History of Austin’s Zoning
Dating back to the early 20th century, Austin’s first official zoning ordinance was enacted in 1931. The original zoning code was kept fairly simple, focusing on separating residential, commercial, and industrial areas to promote growth in an organized manner and prevent incompatible usage of land.
By the 1990s, Austin entered a rapid growth period, leading to much more complex zoning regulations. Neighborhood planning initiatives were adopted to get more participation from residents to shape communities, resulting in the creation of a variety of overlay districts and specific neighbourhood plans. The goal of these plans was to protect and promote the existing character of neighborhoods while also accommodating growth; however, with these overlays came the introduction of more layers and nuances of zoning complexity.
In the 2010s a significant shift came to Austin’s approach to zoning as a result of rising housing costs, increases in traffic congestion, and sustainability concerns. The city launched a major initiative to overhaul the outdated land development code; however, due to considerable public opposition and increased density in certain areas, this plan was abandoned before the turn of the decade.
Austin has evolved from a simple separation of land uses to an intricate yet flexible system that addresses modern challenges, thereby representing a more strategic and inclusive approach to urban planning and subsequently a departure from past practices.
Updates in the City of Austin, TX
In the face of modern challenges, Austin, Texas has recently updated its zoning and added new zones and development standards.
These zones are different in terms of their regulations and building controls, making it difficult for most people to understand what they can or cannot build on properties. The Zoneomics team, having identified the zoning changes, has applied our technology to solve this challenge.
In many cities, the regulations that apply to a specific zone are fairly straightforward. In Austin, however, the city makes use of something called a combining district. Combining districts is typically applied to the base district as a suffix and may add to, remove from, or modify the regulations of the underlying base district. When a city utilizes combining districts, relevant data must be collected from many different sections of the zoning ordinance or even from documents outside of the zoning ordinance.
Here are some examples of the new zones in Austin.
Combining Districts
Combined zone districts have multiple layers of regulations added to base zoning districts. They provide specific conditions or restrictions to guide development. For example:
CS-1-CO-ETOD-DBETOD-NP
Let’s explore how it works:
- CS-1: Commercial-Liquor Sales Zoning District
- CO: Conditional Overlay (Section 25-2-332)
- ETOD: Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (Section 25-2-653)
- DBETOD: Density Bonus ETOD (Section 25-2-654)
- NP: Neighborhood Plan (Section 25-2-1401)
This lengthy zoning district tells us that the property is zoned for commercial services with liquor sales, is subject to a conditional overlay, is located within an equitable transit-oriented development area, is located within an area eligible for a density bonus, and is part of a neighborhood plan.
How to read the combined zone above.
The first part represents the base zone. The core regulations of the base zone apply to each property. However, they are affected by combining zones in a way that some of the regulations will be modified, deleted, or altered as per overlay requirements.
Use-Specific Standards
In addition to the modifications that combining districts impart onto the base district, there are also instances where use-specific standards apply. If the proposed development meets the definition of the specified land use, it must follow these regulations instead. In most cases, use-specific standards are more restrictive and are intended to mitigate negative impacts associated with land use. For example, a car wash use may have an increased setback requirement to reduce noise impacts on neighboring properties. However, as we will see with Austin’s Single Family Small Lot land use, there are times when use-specific regulations are less restrictive and are intended to incentivize or spur the development of certain uses the city desires.
Austin’s SF-3 zoning district is a Two-Family Residence zone, which means that the zone is intended primarily for residential developments containing two units on the same lot. To increase the city’s housing stock and reduce the costs to own or rent a home, Austin now allows a land use called Single Family Small Lot within the SF-3 zoning district. Developments meeting the definition of a single-family small lot development are subject to a different set of development standards which are less restrictive, allowing for a greater number of units to be built without significantly altering the character of the existing neighborhood. We pride ourselves on our commitment to providing comprehensive zoning data coverage, even when it comes to unique challenges. While use-specific standards are not our usual dataset, we do recognize the importance of capturing the zoning landscape in cities known for their complexity, like Austin, Texas. By making exceptions in these cases, we can ensure that our users have access to the information they need to make informed decisions.
In the example below, you will see that a search for an address in Austin returned results for two different development regulations:
Address: 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Minimum Lot Area:
Standard Development: 5750 sq ft
Small Lot Single Family Residential Use: 1800 sq ft
Minimum Lot Width:
Standard Development: 50 ft
Small Lot Single Family Residential Use: 15 ft (or 20 ft if Flag Lot)
Minimum Front Yard:
Standard Development: 25 ft
Small Lot Single Family Residential Use: 10 ft (or 5 ft if Flag Lot)
Minimum side yard feet:
Standard Development: 5 ft (Interior) or 15 ft (Corner)
Small Lot Single Family Residential Use: 5 ft. If adjacent to the portion of a flag lot that provides street access: 0, For a side lot line that is shared with a lot that was subdivided to less than 5750 square feet: 0, On a Level 1 street the street side yard: From property line: 5, From curb or in absence of curbs from the edge of pavement: 10, On a Level 2, Level 3, or Level 4 street the street side yard: 10 from property line: 10, Street side yard if an attached dwelling unit abuts a property line: 0
Comparison of Austin’s Zoning with Other Cities in Texas
Austin has applied a far more structured approach to zoning than Houston and is more flexible than Dallas. Dallas and Austin both share the aim for increased density around transit hubs but Austin’s system of overlays allows for much more detailed and targeted regulations - taking a more proactive approach to housing affordability and sustainability. By comparison, Houston relies on a more market-driven approach that requires less zoning control.
Austin has proven itself to be ahead of the curve in Texas when it comes to zoning updates. Reflecting a national trend toward flexible, mixed-use, and sustainable urban planning. However, the challenges of balancing growth, affordability, and the preservation of neighborhoods means that Austin’s approach is continuously evolving as it seeks to adapt to the present and near future demands of a rapidly expanding city.
How to Check if a Property is Affected
Austin’s zoning map is available on Zoneomics and can be accessed swiftly by subscribers via the SaaS solution or for non-subscribers via the Austin City page For more information about accessing zoning information via Zoneomics visit our contact page or email us at info@zoneomics.com. Zoneomics offers Zoning reports, quick tools, and powerful filters to analyze and find insight into a property.