Austin requests, step by step.

All requests

• Austin water leak adjustment: lower a high water bill - A City of Austin water bill that jumped can qualify for an adjustment. Leak and non-leak paths need different proof. Tell us which and we file the request.
• Protest your Austin property tax appraisal - Austin homeowners can protest a Travis County appraisal that looks too high. The deadline and the evidence decide it.
• Missed trash pickup in Austin? We file your 311 report - Tell us what got skipped and we file the official 311 report, free. You approve it, the city's receipt proves it was filed, and the return trip gets scheduled.
• Report a pothole or street problem in Austin - Potholes, broken pavement, and street hazards in Austin go to 311. A precise location and a photo get the fastest fix.
• Get your security deposit back in Austin - Texas law gives landlords a deadline to return your deposit or explain deductions in writing. A clean paper trail wins these.
• Rent assistance in Austin - Behind on rent in Austin? Local assistance programs, a payment plan with the landlord, and your rights before an eviction filing.
• Austin Energy bill assistance - Austin Energy offers a discount program for qualifying households and help funds when a bill is past due. Both start with your account and income details.
• Toll bill in Austin? Pay the right authority, fight bad fees - A Central Texas toll bill in collections grows fast. Find the real balance, pay the authority that owns the road, then fight the fees that are wrong.
• Transfer a vehicle title in Texas - Bought or sold a car in Austin? Texas gives the buyer 30 days to transfer the title, and the paperwork has to be right the first time at the county tax office.
• Get a Texas driver license appointment in Austin - Austin-area DPS appointments book out fast. Renewal, replacement, and first-time licenses each have a different route; some renewals finish online in minutes.
• Check an Austin permit status - Building, trade, and site permits in Austin are searchable online by address or permit number. Here is where to look and what the statuses mean.
• Request public records in Austin - City of Austin and Texas public records are yours to request. A narrow, well-worded request comes back faster and cheaper.
• Register to vote in Austin - Texas voter registration is a paper form, not an online form. The deadline lands 30 days before election day, and Travis County's tax office processes it.
• Free tax preparation in Austin - Austin households under the income limit can get taxes prepared free by IRS-certified volunteers. What to bring decides whether one visit finishes it.
• Find unclaimed money in Texas - Old paychecks, deposits, and refunds end up with the Texas Comptroller. Searching is free, and claiming your own money never needs a paid finder.
• Get rid of large items in Austin - Furniture, mattresses, and appliances do not go in the Austin trash cart. Bulk pickup runs on a schedule, and some items need a special route.
• Report a noise problem in Austin - Ongoing noise in Austin goes to 311; noise happening right now can go to the non-emergency police line. The details you log decide whether anything sticks.
• Make your Austin landlord fix a repair - Texas tenants have a repair right, but it runs on written notice, not texts. A dated letter that names the problem starts the clock that protects you.
• Contest or pay an Austin parking ticket - An Austin parking ticket has a short contest window. Decide fast: contest with evidence, or pay before late fees stack on.
• Childcare assistance in Austin - Austin childcare help runs on subsidy waitlists and provider searches that reward early paperwork. Here is where the real doors are.
• Report a code violation in Austin - Tall grass, junk piles, or an unsafe structure? Austin Code investigates reports filed through 311 and can require the owner to fix the problem.
• Austin Water rebates worth claiming - Austin Water pays rebates for rainwater harvesting, irrigation upgrades, and water-saving equipment. Most customers never claim what they qualify for.
• Report an abandoned vehicle in Austin - A car untouched for weeks, or a junk vehicle nearby? APD Vehicle Abatement handles public streets; Austin Code handles junk vehicles on private property.
• Start, stop, or change Austin trash service - Moving or need a different cart? Austin Resource Recovery runs trash, recycling, and compost carts; most changes go through your utility account or 311.
• Report illegal parking in Austin - A car blocking your driveway, on the sidewalk, or at a hydrant? Austin takes parking violation reports through 311 and sends parking enforcement.
• Report a streetlight outage in Austin - A streetlight dark, flickering, or on all day? Austin Energy maintains most city streetlights; report repairs through 311 with the pole location.
• Get a block party permit in Austin - Closing your street for a neighborhood gathering takes a city permit. Austin's Neighborhood Block Party program keeps it simple: one block, up to 24 hours, $52.
• Austin garage sale rules - No permit needed for an Austin garage sale. The rules: four sale days a year per property, signs only on your own property, and the home-based business line.
• Reserve a park pavilion in Austin - Austin pavilions and park buildings book through the city reservation system. Small gatherings need no permit; sound, alcohol, or sales change that.
• Austin towing rights and tow hearings - Texas caps what tow companies can charge and gives you a fast court route: the drop-fee rule, the fee caps, and the 14-day tow hearing deadline.
• Austin watering days and restrictions - Austin is under Conservation Stage water rules: hose-end watering two days a week by address, sprinklers one day. Your days, the exceptions, and the fines.
• Austin small claims court - Travis County Justice of the Peace courts handle money disputes up to $20,000. Pick the right precinct, e-file with Guide and File, and bring winning evidence.
• Texas wage claim and final paycheck rules - Fired or laid off in Texas? Final pay is due within 6 calendar days. Quit? Next regular payday. Unpaid wages go to a TWC wage claim, filed within 180 days.
• File a Travis County homestead exemption - The homestead exemption cuts Travis County property taxes and filing is free. April 30 deadline, 2-year late window, bigger breaks at 65 or disability.
• Austin Energy rebates: EV chargers, solar, thermostats - Austin Energy pays money back: up to $1,200 for a home EV charger, $4,000 for solar, $50 plus credits for a smart thermostat. Most customers never claim them.
• Austin alarm permits and false alarm appeals - Austin requires a permit for every monitored or audible alarm, renewed each year. False-alarm appeals exist, but only for permitted systems.
• Austin freeze prep: pipes, water, power, alerts - A hard freeze can burst pipes and knock out power in Austin. The city's playbook: find your shutoff valve, wrap pipes, drip one faucet, and sign up for alerts.
• Austin residential parking permits (RPP) - Commuters flooding your block? Residents can create a permit-only zone with a $350 application and a 66% neighbor petition. Permits run $60 to $90 a year.
• Building an ADU in Austin: zoning, permits, rental rules - A backyard cottage or garage apartment fits most SF-1, SF-2, and SF-3 lots of 5,750+ sqft. Permits run through the AB+C portal; the unit needs its own address.
• Lake Austin drawdown 2026: dock and bulkhead repair permits - Lake Austin drops October 12 to November 30, 2026, opening the lakebed for dock and bulkhead work. Minor repairs use an exemption form due before December.
• Backyard chickens in Austin: coop rules, roosters, rebates - Up to 10 hens need no permit in Austin. Coops sit 50 feet from neighboring homes (20 if enclosed); roosters are legal. A city class earns a $75 rebate.
• SXSW, ACL, and F1: an Austin resident survival guide - Festival weekends mean closures, paid parking, sound permits, and tow risk. The ACE closure map shows what is permitted on your block before crowds arrive.
• A PODS or dumpster on your Austin street: the permit - A storage container in the street needs a city right-of-way permit: case-by-case approval, two spaces, Type III barricades, 3 business days ahead.
• Austin noise rules: decibel limits and quiet hours - Homes need no sound permit: 75 dB max from 10 am to 10 pm, nothing audible past the property line overnight. Businesses cap at 85 dB.
• Austin crash report: how to get your CR-3 fast - Three ways to get an Austin crash report: LexisNexis online (about $9), TxDOT CRIS ($6 regular, $8 certified), or APD Report Sales in person at $0.10 per page.
• Austin variance notice: what it means and how to respond - A neighbor is asking Austin's Board of Adjustment to bend a zoning rule. Comment if you live or own property within 500 feet - in writing or at the hearing.
• Request traffic calming on your Austin street - Austin takes speed-study requests twice a year, April and October, 60 per cycle. Streets need 60% residential frontage and under 10,000 cars a day.