Austin contractor registration, permits and wash water rules

Texas has no general contractor license, so Austin handles that layer itself through registration. The facts below come from the City of Austin's Development Services, Transportation and Public Works, Austin Water and Austin Resource Recovery pages, plus the state Comptroller and NOAA, as of October 2026. Treat them as general information and not legal advice, and confirm details with the office before you rely on them.

What the state licenses and what Austin adds

The state covers electricians, HVAC and refrigeration contractors, plumbers and pest applicators, as laid out on our Texas page and in the Texas contractor licenses guide. Austin adds three things on top: a registration that every contractor holds before touching a permit, a separate right-of-way license for work in the street, and a hauler license for anyone moving waste for a fee.

Register before you can be assigned to a permit

Development Services says trade contractors, general contractors and homeowners acting as contractors must register with Building and Trade Contractor Services before starting work tied to a building or trade permit. The steps are the same for both: create an Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) portal account, submit the online form with a signed Letter of Authorization, then receive a contractor PIN to activate a permit.

The registration page lists no fee amounts or insurance limits, so call Austin 3-1-1 or book a 20 to 30 minute appointment. Homeowners who act as their own contractor register the same way.

Austin publishes a list of work that needs no building permit

The city says work on the exempt list must still meet building and city codes. For one- and two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories, the list includes:

• Fences up to 7 feet high outside a flood hazard area.
• Replacing asphalt shingles with asphalt shingles, or any roof covering replacement that does not affect the roof structure, except in the Wildland-Urban Interface area when 50% or more of the roofing is replaced.
• Siding, floor decking, roof decking and foundation repair, each up to 128 square feet.
• Decks of 200 square feet or less that are 30 inches or less above grade and not attached to the dwelling.
• Sheds of 200 square feet or less and 15 feet or less in height, and retaining walls of 4 feet or less.
• Painting, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops, and replacing doors of the same size.
• Sidewalks, driveways and concrete flatwork outside the public right-of-way.

A new or replacement shower or tub is not exempt. The page does not list water heaters, so ask Development Services at 512-978-4000. Austin also lists a stand-alone Mechanical Change Out permit for HVAC replacement that needs no formal plan review, available to registered contractors.

Work in the street needs its own license, insurance and bond

Driveway, sidewalk, curb and gutter work and excavation in the public right-of-way require a Right-of-Way Contractor License from Transportation and Public Works. The city's table shows both permits need insurance, a $10,000 bond and the license. Dumpsters in the right-of-way need insurance and the bond but not the license. To get the license you submit the bond, insurance, a resolution of authority and an authorized agent form through the city's online sheet. The office invoices you once the documents pass.

Wash water cannot go into the storm sewer

Austin Water says power washing and mobile car wash wastewater may not enter the storm sewer if it contains pollutants or cleaning compounds and has not been treated, under Article 5 of Chapter 6-5 of the city code. The sanitary sewer is allowed only through a private fixed-site facility with a discharge permit and pretreatment such as a sand and oil interceptor. Dumping hauled wastewater into a cleanout, manhole or toilet at the job site is barred unless that site holds a permit and the right-sized interceptor. Unauthorized discharge to the sanitary sewer is a Class C misdemeanor under Chapter 15-10, with fines up to $2,000 per day per violation. Call Austin Water's compliance line at 512-972-1060, option 5, before you begin.

Water-use limits apply on top. Austin has been under Conservation Stage restrictions since September 2, 2025, and the city says commercial pressure washing equipment must meet efficiency requirements. Home car washing needs a hose with a positive shutoff valve.

Hauling waste for a fee needs a license

Austin requires a Private Waste Hauler License, under Chapter 15-6, Article 3, from anyone who collects, removes or transports waste, recycling or compost for a fee inside the city. That includes haulers who carry only tree limbs and yard waste. The fee is $380 per vehicle that hauls to a landfill. Applications and renewals run January 1 to 31 each year, and licenses expire December 31 and cannot be transferred. Auto coverage must be $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury plus $100,000 property damage, or $1,000,000 combined single limit. The hauler license page lists 512-978-1400 for general questions.

Sales tax, climate and digging

The Comptroller lists Austin with a 1.00% city rate and 1.00% for the Austin transit authority, bringing the combined rate to 8.25% on taxable services such as lawn care and pressure washing. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Austin-Bergstrom airport show an average of 35.57 inches of precipitation and 0.2 inches of snow a year, with roughly 123 days reaching 90 degrees F or higher and 33 nights dropping to freezing, so cold-snap repairs do come up. Texas Utilities Code section 251.151 requires notice to the 811 notification center at least 48 hours before excavation, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The Railroad Commission's homeowner page words this as two business days before digging, and a Saturday notice lets work begin the following Tuesday at 11:59 a.m. Use the two-business-day figure and confirm with Texas811 how it counts the days for your ticket.

What this means for your setup

Austin work runs on portal accounts, PINs and appointments. Keep your AB+C ID, bond, insurance certificate and hauler license in one place, and make sure your website names the services you are registered for. If you take calls about permit work, our guide on recording business calls explains the consent rules before you turn on recording.

Frequently asked questions