What is the Austin Code Department HIC Registration?
Answered by AskBaily Editorial · Updated
Short answer
Austin's 2023 Home Improvement Contractor Registration — administered by the Austin Code Department (ACD) — is required for every residential improvement contract above $1,000. Registration requires a $50,000 general liability policy, a completed application, and disclosure of prior enforcement actions. An unregistered contractor cannot legally solicit or contract residential improvement work inside Austin city limits.
In detail
The Austin Code Department's Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) Registration program — created by Ordinance No. 20230309-018 and codified in Austin City Code Chapter 4-22 — requires every contractor performing residential improvement work above $1,000 inside the full-purpose city limits to register before soliciting, advertising, or signing a contract.
The registration scope is broader than most homeowners expect. It captures kitchen and bath remodels, additions, foundation repair, roof replacement, window replacement, deck and pergola construction, garage conversions, ADUs, and any combination of trades that aggregates above the $1,000 threshold. ACD treats the threshold per-contract, not per-trade, so a $900 deck plus a $400 fence sold together still trips the rule.
To register, a contractor submits the ACD application, pays the annual fee, and provides proof of a $50,000 minimum general liability policy listing the City of Austin as a certificate holder. The applicant must disclose any prior enforcement actions, judgments, or restitution orders from any state — Texas does not maintain a residential remodeler license, so ACD relies on this disclosure plus its own complaint history to flag bad actors. False statements on the form are themselves grounds for denial or revocation under 4-22-7.
Unregistered solicitation is a Class C misdemeanor under 4-22-13, fineable up to $500 per offense, and ACD treats every separate contact as a separate offense. The bigger consequence is civil: an unregistered contract is voidable by the homeowner, and Austin Municipal Court has accepted ACD's position that homeowners may demand a full refund without offset for work-in-place when the contractor was unregistered at the time of signing.
Verify registration status before any deposit. ACD publishes the searchable registry at austintexas.gov, and the lookup returns active status, expiration date, complaint count, and any open enforcement matters. Cross-reference the legal entity name on the registration with the legal entity on your contract — mismatches between a registered parent LLC and an unregistered DBA are the most common evasion pattern Austin Code investigators flag.
Sources
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