Austin, TX Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

A neighborhood block party is defined in Sec. 14-8-32(A) as an event on a residential street for people who live in the immediate area, where a residential street under Subsection (B) is a block of right-of-way that primarily abuts single-family dwellings. Closing that street without a block party permit is unlawful under Sec. 14-8-31. Block parties on streets fronting multi-family housing, schools, places of worship, commercial uses, or other non-residential uses must get separate director approval under Sec. 14-8-32(C). A block party cannot be held on a street controlled by an automated traffic signal at either end of the block, on a street with a Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus or rail stop, or across an intersection with another street (Sec.

14-8-32(D)-(E)). Under Sec. 14-8-33, the applicant files on a director-approved form, pays an application fee set by separate ordinance, and must prove that a director-published minimum percentage of the occupants affected by the closure agree to it; the application is due at least 10 calendar days before the party. A denied applicant can appeal to the director within 10 business days of the denial notice, and the director may uphold or reverse it (Sec. 14-8-34). The permit holder must use traffic control devices and barricades that meet the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (Sec. 14-8-35) and must sign a written agreement indemnifying the City against claims arising from the block party (Sec. 14-8-36).