Lobbyists

Upcoming Deadline: *Q1 Quarterly Activity Report Deadline Extended to May 1, 2020 Due to COVID-19*

Emergency Order - Section 7 - "The City of Austin SUSPENDS all deadlines imposed by City Code, ordinance, rule, or other regulation until May 1, 2020"

What Lobbyists Must Know

1. The Office of the City Clerk has created a form for registering as a lobbyist, submitting quarterly activity reports, and terminating registration as a lobbyist. It is called the “Lobbyist Reporting Form” and can be downloaded using the link below.  Click here for instructions on how to download the form. The form must be filled out using Adobe Acrobat or an Acrobat Reader product.

2. The Lobbyist Reporting Form MUST be submitted to the Clerk’s Office in electronic format, either by coming to the Clerk’s Office with the completed form on a USB drive, or by emailing the completed form to lobbyists@austintexas.gov.

3. Email submissions will be accepted ONLY if the lobbyist has filed a signed “Lobbyist Contact Information Form” with the Clerk’s Office.

4. Each registered lobbyist must submit a quarterly activity report to the Clerk’s Office between the 1st and the 10th of every January, April, July, and October using the Lobbyist Reporting Form. If a lobbyist fails to file their report by the 10th, they will receive a late fee.

5. Organizations that are registered as a business entity must submit a quarterly activity report for EACH of their lobbyist employees. For example, a registered business entity that employs five lobbyists must submit five quarterly activity reports to the Clerk’s Office using the new Lobbyist Reporting Form. All forms must be submitted to the Clerk’s Office between the 1st and the 10th of every January, April, July, and October. If an organization fails to submit all required reports by the 10th, it will receive a late fee for each report not filed.

6. After the Lobbyist Reporting Form(s) have been received by the Clerk’s Office, notification of acceptance or rejection of the submitted information will be sent to the designated contact(s) within 30 days. Lobbyists must resubmit their failed report within 14 days of receiving notification of rejection or they will receive a late fee.

7. Please review the training materials below to fully understand how to fill out and submit the necessary forms and payments.

Training and General Information

• Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 10/04/2019)
• Video Guide on Registering as a Business Entity (Updated 10/3/2017)
• Video Guide on Registering as a New Lobbyist (Updated 10/3/2017)
• Video Guide on Lobbyist Contact Information Form (Updated 09/22/2017)
• Video Guides Lobbyist Reporting Form's Report Types (Updated 03/22/2018)
• Video Guide on Activity Reports (Updated 10/3/2017)
• Video Guide on Terminating Lobbyist Registration (Updated 11/8/2017)
• May 2017 Lobbyist Training PowerPoint
• September 2017 Lobbyist Training PowerPoint

Lobbyist Registration and Reporting

Please Note: the new Lobbyist Reporting Form will not open in your browser and  must be filled out using Adobe Acrobat or an Acrobat Reader product, which can be downloaded for free here. The Clerk's Office advises filers to use the latest version of the Lobbyist Reporting Form when submitting their report.

Trouble downloading the forms?

Trouble understand which type of report you need to file with the lobbyist reporting form?

Trouble understanding how to submit a new registration?

Trouble understanding how to submit an activity report?

• Lobbyist Fee Payment Form (Updated 10/4/2019) Optional: use this form when submitting a fee payment for either lobbyist registration or late fee(s).
• Lobbyist Contact Information Form: (Updated 09/22/2017) Optional: use this form to provide a designated email address and contact information to the Clerk's Office. Submission of this form permits lobbyists and entities to submit their required forms via email.
• Lobbyist Reporting Form: (Updated 03/20/2018) Required: use this form to submit both your registration and quarterly activity reports
• Lobbyist Reporting Form Instructions: (Updated 10/4/2019) an instruction guide for filling out the Lobbyist Reporting Form

Department Visitor Log

City Code §4-8-8(C) now requires departments to obtain written disclosure of specific information when engaging in face-to-face, scheduled meetings with visitors who meet specific criteria.  Below is a template sign-in sheet provided by the City Clerk to departments - please note City departments may opt to obtain this information by other means and this sign-in sheet is only a template.

• City Department Visitor Log

Additional Information

If you have questions, please email the Lobbyist Coordinator or contact the Office of the City Clerk at 512-974-2210.