Right-of-Way Maintenance
Right of Way Maintenance
City Responsibility
The City is responsible for repairs and maintenance in select rights-of-way, including public roads, alleys, sidewalks, multi-use trails, and public trees. When notified, the City will prune or remove trees that pose a hazard to the public, such as dead, diseased, low-hanging limbs or limbs downed by storms. Crews and qualified contractors also perform routine mowing of medians and pruning public trees along selected routes.
Property Owner Responsibility
Property owners are responsible for maintaining private trees and all other vegetation in the right-of-way next to their property. It is a violation of City Code (10-5-21 and 6-3-21) to neglect overgrown vegetation or private trees that obstruct the right-of-way. Furthermore, the City of Austin Sidewalk, Crossings and Shared Streets Plan includes overgrown vegetation and private trees as accessibility barriers for people with disabilities and, therefore, is non-compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to City Ordinance 14-9, residents are required to keep the right-of-way clear of cars, dockless vehicles, waste carts, and other obstacles that inhibit safe pedestrian use of streets and sidewalks.
Use the following guidelines to help keep your right-of-way clear:
- Sidewalks: Limbs and vegetation must be trimmed back from the edge of the sidewalk and at least 8 feet above the sidewalk.
- Streets/Alleys: Limbs and vegetation must be trimmed back from the curb and by at least 14 feet.
- Grass and Weeds: Maintain grass and weeds at a maximum height of 12 inches throughout the property and to the edge of the street or alley.
- Corners: Vegetation within 10 feet of the curb should be kept at a height of 2 feet.
- Fire Hydrants: Remove trees or plants within five feet.
- General: Trim or remove vegetation blocking signal lights, traffic, and pedestrian signs.
ROW Maintenance FAQ
The “right of way” generally refers to streets, sidewalks, alleys, utilities, and other strips of land designated for public uses. The right of way typically extends ten feet back from the edge of a street, but this can vary widely across the city.
Property owners are responsible for clearing obstructions in the right of way. These include overgrown private trees, plants, shrubs, grass, or any other vegetation that extend from their front door to the curb.
Any object or structure that prevents vehicles and residents from passing safely on any street, alley, sidewalk, or trail is an obstruction. Keep in mind that wheelchairs must be able to navigate as easily as walkers. Objects and structures that often block the right of way, include but are not limited to: electric scooters, basketball goals, parked vehicles, and mailboxes.
The Transportation and Public Works Department maintains trees in the right of way, also known as “public trees.” A public tree has at least two-thirds of its trunk diameter in the right of way. Property owners are responsible for maintaining private trees and all other vegetation on their property to the edge of the street or alley.
Proper pruning helps maintain good tree health and structure while influencing the health of our community. Best practices vary by species, but here are some general tips:
- Never prune within ten feet of power lines! For advice on pruning near power lines, visit Austin Energy Tree Pruning.
- It’s best to prune oak trees in the summer and winter. However, the City may ask you to prune oaks at any time to accommodate public safety concerns. For more information see our Pruning Guidelines for Oak Wilt Prevention.
- Always paint fresh pruning cuts and stumps of oak trees with wound dressing or latex paint immediately after pruning.
- Visit the website Trees Are Good for more information about pruning, tree health, and to find an ISA Certified Arborist
Oak wilt is fungal infection that typically kills trees in the red oak family and kills or permanently damages live oaks. For more information about oak wilt, visit the Texas Oak Wilt page.
To report overgrown vegetation or obstructions in the right of way, call Austin 3-1-1 (3-1-1 or 512-974-2000), visit the Austin 3-1-1 website, or submit a service request through the Austin 3-1-1 mobile app.
Pavement Preventive Maintenance
Austin has 8,000 lane miles of streets and 2,500 centerline miles. Austin Transportation and Public Works uses various strategies to improve and maintain City of Austin-owned roadway surfaces. Scheduled preventative maintenance helps prolong the lifespan of these surfaces by protecting them from aging, cracking, deterioration, and water infiltration. Prolonging the life of our city streets saves time and taxpayer money by intervening before full reconstruction is needed.
What streets will be paved next?
Use the interactive Street Maintenance map to see what streets are scheduled for maintenance this year. The map reflects our most current research and is updated annually. Our goal is to maintain at least 80 percent of Austin’s streets in fair or better condition.
Pavement Preventative Maintenance FAQ
A sealcoat is a preventive maintenance surface treatment designed to preserve and extend the life of a street. Like brushing your teeth or changing the oil in your car, preventative maintenance prolongs street conditions by preventing premature deterioration.
Residents may call the Street Resurfacing Hotline at 512-974-9788 for the locations that will be sealcoated the next day.
Sealcoat is extremely effective, as well as inexpensive, creating better efficiency for our tax dollars. The City of Austin has been using sealcoat for several decades to keep streets in good condition and prolong their lifetime.
The street aging process is slow at first, but after nine to ten years, the process accelerates. Cracks widen and allow more water to enter, creating potholes and patches. Sealcoat is applied to streets to stop the oxidation and slow the cracking. This treatment can substantially extend the life of a street as much as 15 years.
Cars along streets scheduled for maintenance need to be moved during crew work time. This is from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on weekends. If rain is in the forecast, the street will be rescheduled for the next clear workday.
Residents may call the Street Resurfacing Hotline at 512-974-9788 for the locations that will be sealcoated the next day.
On most streets, the first pass of work is done very quickly, taking about 30 minutes per block and lane. (Note that some driveways may be closed off during this time.) The first sweeping, however, will not take place for 24 to 36 hours from this time.
It takes about a month after sealcoat maintenance for the new surface to completely cure and lock firmly into place. During this time, the road is open to regular traffic.
Some gravel particles will break loose under hard braking or fast acceleration. Because we do not move parked cars during the sweeping phase, there may be some loose gravel left underneath. Additionally, spots may occasionally be missed by sweepers, particularly at intersections or corners. However, all of this typically amounts to less than a gallon of gravel per block. Please call 512-974-8777 if you need Street and Bridge Operations to sweep up any excess gravel left on your street.
Yes. Sealcoat is made up of a water-based asphaltic binder that does not contain any coal tar. Coal tar has been implicated as a contaminant in storm-water runoff. The asphaltic binder Austin uses in a completely different material. The sealcoat used to protect the aging street surface does not leach, crumble, or break down.
If the asphaltic binder is tracked onto shoes, carpets, or cars, WD-40 will soften the asphalt and allow it to be wiped off (but spot test carpets for color stability). If the material becomes stuck on people or pets, baby oil will dilute the material.
If the material is tracked onto a concrete driveway or sidewalk, do not dilute it, as it will soak into the concrete. If a large area is involved, sand blasting can remove the asphalt, but excessive blasting could damage the concrete finish. For smaller areas, it may be better to let the material wear off with normal traffic.
The surface will smooth out over the first four to six weeks as the material cures and the gravel particles interlock and embed into a tighter surface. While this process is slow, it is happening. The street will look completely different in six to eight weeks with a darker, tighter, smoother surface. It will never be as slick as the old surface, but it will provide better wet weather traction and preserve the remaining life of the street.
Five Types of Pavement Treatment
One of the more notable treatment types we use on streets is sealcoat. This is a cost-effective maintenance solution that is applied from April to October each year.
To apply, crews spray an oil mixture on the road then spread and roll the gravel mixture into place. Finally, they sweep up excess gravel, resulting in a smoother surface that eliminates the hairline cracks that lead to potholes.
Residents who live along streets identified for sealcoat treatment will receive a notice before scheduled work. These residents will be asked to move vehicles away from streets scheduled for maintenance for two days.
Streets can be used immediately after treatment, which is typically done in 30 minutes. However, hard braking or turning over newly-sealcoated streets should be avoided, since this can cause an increased amount of small gravel particles to break loose from the road before the treatment cures. Crews will return for additional sweeping of loose gravel if needed. Residents can expect loose gravel to settle in roughly 4-6 weeks.
Sealcoat is not applied in cul-de-sacs due to sharp turning by vehicles in these areas. Instead, a slurry seal treatment may be applied in cul-de-sacs.
Mill and overlay involves grinding up the existing asphalt and base material, removing it, and applying new pavement. The result will be a much smoother driving surface. Overlay consists of a single layer of hot mix asphaltic concrete used to level, waterproof, and restore the original street shape and ride.
Mill and Overlay FAQ
1) What does “Mill and Overlay” mean?
Mill and Overlay involves grinding up the existing asphalt material, removing it, and applying new hot mix asphalt surface layer. The result will be a much smoother driving surface.
2) Why is Mill and Overlay important?
The major benefits of Mill and Overlay are to reduce surface roughness and address minor deformations, cracking, and irregularities in the pavement surface resulting in a much smoother ride quality and longer overall pavement life. This type of resurfacing treatment prevents the City from having to perform a full street reconstruction, which can be costly and time consuming.
3) What is the process?
The mill and overlay process is performed in two phases. Phase one involves the grinding or milling and removal of the asphalt layer. The second phase involves placing a new layer of asphalt concrete surface. In normal conditions, it is a two day operation. As always, schedules are projected as accurately as possible but are subject to change due to the nature of maintenance construction and weather.
4) How will this affect traffic and street access?
The street will remain open to traffic; however, access to driveways will not be available when the new pavement is being placed in front of the driveway. We encourage drivers to use extra caution while in the work zone. Once the material is placed, rolled and compacted, vehicles may drive (slowly) on the new pavement. Following the street resurfacing work, crews will install pavement markings and striping within two weeks.
5) How will I be notified if mill and overlay is scheduled on my street?
Notifications are delivered door-to-door to alert residents that crews will be on your street to perform routine street maintenance. The notice is a door hanger letter that will be delivered to the affected homes/properties about a week in advance to remind residents that crews will be on your street and provide details on the schedule and the process. There will be “no parking” signs posted along the street, reminding residents not to park within the work-zone between the posted work hours.
6) Why are you working on to my street?
Mill and overlay is needed to preserve the underlying pavement structure and to provide smoother ride quality. Streets are selected based on pavement condition.
7) Are you going to fix my driveway?
It is the property owner’s responsibility to maintain and repair the driveway. Mill and Overlay is strictly for street maintenance only.
8) Why did you tow my car?
Entire street surface is being replaced , and the full width is needed for the equipment and passing vehicles . Affected residents are notified in advance to remove parked cars. Any car(s) left on the street(s) on the day of the scheduled work will be towed around the corner so that scheduled mill and overlay work can be completed.
9) Approximately what time will crews be working on my street?
The crews work during daylight hours from 7:00 AM-5:00 PM on weekdays. Depending on the type of street, work on weekends or at night may be necessary.
10) Can I drive in and out of my driveway?
Yes, during milling and paving operations City crews will assist you. For yours and the City crew’s safety, we request that you do not drive while crews are working within close vicinity of your driveway. However, in case of urgent need should you need to get in and out of your driveway, there will be crews to assist you.
11) Will my trash be picked up?
Most of milling and paving work is usually scheduled outside of routine trash pick-up days/schedule with little or no conflicts with the trash pick-up schedule.
12) Why are we working on weekends?
On some of the City of Austin arterial and collector streets, preventative maintenance work can only be scheduled on weekends. Weekend works ensures minimal traffic impact to residents and businesses. The City will always notify the public before weekend work is scheduled on your street.
13) How long will it take before I can drive on the freshly paved street?
As soon as the job is complete you can drive on the freshly resurfaced street. Do not drive on the fresh pavement until it is rolled over and compacted (approximately 45 minutes).
14) How often does the City of Austin perform preventive maintenance on a street?
Preventive maintenance in the form of Mill and Overlay, Thin Surface Treatments and Crack seals are scheduled as appropriate based on the street condition , planned utility work , and time since last maintenance.
15) After you pave the street, why do you come back and tear it up?
Prior to scheduling paving on any street, the City coordinates scheduled work with both city and private utilities. As public right-of-ways are shared by many utilities, there is always a chance of some unforeseen event such as leaks or ruptures in water, wastewater, gas lines, or new service requests, that may affect the street.
A slurry seal is a mixture of asphalt, water, fine aggregate, and mineral filler withy a creamy fluid-like appearance. Slurry seals fill existing pavement surface defects as a preparatory treatment for other maintenance treatments. This treatment is also used in cul-de-sacs.
Crack seal consists of sealing the cracks in the pavement with a sealant or asphalt-sealing product to prevent moisture from entering into the base and subgrade material.
Fog seal is a light application of diluted asphalt mixture. The seal is used to renew aged asphalt surfaces and to seal small cracks and surface voids.