The City of Austin has some great map tools for the public to use. One of them allows you to view flood plain, zoning and other geographic information on an interactive map.

If you’re thinking of buying a home and are curious about the zoning of the property, or whether the vacant lot next door is a prime target for a condo development, you can do a little investigation. The same goes for investors who want to know what they can build on a lot.

If you go to the City Of Austin Development Map Viewer, you will be presented with a map of Austin. You could read the instructions on how to use the map viewer, or use the shortcut below to find out zoning information.

What Zoning is that Austin property?

To return the zoning of a given TCAD parcel, follow the steps below. To find out what can be built in a particular zone, check out the Permitted Use Chart, and check the zoning districts chart.

Austin Zoning

This gets you to the part of the map you want to see. You can use the Zoom tool on the left hand side to get a clearer picture of the lot boundaries which come in the default view.

Zoning Austin

After you identify the zoning, it appears in the middle of the screen at the bottom, in this case SF-3-NP, which is single family 3 with a neighborhood plan.

If you think that the public GIS viewer shows plenty of Austin development information, wait until you see the one that the City uses. If you have questions about zoning, you can drop by their offices at 505 Barton Springs Road between 9am and 1pm each weekday.

Garreth Wilcock is an Austin EcoBroker® and Realtor® with Keller Williams. You can search available homes in Austin, Texas at his website or call 512 694 8873 to discuss your needs.