City Services

Call 512-972-5555 or fax 512-972-5772 at any time of day to report a disease. Messages are answered within 15 minutes. For more information, see Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance.

The Community Tree Preservation Division administers the City's tree regulations by performing tree reviews, permitting, and inspections, and implements the Urban Forest Master Plan. The division serves to cultivate a relationship between Austin residents and their trees by fostering a resilient community forest accomplished through an interconnected mix of regulations, outreach, planning, and community partnerships.

The City Clerk's Office has information about filing a conflict of interest with the City.

Businesses and individuals doing business with the City need to file conflict of interest questionnaires with the City Clerk's office when a relevant conflict exists. The filed forms are online for public access.

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 no-cost access to business coaching. 

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.

Find the most popular social networks for City departments, services, and initiatives in one spot. 

The following resources are available for contractors, designers, and consultants:

• Access standards and specifications.
• View all City Code.
• View Current Bid and RFQ Opportunities 
• Average Unit Prices, June 2022

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.

Contact DSD Code Compliance and talk to an experienced facilitator who can help you with general code questions, provide resource guidance, and give updates on your existing cases. DSD Code Connect is here to inform, guide, and educate!

For more information about registration, visit our Contractor Registration webpage. To make changes to a permit, reactivate an expired permit, or even extend the permit's expiration, please see the Modify a Permit webpage.

Search for official Council meeting records and Council-approved documents by keyword, including records of special-called Council meetings and meetings of the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Boards, and Mueller Local Government Corporation (MLGC).

The City of Austin offers closed-caption logs of Council sessions aired on the City’s City's government access channel (ATXN). These logs are not official records of council meetings and cannot be relied on for official purposes.

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports  for the City of Austin are available. The archives are of prior reports.

Please note: The electronic report is identical to the printed version of the document. The report has not been updated for developments subsequent to the date of the independent auditor's report.

The Development Process Team helps homeowners and small businesses navigate the development process. The Development Process Team answers questions about permits and City code, connects customers with technical experts across the City, and offers helpful tools and resources for customers who may be less familiar with the permitting and development process. 

Learn about free nutrition or diabetes education classes, available at locations throughout Travis County.

The City Clerk's office provides a database of candidates and voting statistics for the City's elections from 1840 to the present. You may access it by candidate name or election date.

The Office of the City Clerk is responsible for managing municipal elections and has a variety of resources for both the general public and candidates running for office.

Email all Austin City Council members from a single online form here.

See answers to frequently asked questions that property owners or residents may have about how to petition the City of Austin under Senate Bill 2038 (SB 2038) to request that their property be released from the City's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

What is SB 2038?

Senate Bill 2038, passed during the Texas 88^th legislative session (88R, 2023), amended state law related to the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) by adding new Subchapters D and E to Chapter 42 to the Texas Local Government Code (LGC). It went into effect on September 1, 2023. Specifically, the bill creates processes for property owners or residents to petition the City of Austin to be released either directly (Subchapter D) or by election (Subchapter E) from the City’s ETJ. This FAQ addresses Subchapter D petitions requesting release from the ETJ without the need for an election. The City’s implementation of SB 2038 is not intended as a comment on the merits of any ongoing litigation concerning SB 2038.

How is property released from the Austin ETJ?

When the City of Austin receives a Subchapter D petition for a release without an election, the City Clerk and the Planning Department determine whether the petition is accurate and meets the minimum requirements imposed in state law. When the petition complies with the law, the City has no discretion and must release the area from the ETJ. These ETJ releases can happen by operation of law without the need for Council action.

How is the City of Austin implementing Local Government Code Chapter 42 Subchapter D?

The City’s current processes focus on petitions for direct release submitted by landowners or residents. These new processes require ongoing internal coordination. Once petitions are verified as accurate and meeting the legal requirements of the Local Government Code, no discretion remains for Council, and the area identified in the petition must be released from the City of Austin ETJ.

How long does it take for property to be released after a petition is filed?

The City of Austin has 45 days from the date the petition was filed with the Office of the City Clerk to either release the area or notify the petitioner that the petition is invalid and is being denied. If the City takes no action by the 45^th day¹ after the petition was submitted, the area is released from the ETJ as a matter of law.

¹ SB 2038 provides the City with the later of 45 days or the date of the first Council meeting that occurs 30 days after receipt. In most cases this will be 45 days, but in some cases, depending on the Council meeting schedule, the release date will occur at a later date and will also occur by operation of law.

Who can submit a petition for release under SB 2038?

A resident of the City’s ETJ or the owner or owners of a majority in value of the area within the City’s ETJ requested to be released may submit a petition that meets the Subchapter D requirements.

How does a resident or property owner submit a petition?

The City Clerk is named in Local Government Code Chapter 42 Subchapter D as the person responsible for verification of the petitions, point of contact for applications, and keeper of records.

A resident or property owner should set an appointment to submit a petition in person at the Office of the City Clerk, which is located in City Hall. Appointments can be set by calling 512-974-2210 or by emailing city.clerk@austintexas.gov.

In person submissions are preferred, but petitions are accepted by email if they are sent to city.clerk@austintexas.gov and the Clerk responds with "received" confirming they are in receipt of the request and will begin the process.

Mailed requests are accepted, but it is strongly recommended that you check with the Clerk’s office to confirm they have received the petition. The 45-day clock to review the petition begins when the Clerk receives the petition, not when it is postmarked. When mailing an ETJ Release petition, send to:

    The Office of the City Clerk
     P.O. Box 1088
     Austin, TX 78767

What must be included with the Subchapter D petition?

• Owner/Petitioner name and contact information
• Property address
• Property metes and bounds or lot and block number
• Map of property
• Signatures of more than 50% of the registered voters of the area described in the petition OR signatures of the owner or owners of the majority in value of the area described in the petition
• Voter ID or date of birth for each registered voter or property owner that has signed the petition

What happens after a petition is submitted?

After a petition is submitted in person or received by email or in the mail, the 45-day clock to review the petition begins. The Clerk will first conduct a facial review of the petition to verify that all required information is present. If information is missing as required by the LGC Chapter 42 Subchapter D, the City Clerk notifies the applicant that the petition is not valid. If all information is present, City staff evaluate the request to ensure the map and description of the area is correct and that requested area is wholly enclosed within the City of Austin’s ETJ. If there are errors with the map or the description of the area or if the area to be released is not wholly enclosed within the City’s ETJ, the petition is processed as not valid and the City Clerk notifies the applicant that the petition does not meet the requirements of the LGC.

If all required items are included with the petition, and the requested property is located wholly within the City of Austin’s ETJ, the City Clerk provides the applicant with a letter notifying them that the requested property is subject to release. City staff will ensure that the property is removed from the City of Austin’s ETJ on all City maps.

If the City does not take timely action as required by LGC Chapter 42 Subchapter D, the property is considered released from the City’s ETJ by operation of law.

The Expedited team includes specialized reviewers that represent the following review disciplines: Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electric, Structure, Fire, Health, Industrial Waste, Arborist and Zoning. Applicants and their consultants will attend a pre-scheduled, single-review session with the Expedited team ready to make on-the-spot decisions and changes as needed. Contractors and owners will be encouraged to attend the review session. If the plans meet the respective codes and ordinances, permits can be issued following the review session.