Killeen, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed for
- Digs over 18 inches, pipes, wiring, new equipment
- Application authority
- Building official or designee, Sec. 25-54
- Surety bond
- $2,000, filed with city secretary
- Bond term
- 1 year, covers all permits
- Emergency work
- Permit sought next working day
- Restoration deadline
- 5 days to fix defects after notice
Summary
Killeen requires a public right-of-way permit before anyone digs, trenches, lays pipe or wiring, or installs new equipment in a city street, alley, or right-of-way. Section 25-51 blocks any hole or trench deeper than eighteen inches, and any new facility, until the building official approves a written application and map under section 25-54.
No person shall dig any holes or trenches over eighteen (18) inches deep upon, through, or beneath any public right-of-way, lay any pipes, mains, laterals, or any connecting or service pipes, nor any underground sewer or underground wiring along, across or beneath any public right-of-way, or install any new equipment or facility within the public right-of-way, without first having filed with the building official or designee an application and documents as required by section 25-54 to do so and without having first obtained a formal written approval of such application and map and a permit to perform such work.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
An application under section 25-54 must include the permittee's name, address and phone number, a certificate of insurance naming the City of Killeen as an additional insured with thirty days' notice before any cancellation, a map or engineering plan of the proposed work, payment of the permit and public right-of-way rate fees, and, where applicable, a copy of the person's certificate of authority from the Public Utility Commission or another state or federal agency. Section 25-55 backs every dig-and-cut permit with a two-thousand-dollar surety bond filed with the city secretary, good for one year and covering all permits issued to that bonded party.
Section 25-53 carves out true emergencies: a utility company can cut or puncture a right-of-way on a holiday or after hours without a permit in hand, but it must apply for one on the very next working day. Section 25-38 bars a permittee from blocking gutters or waterways and from parking work vehicles next to the permit area outside normal parking rules. Section 25-34 makes the permittee responsible for correcting any defective patching or restoration within five days of the city's notice, or the city can do the repair itself and bill the permittee for the cost.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 25, Article II violations run through the citywide general penalty in section 25-13 and section 1-8: a fine of up to five hundred dollars per offense, with continuing noncompliance counted as a separate violation for each day it persists. Beyond the fine, section 25-34 lets the city correct any defective excavation, backfill, or restoration itself and bill the cost to the permittee if the permittee fails to fix it within five days of notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to dig in a Killeen street or alley?
What does a Killeen right-of-way permit application need?
Is there a bond required for right-of-way work in Killeen?
Can a utility company skip the permit for emergency repairs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Killeen
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Killeen to another location·View the Texas sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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