Austin density bonus districts: DB90, ETOD, DBETOD and DBCS

Last verified August 7, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

Austin has four density bonus combining districts. DB90 allows 30 feet above the base district capped at 90 feet. DBETOD offers a ladder to 60, 90 or 120 feet, each rung requiring more reserved affordable units. All require affordability commitments under Chapter 4-18.

Applies to: Property whose zoning includes a DB90, ETOD, DBETOD or DBCS combining district. These sit on top of a base district rather than replacing it.

All four make the same bargain

Austin has four density bonus combining districts. They sit on top of a base district rather than replacing it, and each offers development capacity in return for reserved affordable units:

DB90 — 30 ft above the base district, capped at 90 ft.
ETOD — equitable transit-oriented development, the underlying transit district.
DBETOD — the density bonus that rides on ETOD, with a height ladder.
DBCS — density bonus creative spaces, trading for affordable creative space rather than housing.

None of them is automatic. Each requires the zoning to include the district and the applicant to meet the affordability commitments under Chapter 4-18.

One of the four behaves differently in a conflict. DB90, DBETOD and DBCS each govern over a conflicting provision of Title 25 flatly. ETOD yields where the conflicting provision is more restrictive. If you are reading them together it is easy to carry the wrong rule across.

DB90 — thirty feet, capped at ninety

The height offer is simple: 30 feet above whatever the base district allows, but never above 90 feet. On a base district already at 60 ft or more, the cap bites before the bonus is exhausted.

What it costs depends on tenure:

For sale — at least 12% of units affordable to households at 80% or less of Austin-Round Rock median family income. An owner-occupied development may elect to meet this without providing income-restricted units on site.
For rent — at least 12% at 60% MFI or less, and at least 10% at 50% MFI or less. Both, not either.

There is a ground-floor obligation too: at least 75% of the building frontage along the principal street must be pedestrian-oriented commercial and civic space.

DBETOD — a ladder, priced by rung

This is the most legible of the four, because the trade is explicit at each level. DBETOD may only be combined with ETOD — it cannot stand alone.

Height sought	Affordable at 60% MFI	Affordable at 50% MFI
60 ft or any non-height standard	10% minimum	—
90 ft	12% minimum	10% minimum
120 ft	15% minimum	12% minimum

DBETOD under §25-2-654. Percentages are of residential units, and the two columns at 90 ft and 120 ft are cumulative requirements rather than alternatives. Median family income is the current Austin-Round Rock figure.

Transit infrastructure buys a discount. Under DBETOD, an applicant who provides transit supportive infrastructure has the affordability requirement reduced by two percent. On a 120 ft scheme that is a meaningful number of units, and it is the only place in these four sections where a physical contribution substitutes for affordability.

Where ETOD cannot go

§25-2-653(C) bars an ETOD combining district from being applied over any special purpose base district, and specifically over Lake Austin (LA), rural residence (RR) and single-family residence large lot (SF-1).

The pattern is consistent — the transit program is kept off the lowest-density and most environmentally sensitive districts.

DBCS — the one that is not about housing

Density bonus creative spaces trades development capacity for affordable creative space and the preservation of existing non-residential space, rather than for dwelling units.

It is the smallest of the four programs and the least likely to touch a residential project, but it shares the same structure: the zoning must include the district, and the reservations run through Chapter 4-18.

The affordability machinery is in another chapter. These zoning sections state the percentages and income bands. How units are reserved, how long for, how replacement obligations work and when a waiver is available all live in Chapter 4-18, Density Bonus and Incentive Programs, which we do not hold as a source. Treat the figures here as the price, and Chapter 4-18 as the contract.

How we read a density bonus site

Start with the base district, because DB90's offer is relative. Thirty feet on top of a 40 ft district is a real gain; on a district already at 60 ft or more, the 90 ft cap means you are buying less than the headline suggests.

On DBETOD, work the ladder backwards from the unit mix rather than forwards from the height. The jump from 90 ft to 120 ft costs three points at 60% MFI and two at 50% — decide whether the extra stories carry that before designing to them.

And check the conflict rule. Three of these four override conflicting provisions outright; ETOD does not where the other provision is stricter. That single clause can change which compatibility or setback rule actually governs.

Common questions

How much extra height does DB90 give in Austin?

30 feet above the base zoning district maximum, capped at 90 feet overall.

What does DB90 cost in affordable units?

For sale: at least 12% of units at 80% MFI or less. For rent: at least 12% at 60% MFI or less and at least 10% at 50% MFI or less — both requirements, not a choice.

How tall can a DBETOD development be in Austin?

Up to 120 feet. 60 feet requires at least 10% affordable units; 90 feet requires 12% at 60% MFI plus 10% at 50% MFI; 120 feet requires 15% at 60% MFI plus 12% at 50% MFI.

Can DBETOD be used on its own?

No. It may only be combined with an ETOD combining district.

Where can ETOD zoning not be applied in Austin?

Not over any special purpose base district, and not over Lake Austin (LA), rural residence (RR) or single-family residence large lot (SF-1).

Is there any way to reduce the density bonus affordability requirement?

Under DBETOD, providing transit supportive infrastructure reduces the affordability requirement by two percent.

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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; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.