Community Registry

How to:

• Register a New Group
  Before you register:
  1. Decide who in your group will be the Primary Contact. This is where the City will mail official notifications via USPS.
  2. Decide what the boundaries of your association's area of representation will be. They must create an enclosed area. 
      
• Update an Existing Group
  (Including changes to contact information, leadership, boundaries, meeting schedule, etc.)
   
• Search Community Registry Database by Name or Zip Code

Community Registry Data Online

Non-confidential data from the Community Registry is available on the Austin Open Data Portal as a service to the community. The registry data can be used to reach all or a subset of the registered organizations. Each row contains one organization’s name, primary contact information,  group-provided membership counts, meeting information, declared boundaries for the sake of notifications, and the date each record was last updated by the organization. This dataset is updated monthly; the latest update is noted in the dataset introduction.

Community Registry on Open Data Portal

Contact Us

Inquiries about a Community Registry record or identifying registered organizations in Property Profile can be directed to Community.Registry@austintexas.gov or 512-974-7219.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find the Neighborhood Association or Neighborhood Plan Contact Team (NPCT) that a certain property is located in?

1. Use the Property Profile interactive map (see the User Guide under the HELP tab if needed). Click on the “Change visible map layers” icon and check the “Community Registry” layer in the Boundaries Grids folder toward the bottom of the list of layers.
    
2. Select “Address Search” and enter the address click "Submit."
    
3. At the bottom of results panel will be a “Community Registry List”, showing all registered groups, including any Neighborhood Association(s) and the NPCT (if it is in one) that address falls within.
    
4. To see its map, click on the Identify button, then click on the property, then click on the “View Additional Details” in the pop-up box. The map will zoom out to show the selected organization’s boundaries.

An organization is not in the Community Registry or its information is incorrect.

The Data Portal is updated only monthly. Check for the organization’s individual record via Search Community Registry database to confirm that the record is there/accurate, but it has simply not been “pushed” to the Data Portal yet.  

If the individual record is not current, the Primary Contact or another officer of the organization should submit an update. Doing so does not automatically publish the new information, as staff must review it before publishing. If an update was recently submitted, they can contact staff at the above email or phone number. While staff strives to process updates within a week, there can be technical difficulties that might cause a delay.

How do I determine when an organization was formed?

The Community Registry can only show an approximation of when an organization was registered with the City, not when it was founded. When the CR was created in 1996, all organizations known to the City at that time were invited to register in this new tool. When an organization registers, it is automatically assigned a unique ID number, called a Planning ID. Those organizations with a Planning ID under 1000 had registered prior to 1998. By the end of 2020, more than 1800 organizations had initiated registration with the City, but only 520 were still active.

Are the boundaries in the Community Registry the same as the organization’s official boundaries?

The boundaries in the Community Registry are identified by the registering individual(s), and are for notification purposes. Only Neighborhood Plan Contact Teams’ boundaries are regulated by the City since their area of responsibility was defined by a City Ordinance. All others are free to define/change their boundaries based on the area they want to receive notifications for. This often includes going beyond a neighborhood’s (or HOA’s) boundaries to the nearest major streets, so they can keep up with major developments nearby.

Why are we seeing new homes being built nearby, but we aren’t receiving notices?

The City only mails notices for “Review Cases” – not for Building Plan Review Permits or Building Permits. If the property already has the necessary zoning and is not being subdivided for the first time (“Preliminary Plan”), it will likely not go through any process that requires public notification.

Separate from the Community Registry, any individual can set up a Development Tracker Alert to get email notices for any/all types of Cases and Permits within any area(s) they choose to define.

Will we get notices for a case that was already in review (in AB+C) when we registered our organization?

No. The Notification (Mailing) List for a case is created when the case is first created and is not updated again. However, anyone can request that the contact person named in the notification add you to their case’s interest list by just contacting them (their phone number is in the AB+C case record). This may not mean you can become an Interested Party, as there are deadlines for that eligibility – ask the contact person.

Why does our organization get some notices via USPS and some via Email?

Two possible explanations:

1. In addition to receiving the paper notices, registered community organizations that established an “Organization Email Address” will also receive email notices for some case types, similar to the paper notices they receive. These email notices are not sent to the Primary or Secondary Contacts. Details can be found in the Register a New Group form by clicking on the “Click here to read about E-Notices” link. 
    
2. Many City departments use the Community Registry to distribute a variety of area-specific announcements to the Organization Email. They may also include all published Primary and Secondary Contact emails.

Why doesn’t our neighborhood get the same City emails that a nearby neighborhood receives?

Three possible explanations: 

1. The other organization signed up for one or more City department’s “Austin Notes,” daily/weekly/monthly newsletters that your organization has not.
    
2. The other organization established an Organization Email and your organization has not.
    
3. If it is a Case Notification, the other organization is apparently within 500 ft of the proposed case, and your organization is not. This can be verified by looking up the case in Property Profile: resources under the Help tab can explain how to do so.