the comptroller will compare the total value of the other business services to the value of processing invoices. If the total value of the other business services, including logistics management, purchasing, inventory control, or other vital business services, is less than the value of the service to process invoices, then the purchasing office will be presumed not to be a place of business of the seller.                   (C) If the comptroller determines that a purchasing office is not a place of business of the seller, the sale of any taxable item is deemed to be consummated at the place of business of the seller from whom the purchasing office purchased the taxable item for resale and local sales and use taxes are due according to the following rules.                     Cont'd...