Public Participation at Council Meetings

1. General Communication (12 p.m.)

Time is set aside at noon at each council meeting for a maximum of 10 individuals to address the council on topics of their choice.

A person who intends to speak at this time must register in advance with the City Clerk’s Office. Registration must include the meeting date, name, contact information, and location.

Contact the Office of the City Clerk by phone (512-974-2210) or online.

The registration period for a given meeting begins at 9 a.m., 21 days prior to the meeting, and ends at 4:30 p.m., 14 days prior to the meeting. See the 2024 General Public Communication Schedule for registration dates and times. 

A person may not speak at general communication more often than once out of every three regularly scheduled council meetings.

2. Speaking on Specific Agenda Items

Public comment on agenda items will be allowed both in-person and remotely (by telephone). Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely.

For all items on the consent agenda, public comment will begin at 10 a.m. Public hearings and all non-consent items will be heard after the consent agenda. For all zoning items, public comment will begin at 2 p.m. Additional time slots may be added as needed or at the request of Council.

If speaking remotely via cell phone, please ensure you are in a location with good reception. If you are using a wireless connection, please note your call may drop depending on the service.

Requests for language interpretation service including American Sign Language must be emailed to City.Clerk@austintexas.gov 48 hours in advance of the meeting. 

Online Registration (for in-person and remote speakers):

Speakers must submit the online registration form in advance. When sign-up is available, open forms can be found at the Council Meeting Information Center page.

For regular council meetings, the online registration period will open at 10 a.m. on the Monday before the meeting and close at noon the day before the meeting. Special-called meetings may have a different sign-up schedule. 

• The online registration form must be submitted by noon the day before the meeting.
• Remote registration is not available after the online form closes.
• Once the registration form is received, residents speaking remotely will receive an email following the close of the registration period providing instructions on speaking at the meeting.
• Handouts or other documents that speakers wish to have provided to Council must be emailed to City.Clerk@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the meeting. This information will be provided to Mayor and Council in advance of the meeting.
• A person who is physically present in the council meeting and who has registered to speak may donate speaking time on an agenda item to another in-person speaker by coordinating with the City Clerk prior to being called. A speaker may not use the donated time of more than two other in-person registered speakers on an agenda item or at a public hearing.
• The allotted time provided to speakers may vary as determined by Council.

In-Person Registration at City Hall (for in-person speakers only):

• In lieu of online registration, in-person speakers can register to speak using the City Hall atrium kiosks beginning shortly after noon the day before the meeting until 45 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. 
• Remote speaker sign-up is not available via the City Hall atrium kiosks.
• Please visit the Office of the City Clerk if assistance is required when using the kiosks.

Participation at Work Sessions

Except as provided in the City Code, public participation is not permitted at a work session meeting.