Environmental Inspections

Here are some of the Environmental Inspection Services the Development Services Department provides:
 

• Inspect permitted land developments and construction sites for compliance with City environmental protection regulations.
   
• Perform site investigations and evaluate erosion/sedimentation controls and tree preservation for best management practices and compliance with landscape and tree ordinances. 
   
• Perform final inspections of drainage facilities and other site improvements.
   
• Perform site investigations to evaluate the need for additional support from specialists, such as biologists and geologists.
   
• Identify locations of environmentally sensitive resources.
   
• Provide technical assistance and education to citizens, community/special interest groups, developers, and others on environmental/engineering code requirements, ordinances, and regulations.
   
• Provide testimony and affidavits for enforcement cases.
   
• Issue directives and initiate enforcement actions when environmental and drainage regulations are unmet.
   
• Underground Storage Tanks (UST) – site plan reviews UST-related matters, UST Construction Permitting, Hazardous Materials Storage Permitting, UST construction and compliance inspections, regulatory oversight, and customer assistance.

  Open the Relevant Environmental Territories Map

To schedule your Tree or Environmental Inspection, you must use either the Residential or Commercial Environmental Territories Map. Click the relevant map for your project:
 

Residential Environmental Territories Map 

Commercial Environmental Territories Map 

Once you have opened the correct map, refer back to these steps. 

  Enter Permit Address

Enter the permit address on the search line (you can also select the correct territory on the map). Select the full address when it appears. You should see the inspector’s name and a list of available inspection types.

  Select Inspection

Scroll to the type of inspection needed and select it. 

If you are scheduling a Pre-Construction inspection, be sure you have installed all required erosion controls first.

  Select Date and Time

When the inspector’s schedule appears, choose the date and time desired and click Continue.
 

  Enter Contact Information

You will now be prompted to enter your contact information. Once done, click Schedule it.

Expect a lead time of three business days for all inspections. 

If you cannot schedule your inspection within the scheduled timeframe, please email EVCommercial.Inspections@austintexas.gov for help.

Need an Austin Underground Storage Tank Construction Permit?

The following types of construction activities require an Underground Storage Tank (UST) Construction Permit:

• New Facility Construction (includes Hazardous Materials Interceptor (HMI))

• Remodel of a UST Facility (addition or replacement of whole system components, e.g., tanks and/or lines)
   
• Manway Construction (installation, repair, or replacement of spill buckets, Submersible Turbine Pump (STP), or Under Dispenser Containment (UDC) sumps)
   
• Repair / Maintenance of Existing UST Facility
   
• Permitted Tank Removal / Closure
   
• Ghost Tank or Waste Oil Tank Removal / Closure

Underground Storage Tank (UST) Permit  Process

  Submit your Permit Application

Complete the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Construction Permit Application ^(PDF) and email it to UST@austintexas.gov.

  Make Payment

Once your permit application has been submitted to UST@austintexas.gov, an invoice will be generated and emailed to the address listed on the permit application. UST Construction Permit fees vary depending on the type of work that is being performed. You will then log into your AB+C account to make an online payment.

  Application Review, Processing, and Approval

The review process begins when the payment and permit application has been received. Once the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Construction Permit has been approved, the approved permit will be emailed to you, and it should remain on-site during construction activities. The permit is valid for 6 months.

  Initial Inspection

You are required to provide 24 – 48 hour notice when you are ready to begin construction. An Underground Storage Tank (UST) inspector will meet on-site the day construction begins to perform an Initial Inspection. During the Initial Inspection, the inspector will verify proper erosion/sedimentation and safety controls are in place. The UST Inspector will discuss the project's scope of work and the required inspections for the type of construction being performed.

  Follow-up Inspections and Final Inspection

Depending on the type of construction being performed, 2 – 10 follow-up inspections will be required throughout the project. This will be discussed at the Initial Inspection.

When construction is complete, a Final Inspection will be conducted to ensure that everything is returned to normal operating status and that the UST facility complies with state and local rules and regulations. If the Final Inspection passes, the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Construction Permit will be closed.

Need an Austin Underground (UST) Hazardous Materials Storage Permit?

A Hazardous Materials Storage Permit is required if an Underground Storage Tank (UST) Facility is:
 

• Located within the City of Austin UST Program Jurisdiction as discussed in Austin Code of Ordinances § 6-2-2 – Applicability, and
   
• If the UST Facility will be using a UST to store regulated materials as discussed in Austin Code of Ordinances § 6-2-3 – Regulated Materials
   
• For Above Ground Storage Tanks (AST) for Hazardous Materials, please see Austin Fire Department.

Hazardous Materials Storage Permit Process

   Submit your Permit Application

Complete the Hazardous Materials Storage Permit application ^(PDF) and email it to UST@austintexas.gov.

   Make Payment

Once your permit application has been submitted to UST@austintexas.gov, an invoice will be generated for the permit cost and emailed to the email address listed on the permit application. You will then log into your AB+C account to make an online payment.

   Application Review, Processing, and Approval

The review process begins when the payment and permit application has been received. Once the Hazardous Materials Storage Permit has been approved, the approved permit will be emailed to you, and it should be displayed at the UST Facility. The permit is valid for 3 years.

   Environmental Monitoring and Records Management

As a permitted UST Facility, you will be required to maintain leak detection (e.g., tanks, lines, and line leak detectors (LLDs), Cathodic Protection, spill-overfill protection, and other required financial and training documentation. A City of Austin UST Inspector may request any of this documentation anytime.

The Hazardous Materials Storage permit cost includes three compliance inspections conducted annually at the discretion of the UST Inspector. During a compliance inspection, the UST inspector will visually inspect all aspects of the UST system and request environmental monitoring data.

   Transfer of a Hazardous Materials Storage Permit (optional)

If the property or UST ownership changes, the Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance allows the permit to be transferred to the new owner if it is done within 30 days of the tank-ownership transaction. If you intend to transfer the permit, a Transfer of Hazardous Materials Storage Permit Application ^(PDF) must be completed and submitted to UST@austintexas.gov. Both the previous owner and new owner are required to sign the transfer permit application.

A new permit will be required if a permit transfer is requested outside of the 30-day time frame. If this tank system is not monitored on a 30-day basis, the owner will be required to proceed with the UST closure procedures.

• Pre-Construction Meeting Handout - Residential Sites ^(PDF) 
   
• Pre-Construction Meeting Handout - Commercial Sites & Subdivisions ^(PDF) 
   
• Tree Protection and Erosion/Sedimentation Controls Flowchart ^(PDF) 
   
• Tree Ordinance Review Process ^(PDF) 

All work must cease under the Stop Work Order (SWO) with the exception of development explicitly authorized by the Development Services Department, and occurring under the Direction of the City of Austin Inspector identified on the SWO.

Contact the Inspector identified on the SWO and correct all violations identified in the SWO before proceeding with further development. Failure to do so may result in further legal actions by the City of Austin, including criminal charges and fines of up to $2,000 per violation per day.

You may receive a violation for the following reasons:

• No permit for development or other related construction activities
• Failure to follow the Sequence of Construction
• Any disturbance outside the Limits of Construction
• Failure to perform maintenance and/or repair temporary erosion and sedimentation controls after disturbance or rainfall event or as directed by the Environmental Inspector
• Failure to make plan revisions to temporary environmental and sedimentation controls as directed by Environmental Inspector
• Clearing, grading, or filling beyond what is delineated on the approved site plan resulting in damage to trees, natural areas, Critical Environmental Features (CEFs), or immediate water quality degradation
• Removal of protected trees without a permit
• No water quality controls or failure to maintain water quality pond
• Occupancy of a building, parking lot, or proposed improvement prior to final inspection and release from the Environmental Inspector
• Offsite discharge of silt or other pollutants, particularly in the Barton Springs Zone. Tracking of soil, base materials, gravel, or paving materials onto roadway
• Obstruction of waterway
• Development in the critical water quality zone
• Failure to have a pre-construction meeting
• Failed to obtain a Right-of-Way Permit & No Right-of-Way construction license, No Right-of-Way Permit on-site
• Structure in Right-of-Way
• Disregarded Stop Work Order
• Other

Appeal Process

   Submit Appeal Request

To appeal a Stop Work Order, you must submit a written appeal within three (3) days of the date on the Stop Work Order to:

Director - Development Services Department

City of Austin

6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive

Austin, TX 78752

The appeal must contain the following:

• The name and address of the appellant;
• A statement of facts;
• The decision being appealed; and
• The reason the decision should be set aside

Be advised that the Stop Work Order remains effective during the appeal process.

   Appeal Hearing is Conducted

A hearing will be held no later than three (3) business days after the appeal is filed. The appellant, the appellant's expert, and the department may offer testimony to the accountable official.

   Accountable Official Decision is Issued

The accountable official will provide written notice to uphold or reverse the department's decision no later than two (2) working days after the hearing.

   Appeal of Accountable Official Decision

To appeal the accountable official's decision to the Land Use Commission or appropriate technical board, written notice must be provided to the accountable official and the presiding officer of the Land Use Commission or appropriate technical board no later than three (3) working days after receiving notice of the decision. The appeal must contain the following:

• The name and address of the appellant;
• A statement of facts;
• The decision being appealed; and
• The reason the decision should be set aside

   Land Use Commission or Appropriate Technical Board Appeal Hearing is Held

The Land Use Commission or appropriate technical board will hear the appeal at the next regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of notice to appeal.

An appeal is automatically granted if the Land Use Commission or appropriate technical board does not hear the appeal before the 21st day following receipt of the notice to appeal.

Questions or Complaints?

Questions? Please email Environmental.Inspections@austintexas.gov or call 512-974-2278 for assistance.