Travis County, TX Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Travis County Code § 482.701
- Approval authority
- Commissioners Court via County Attorney
- Application requires
- RPLS survey plus sealed cost estimate
- Never allowed
- Sight obstructions, clear-zone hazards
- Financial guarantee
- Cash escrow held by County Treasurer
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Travis County right-of-way
Summary
Any privately owned wall, fence, landscaping or building projection that encroaches into Travis County right-of-way needs a License Agreement approved by Commissioners Court under Code Sec. 482.701. Sight obstructions and unyielding objects in roadway clear zones cannot qualify at all, and applicants post a cash escrow to guarantee removal.
General. Except as otherwise provided in these regulations, a License Agreement for the permissive use of County right-of-way, must be approved in accordance with the provisions of this section. In order to insure the safety and well-being of the general public, any privately owned and maintained improvement, either existing or proposed, which encroaches into County right-of-way requires the issuance of a License Agreement. Items which do not qualify for License Agreements include, but are not limited to sight obstructions, unyielding objects within roadway clear zones, and other items which pose a public safety hazard. Items which require a License Agreement include, but are not limited to the following: Landscaping; Irrigation systems for common areas; Walls (decorative or landscaping); Fences; Building encroachment (aerial, at grade, or subterranean); Aerial walkways; Signs (other than traffic control and street name signs); and Certain non-standard drainage improvements such as channel armoring or structures associated with permanent water quality control that are permitted for use within right of way but will not be maintained by Travis County.
Full Breakdown
Travis County Code Sec. 701 requires a License Agreement before any privately owned and maintained improvement, existing or proposed, may encroach into county right-of-way. The list of items that need one is long: landscaping, irrigation systems for common areas, decorative or landscaping walls, fences, building encroachments (aerial, at grade or subterranean), aerial walkways, non-traffic signs, and non-standard drainage improvements such as channel armoring that the county will not maintain. The code draws a hard line on the other side too: sight obstructions, unyielding objects within roadway clear zones, and other public-safety hazards do not qualify for a License Agreement under any circumstances, so those simply cannot go in the right-of-way.
Applying means filing a survey and field notes from a Registered Professional Land Surveyor describing the limits of the encroachment, a letter on the type, purpose and duration of the improvement, and a cost estimate, sealed by a Registered Landscape Architect, Licensed Irrigator or Texas Registered Professional Engineer depending on the item, covering the cost of removing the encroachment and restoring the right-of-way (including revegetation). Plans and specifications for the actual construction must be sealed by the matching professional: a landscape architect for landscaping, an irrigator or landscape architect for irrigation, and a Registered Professional Engineer for walls, fences, aerial walkways, building projections, signs and drainage work.
If the County Executive finds the license will not interfere with public use, safety or welfare, the County Attorney drafts the agreement for the applicant and the Commissioners Court to execute. Homeowners' associations, utility districts and individual owners must post a cash escrow with the County Treasurer, held until the encroachment is removed and the area restored, or until the county itself spends the funds to remove it. Applicants also carry the insurance coverage stated in the License Agreement form.
Violations & Fines
Skip the license and the improvement is unauthorized: Sec. 482.701 lets the county deny or revoke the agreement outright for sight obstructions or clear-zone hazards, and it never lets those onto the right-of-way regardless of paperwork. Sec. 482.210 backs this up for objects generally, letting the County Executive order removal at the responsible party's expense once an unlicensed object is found to make a county road impassable, hazardous or otherwise inconvenient to the public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a fence or wall along the county road in front of my property?
What can never get a License Agreement no matter what?
What does the cash escrow cover?
Who has to seal the construction plans for my encroachment?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Travis County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Travis County to another location·View the Texas sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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