City Services

Minority and Women Business Enterprise is a certification for businesses that are owned, controlled and operated by an ethnic minority or woman.

A MBE/WBE certification increases opportunities for individuals wanting to do business with the City of Austin. Ethnic Minorities include: African American, Hispanic, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native American.

Outreach facilitates internal and external communications regarding services, initiatives, programs and special notices to Austin’s community of certified firms.

SMBR routinely hosts outreach events and workshops on topics of interest to the minority business community, provides access and free training on the McGraw Hill Online Database, and offers a no-cost membership to the Govology platform. 

Outreach also partners with the Asian Contractors Association, Austin Area Black Contractors Association, US Hispanic Contractors Association and other community organizations to increase awareness and participation of the MBE/WBE program.

TARA provides assistance to electric utility customers (other than Austin Energy) and gas customers with complaints, questions, and concerns.  Our office strives to mediate complaints to the citizen's satisfaction in a timely fashion, even if the company no longer has a City franchise. We encourage residents to make contact with the utility provider first before contacting our office to escalate the issue.  The normal process is to give the company an opportunity to resolve the complaint before the TARA office escalates.  TARA is only able to escalate consumer issues with the following utility providers: Texas Gas Service, SiEnergy, Centerpoint Energy, ATMOS Energy, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op, Pedernales Electric Co-op, Spectrum, Grande Communications, AT&T, and Google Fiber.

Call 512-974-2999 or via email to file a complaint for one of these services.

Claims information is provided to customers for civil judgments and judgment liens owed to the City of Austin. To request information, you may contact staff by email at Claims.COA@austintexas.gov or by phone at 512-974-2910.

PHBs are pedestrian activated warning devices. The beacon consists of two red lights above a single yellow light. The beacon head is "dark" or unlit until a pedestrian activates the device.

A request to change the name of a dedicated street within the City of Austin full purpose jurisdiction can be initiated by a City Council member, city department, or by a property owner with property abutting the street to be renamed.  The street name change process involves submittal of an application, payment of a non-refundable processing fee, property owner and governmental entity notifications, and approval from the Austin City Council in the form of an ordinance.

In order to bring a street name change request before Council, the following requirements must be met (per City Code 14-5):

• Applicant must own property abutting the street they wish to rename or enlist the support of a City Council member to sponsor the naming.
• The applicant must send a completed street name change application form and payment of the $415.00 non-refundable processing fee to:

Austin Transportation Department
ATTN: Street Name Change Coordinator
P.O Box 1088
Austin, Texas 78767-1088

• The applicant must contact all affected property owners for their signature agreement to the proposed street name change. An affected property owner is any property owner who owns property that abuts the right of way proposed for renaming. Contact can be made using the property owners information and mailing address of record from the Travis County ad valorem tax rolls.
• The case cannot be brought before Council or set for a public hearing until more than 50% of the property owners respond with their signature of the agreement.
  • If 100% of the property owners respond in agreement – there is no requirement for public hearing.
  • If less than 100% respond with their agreement – a public hearing will be required.
  • If one or more property owners object to the renaming – a public hearing is required 
     
• Once more than 50% of the property agreement forms are signed indicating agreement and all signed property agreement forms have been provided to the Austin Transportation Department Street Name Change Coordinator the internal reviews may begin.
• Concur reviews from eight agencies & departments are distributed for review. All reviewers must return signature agreements with the proposed street name change. If any of the three emergency services disagrees with the street name change (APD, AFD, EMS) the case is closed without being brought before Council.
• Once the field notes for the street name change have been collected from the Public Works Engineers (used to legally describe the extent of the street to be renamed) the Request for Council Action can be submitted to place the item on the Council’s Agenda.
• Council reviews the request and the ordinance changing the street name is either denied or approved.
  • If denied, the case is closed without further action
  • If approved, the street name change is final upon ordinance signature of the Mayor and recordation with the City Clerk. The applicant assumes responsibility for expenses incurred for sign replacement and will be billed for the cost of sign replacement. The Austin Transportation Department will be notified after the ordinance has been signed to begin replacing the affected street signs. Notifications will be sent out to all affected property owners advising them of the street name change and to approximately 30 agencies and city departments who are affected by the name change.

View the Parking Division services to find information about valet parking, chauffeur permits, limousine and taxicab permits and ground transportation services.

The Austin Transportation Department is one of several governmental departments and agencies responsible for building, maintaining, and planning transportation in Austin. Here is a list of our partners and a little bit about what they do.

Services offered by the Right of Way Management Division include Permitting, DAPCZ Project Coordination, Traffic Control Plan/Review, Utility Coordination, Safety and Mobility in the ROW, and Code Compliance.  

Did you recently swerve to avoid a pothole? Have you noticed a street in need of maintenance? Contact 3-1-1 to report the issue, and the Public Works Department will take care of it.

Notice a sidewalk in need of repair? Would you like to request that a new sidewalk be added in your area? The Public Works Department is here to help keep our city safe for pedestrians and would like your input. Contact 3-1-1 for details.

Community groups and event organizers use street banners as a cost-effective, high-impact, place-based tool for engaging the public, promoting events, raising awareness, and communicating key messages.

Developers: If an IPM plan is required, developers should be informed during the development review process. It is then their responsibility to submit, and comply with, a plan. If the land is then sold, it is their responsibility to communicate the need for the new land owner to abide by the plan.

Homeowners: If you own an individual parcel of land that requires a site plan review and no developer or previous owner has submitted an IPM plan, then it is your responsibility to do so.

Staff in the Spill Response Program respond to citizen pollution complaints and spills that threaten our creeks or water bodies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 512-974-2550

Please call 3-1-1 and provide a location and description of the issue. An investigator will visit the location and assess the situation to determine if a workgroup should be assigned.

Is your Austin property in a floodplain? Find out using FloodPro, an online tool that shows floodplain maps, models, elevation certificates and floodplain map revision information. Questions? Call 512-974-2843 or send an email.

Potential applicants for the Regional Stormwater Management Program can use the locked spreadsheet below to estimate the required participation payment for a particular project. Please refer to the instructions tab for information on how to complete the calculator. If you have questions, please email the RSMP team.

RSMP Payment Calculator Spreadsheet (Updated Jan. 5, 2024)

Lost your keys or cell phone down an inlet? Call 3-1-1, and we may be able to send a representative to retrieve your item.

Do you have a drainage easement on your property that you would like released? Please email us with a request for information before submitting an application. It may save you money. Applications are on the  Development Services Department’s Land Management webpage.

Is your home or business at risk for flooding? Our staff is available to meet with you and discuss your situation and strategies to reduce damages. Email us or call 512-974-2843.