The Austin Land Development Code, in plain English
We're KiliGray Homes. We build in Central Austin, which means we read Title 25 constantly. These pages are how we explain it to our own clients. Each one cites the section it's drawn from and carries the date we last checked it.
Accessory uses
A house may store 1 motor vehicle per licensed driver residing there — though a private garage for up to 4 is permitted regardless — plus up to 2 screened antique or recreational vehicles and no more than 1 commercial vehicle.
Verified August 6, 2026
Annexed lots & SMART housing
On a lot annexed after 1 December 1997 and platted before the city reached it, the minimum front setback is the greater of the platted setback or 15 feet.
Verified August 7, 2026
Appeals
An interested party may appeal within 14 days of a board or commission decision, or 20 days of an administrative decision.
Verified August 7, 2026
Attached housing
Single-family attached use supersedes the base district: 7,000 sq ft minimum site, 3,000 sq ft minimum lot, 25 ft lot width, one unit per lot and two attached units per site.
Verified August 7, 2026
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast must be owner-occupied, on land the owner owns, licensed annually, and limited to one per person.
Verified August 7, 2026
Board of Adjustment
The Board of Adjustment hears zoning variances, which require special circumstances and three findings including that the requirement allows no reasonable use.
Verified August 6, 2026
Calculators
Ten calculators covering the numbers Austin projects turn on: floor area, impervious cover, setbacks and setback planes, tree protection and critical root zones, compatibility height, multifamily density, sidewalk triggers and critical water quality zone widths.
Verified August 6, 2026
Certificates of occupancy
In Austin's zoning jurisdiction you cannot use or occupy a structure until the building official issues a certificate of occupancy.
Verified August 7, 2026
Clearing & erosion control
Clearing vegetation is prohibited unless the director determines it accords with a released plan, is permitted by the clearing sections, or is not development.
Verified August 6, 2026
Commercial districts
Austin's commercial districts run from neighborhood office (NO) at 35 ft and 0.35:1 FAR to general commercial services (CS) at 60 ft and 95% building coverage.
Verified August 6, 2026
Compatibility standards
Compatibility standards apply only to a site zoned MF-4 or less restrictive that is within 75 feet of a property with one to three dwelling units zoned SF-5 or more restrictive.
Verified August 5, 2026
Critical environmental features
Critical environmental features are bluffs, canyon rimrocks, caves, faults and fractures, seeps, sinkholes, springs and wetlands.
Verified August 7, 2026
Demolition
You need a demolition permit before demolishing all or part of a structure in Austin, though not for interior walls, floors, or ceilings alone.
Verified August 5, 2026
Development Report
The latest complete month, August 2026, recorded 172 adjusted housing units and 129 newly counted site groups, up 75.5% in units from August 2025.
Verified September 17, 2026
Current Permit Activity
Recent new-home applications, approved plans, and active building permits by ZIP code.
Downtown density bonus
Bonus area is the floor area a project gains above the height or floor-to-area ratio its zoning already allows.
Verified August 8, 2026
Drainage & detention
A development application cannot be approved unless it controls the 2-year peak flow on-site, shows capacity for the design flood, causes no additional adverse flooding or erosion on other property, and keeps improvements out of the erosion hazard zone.
Verified August 5, 2026
Driveways & sidewalks
A driveway approach needs its own construction permit, and a new building — or an addition increasing floor area by 50% or more — triggers a sidewalk requirement.
Verified August 10, 2026
East Austin overlay uses
In the East Austin overlay, a use in a GR, CS, CS-1 or LI base district becomes a conditional use if it is permitted in that district but not permitted in neighborhood commercial (LR).
Verified August 8, 2026
Floor-to-Area Ratio (FAR) & Subchapter F
On a standard single-dwelling lot of 5,750 sq ft or larger, Austin allows the greater of 0.40 × your lot size or 2,300 sq ft of countable floor area — a 7,000 sq ft lot allows 2,800 sq ft.
Verified August 10, 2026
Fences
A solid fence along a property line is capped at 6 feet, measured from natural grade.
Verified August 6, 2026
Floodplain
Austin prohibits approving a development application where a building or parking area encroaches on the 25-year or 100-year floodplain, with limited exceptions.
Verified August 5, 2026
Height limits
One dwelling inside the Subchapter F boundary is capped at 32 feet — 35 in the 100-year floodplain.
Verified August 10, 2026
Historic designation
Council may designate a historic landmark (H) if the property is at least 50 years old with a period of significance at least 50 years ago, retains a high degree of integrity, and either is already listed on a national or state register or demonstrates significance in at least two of five categories.
Verified August 7, 2026
Home occupations
A home occupation must be conducted entirely within the dwelling or an accessory structure, may generate no more than 3 customer vehicle trips per day, and generally may only involve occupants of the dwelling.
Verified August 6, 2026
Impervious cover
Most Austin single-family lots allow 45% impervious cover — 40% in SF-1.
Verified August 5, 2026
Inspections
Work may not begin under a permit until an inspection record card is posted on site.
Verified August 7, 2026
Lot size & pipelines
A lot may not be reduced below the minimum area, width or depth.
Verified August 7, 2026
Neighborhood plans
These 31 guides focus on restrictions traced to zoning ordinances and NCCDs: height, setbacks, lot area, density, coverage, access and use conditions.
Verified September 17, 2026
- Bouldin Creek plan
- Brentwood/Highland plan
- Central Austin plan
- Central East Austin plan
- Central West Austin plan
- Chestnut plan
- Crestview/Wooten plan
- Dawson plan
- East Cesar Chavez plan
- East MLK plan
- East Riverside plan
- Govalle plan
- Heritage Hills plan
- Holly plan
- Hyde Park plan
- Montopolis plan
- NACA plan
- North Burnet plan
- North Lamar plan
- North Loop plan
- North Shoal Creek plan
- Oak Hill plan
- Old West Austin plan
- Rosewood plan
- South Austin plan
- South Congress plan
- South River City plan
- Southeast plan
- St. John plan
- University Hills plan
- Upper Boggy Creek plan
Noncomplying structures
A noncomplying structure complied when built but not with current site development regulations.
Verified August 6, 2026
Nonconforming uses
A nonconforming use conformed when established but not under current regulations.
Verified August 6, 2026
Notice and hearings
Austin notifies owners, residents, registered neighborhood organizations and utility account holders within 500 feet of a proposed development.
Verified August 7, 2026
Overlays & combining districts
A combining or overlay district sits on top of base zoning and modifies it, and Austin has 22.
Verified August 5, 2026
Parking requirements
Off-street motor vehicle parking is not required in Austin, though a minimum of 1 on-site accessible space still is, calculated from the former minimums.
Verified August 10, 2026
Permits
A building permit is required for work regulated by any of the 4 construction codes — building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing — and for sidewalks, curbs, gutters and driveway approaches.
Verified August 5, 2026
Recent code changes
The Austin Land Development Code is amended continuously.
Verified August 7, 2026
Right-of-way
Austin may require right-of-way to be reserved or dedicated as a condition of rezoning, platting or site plan approval.
Verified August 6, 2026
Setbacks
A standard SF-2 or SF-3 lot requires 25 feet in front, 5 feet at the interior side, 10 feet at the rear and 15 feet on a street side.
Verified August 10, 2026
Short-term rentals
Under §25-2-904, short-term rental is allowed as an accessory use to a residential use in every base zoning district, special purpose district, and combining and overlay district in Austin.
Verified August 7, 2026
Sidewalks
A sidewalk is required with a building permit for a new building, an addition that increases gross floor area by 50 percent or more, or a relocation permit.
Verified August 6, 2026
Site plans & review
Construction or alteration of four or fewer residential units on a legal lot needs no site plan, provided the improvement is not in the 100-year floodplain or the director finds an insignificant effect on the waterway.
Verified August 5, 2026
Slopes, cut & fill
Outside urban watersheds you may not build on a slope steeper than 25%, or put a parking area on one steeper than 15%, and cut and fill are capped at four feet.
Verified August 6, 2026
Small lots
A small lot is at least 1,800 sq ft but less than 5,750 sq ft on SF-3 or more restrictive zoning.
Verified August 10, 2026
Subchapter E
Subchapter E sets design standards for non-residential and mixed-use development.
Verified August 7, 2026
Subdividing & flag lots
Lot area is rarely what stops a split — width is: a small lot subdivision requires 40 feet for an interior lot and 50 for a corner, reduced to 35 and 45 with joint or rear access.
Verified August 10, 2026
The tent (setback planes)
An inwardly sloping 45-degree plane begins 15 feet directly above your side and rear property lines.
Verified August 5, 2026
Title 30 / ETJ
Title 30, the Austin/Travis County Subdivision Regulations, governs subdivision of land in the portion of Austin’s extraterritorial jurisdiction within Travis County.
Verified August 7, 2026
Transit Oriented Development
Austin has nine transit oriented development districts, classified as neighborhood center, town center, regional center or downtown according to location and density.
Verified August 7, 2026
Tree protection
A protected tree is 19 inches or more in diameter measured four and a half feet above natural grade, any species.
Verified August 5, 2026
Units & ADUs (HOME)
Up to three dwelling units are permitted on SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3 lots.
Verified August 10, 2026
University Neighborhood Overlay
The University Neighborhood Overlay governs a property only if the owner files a site plan and an election to be governed by it.
Verified August 7, 2026
Variances
A variance or special exception is effective immediately unless it is appealable, in which case it takes effect when the appeal period closes or the appeal is decided.
Verified August 7, 2026
Water quality controls
Water quality controls are required for all development in the Barton Springs Zone, and elsewhere where new and redeveloped impervious cover exceeds 8,000 sq ft or the development is in a water quality transition zone.
Verified August 6, 2026
Waterfront Overlay
The Waterfront Overlay (WO) is a combining district over the Colorado River corridor, divided into sixteen named subdistricts each with its own rules.
Verified August 7, 2026
Watersheds
Austin sorts land 2 ways at once: 1 of 4 watershed classifications — urban, suburban, water supply suburban or water supply rural — and 1 of 3 zones within your site: critical water quality, water quality transition or uplands.
Verified August 5, 2026
What can I build?
Eight constraints decide it, and they bind in a fixed order: your zoning district sets the base, the unit count you choose can supersede it, and floor area, impervious cover, setbacks, height, trees and your watershed each cut into what is left.
Verified September 5, 2026
Which code applies to your lot
Inside city limits the city's full code applies.
Verified August 7, 2026
Zoning districts
SF-3 is Austin's most common residential district: 5,750 sq ft minimum lot, 50 ft width, up to three units, 35 ft height, 45% impervious cover.
Verified August 5, 2026
Zoning uses
Austin sorts every land use into five major categories: residential, commercial, industrial, civic and agricultural.
Verified August 7, 2026
Teardown or remodel: how the money actually decides it — Most owners ask this as an architecture question. We think it is a cost question, and the answer usually falls out of three numbers you can get in about a week.
Buying a lot in Austin: what to check before you sign — A short, boring list of checks that has saved more Austin projects than any design decision we have made. The list is our judgment. Every constraint on it is code, and we link to the code.
Judgment, not code. Those pages carry no verification date and cite no ordinance — where they depend on a rule, they link back to these pages.
We are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code.