How long an Austin site plan lasts, and what it takes to change one

Last verified August 5, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

A site plan expires three years after approval, unless building permits for all its buildings issue and remain in effect to completion, or the director grants a one-year extension. Revising a released site plan normally requires a new application.

Applies to: Released site plans. Most one- to four-unit residential work is exempt from site plan altogether and never reaches these rules.

Three years, unless you build

§25-5-81(B) sets the headline: a site plan expires three years after the date of its approval.

But the exceptions are the real rule, because a site plan that is being built does not expire at all. Under §25-5-81(C) it survives if:

building permits for all the buildings shown on it are issued — and those permits remain in effect until the work is complete and certificates of occupancy issue; or
where no building permits are needed to finish, the required site work is begun and diligently pursued to completion, ending in a certificate of compliance or occupancy.

Note how much weight "in effect" carries. A building permit that lapses — through not starting, or through a stoppage over 180 days — stops holding the site plan open. The two expiry regimes are chained, and people rarely notice until both have run.

The phased site plan cliff. §25-5-81(E) is a single sentence with severe consequences: if the first phase of a phased site plan expires, the entire site plan expires. Not just that phase. A project that phases its work and then lets phase one lapse loses the approval for every later phase along with it.

Changing a released site plan usually means starting again

§25-5-61(A) is blunt: to revise a released site plan, an applicant shall file a new application for site plan approval — unless the change qualifies as a minor revision.

And only three things qualify under §25-5-61(D). A minor revision is one that:

does not have a significant effect on a neighboring property, the public, or a person who will occupy or use the development;
is necessary to relocate approved building square footage or parking out of a condemned right-of-way area; or
is necessary to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Where it does qualify, the process is light: a written request identifying the proposed revisions, no formal application, no public hearing — and the director's approval comes in writing.

The first limb is the one worth arguing carefully. "Significant effect" is the whole test, and framing a change against those three audiences — neighbors, the public, future occupants — is what decides whether you are filing a letter or a new application.

A useful escape hatch. Under §25-5-61(B), if the Land Use Commission takes up a revision request and responds by imposing additional conditions, the applicant may withdraw the request and build the previously approved site plan instead. Asking for a change cannot be used to make your existing approval worse.

The one-year extension, and what you have to show

§25-5-62 lets the director extend a released administrative site plan one time, for one year — and the request must be filed before the site plan expires. Notice of the request goes out under §25-1-133(A).

Beyond good cause, the director has to make findings across two groups. From the first group, at least one of:

the site plan substantially complies with what a new application would have to meet today;
the applicant filed originally with a good faith expectation that it would be constructed;
at least one structure shown on the plan has been constructed and is suitable for permanent occupancy; or
a significant portion of the infrastructure has been constructed.

And from the second, that any traffic impact analysis submitted with the original application remains valid — or that an addendum shows impacts will still be adequately mitigated.

The substantial-compliance limb is what makes an old site plan hard to extend. Rules move; a plan approved under a previous version of the code may no longer resemble what a new application would need.

A live demolition permit will not hold it open

Worth stating because the assumption is common on teardown projects. §25-11-95(D) provides that an active demolition permit does not prevent expiration of a site plan.

So a project that demolishes, then pauses, can be running three clocks at once — the demolition permit's six months to completion, the building permit's 180 days, and the site plan's three years — and none of them protects the others.

Why this rarely bites a house, and when it does

Most of what we build never reaches this page. Four or fewer residential units on a lot are exempt from site plan altogether unless the floodplain drags them in, so there is no site plan to expire.

Where it matters is the larger infill project — five units and up, or anything phased. There the chaining is the thing to watch: the site plan is held open by building permits being in effect, and a building permit that quietly lapses over a long winter takes the site plan's protection with it.

On anything phased we would rather not phase at all than risk §25-5-81(E). Losing the whole approval because phase one drifted is a disproportionate outcome for a scheduling problem.

Common questions

How long is an Austin site plan valid?

Three years from approval under §25-5-81(B) — but it does not expire at all if building permits for all its buildings are issued and remain in effect until the work is complete and certificates of occupancy issue.

Can I extend an Austin site plan?

The director may extend a released administrative site plan once, for one year, if the request is filed before it expires and the required findings are made — including that any traffic impact analysis remains valid.

What is a minor revision to an Austin site plan?

One that has no significant effect on neighboring property, the public or future occupants; or is needed to move approved square footage or parking out of condemned right-of-way; or is required for ADA compliance. Anything else needs a new application.

What happens if the first phase of a phased site plan expires in Austin?

The entire site plan expires, not just that phase. §25-5-81(E) is explicit.

Does a demolition permit keep my Austin site plan alive?

No. §25-11-95(D) states that an active demolition permit does not prevent expiration of a site plan.

Send us an address and we will tell you what we find

We do this research ourselves on every project we take on — zoning, floodplain, watershed, trees, whether it is a legal lot. Send us an address and we will run it and tell you what we find. It works the same whether you own a vacant lot, a house you are thinking of adding a unit to, or a house you are thinking of replacing. No charge and no strings, and if it is a bad lot we will say so.

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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.