The term “License Agreement” refers to a legal agreement between a private property owner and, for the purposes of this paper, the City of Austin. Essentially, the agreement states that City of Austin is giving the private property owner a license to install improvements, which he/she will continuously maintain, within public property. The review process for a proposed license agreement is implemented by the City, with input and approvals being required by every utility provider in the City, often more than twenty public and private utility and City entities.

The approved license agreement results in a legal document that will be recorded at the office of the County Clerk (Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, or Hays County) following approval by all of the applicable utility providers and City departments.

One of the main purposes of the license agreement is to ensure that the private property owner, or his successors, understands and is legally responsible for the perpetual maintenance of any non-standard improvements that they cause to be installed as part of their development project.

Read the white paper: “The Book on License Agreements in the City of Austin” to learn all about the process.