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Development Permit Compliance
Developers and residents shall obtain the appropriate permits for their development or project.
What is development?
Development is defined as any man-made changes to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to:
- Structures/Buildings
- Driveways
- Work in the county right-of-way
- On-site sewage facilities
- Division of land
- Mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, or drilling
Any development in Travis County requires a permit.
Learn what you need for your project.
Failure to obtain a permit in these required circumstances is a violation of Travis County Development Regulations and may result in a Notice of Violation from Travis County Permit Enforcement.
Permit Enforcement Responsiblities
- Enforcing permit compliance with applicable Travis County Land Development Ordinances and Regulations
- Ensuring Development Services oversight of various licenses, permits, and notifications
- Confirming developers have and maintain all required licenses and permits
- Confirming developers fulfill notification and inspection requirements
- Investigating residential and commercial development complaints
- TCEQ Authorized Agent responsible for unincorporated areas in Travis County and municipalities the County has interlocal agreements with.
- All on-site sewage facilities (OSSF) must be licensed and not failing.
- LCRA has OSSF permitting authority for properties within 1,000’ of Lake Travis; however, a development permit is still required from Travis County.
- Check if your property applies.
Development Violations
Complaints involving development violations will result in a Notice of Violation/Stop Work Order. Developers and property owners listed in Travis Central Appraisal District should contact the Enforcement Team with any questions.
To apply for the appropriate permits, visit the Apply for a Permit page.
On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Violations
Complaints involving OSSF will require a Health Hazard Inspection. If a violation is discovered, a Notice of Violation/Stop Work Order will be issued, and if there is exposed sewage, it must be cleaned up/corrected within 24 hours.
Temporary mitigation may involve capping of sewer pipes and/or voluntarily shutting off water to the project site. Daily inspections and inspection fees will accrue until violations are satisfactorily corrected or are referred to the County Attorney for civil penalties and/or criminal charges.
Objects in Travis County Right-of-Way
Complaints involving objects in the Travis County right-of-way can be reported to either our Enforcement Team or the Travis County Sheriff’s Department
Travis County Enforcement
- Hazards in the line of sight that are not creating an immediate safety hazard
- Obstruction hazards that are not creating an immediate safety hazard
- Drainage blocks
Sheriff’s Department
- Objects in the Travis County that create an immediate safety hazard
- Traffic hazards, such as objects in the road
- Motorized vehicles in the Travis County right-of-way
Environmental Quality Violations
Travis County Environmental Quality Program can investigate water quality and storm water violations that occur in the unincorporated areas of the county. Travis County does not have authority to investigate complaints within any city limits.
Residents of our other municipalities should contact their code enforcement officer or the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Regional Office at: (512) 339-2929.
Non-Permit Related Violations
Austin Public Health is responsible for enforcing public health related violations, which can include, but are not limited to:
- Abandoned Vehicles
- Junk Yards
- Insect Vectors (standing water and high grass)
- City Sewage (not septic)
Contact Austin Public Health either at 3-1-1 or (512) 974-2000.
Illegal Dumping
Reports of illegal dumping should be directed to Regional Enforcement Task Force.
Illegal Dumping Hotline: (877) NO DUMPS (663-8677) or TCEQ Region 11 (Central Texas) at (512) 339-2929.
References
Related
Permitting Center
Get started on a development project, file a complaint, or resolve a code violation.
File a Complaint
Report suspected violations, such as a construction without a permit, objects in the public right-of-way, water quality & storm water violations, or illegal dumping.
Resolve a Violation
Did you receive a Notice of Violation and/or Stop Work Order at your construction site? Learn what steps to take to correct the issue and get back to building.
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