RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.
Austin City Code § 14-3-5
in effect§ 14-3-5 - RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.
(A) The City may provide financial assistance to a person, family, business, farming or ranching operation, or a non-profit organization displaced in connection with an acquisition of real property. This assistance may include moving expenses, replacement dwelling supplements, homeowner supplements, and incidental expenses. The nature and amount of assistance a displaced person may receive shall depend on whether the person owns or leases the property, how long the person lawfully occupied that property prior to the commencement of negotiations, and whether the person is an individual or a business entity.
(B) Before any services are provided under this regulation, the city manager or a designee shall verify that federal financial assistance is not received or made available for the project related to the acquired property.
(C) A displaced person who has maintained lawful physical occupancy in a dwelling and who meets the criteria for the specific benefit as set forth in this regulation is eligible for relocation benefits. Relocation benefits will not be provided if the City determines the person:
(1) is ineligible to receive public benefits from the City for any reason;
(2) received an eviction notice prior to the initiation of negotiations and is later evicted pursuant to the notice;
(3) is evicted after the initiation of negotiations for serious or repeated violation of material terms of the lease or occupancy agreement; or
(4) occupied the dwelling for the purpose of obtaining assistance under this regulation. A person is presumed to occupy a dwelling for the purpose of obtaining assistance under this regulation if the person begins occupancy after notice of displacement has been provided to any occupant of the displacement dwelling.
(D) The City may reimburse a displaced person for reasonable and necessary moving expenses for a single move of 50 or fewer miles from the displacement property. The City may waive one or more of these limitations if the city manager declares it in the public interest to do so. At the discretion of the city manager, reimbursement may be determined by the following methods:
(1) actual, reasonable costs verified by receipts and preapproved by City staff; or
(2) fixed moving schedule provided by Federal Highway Administration; or
(3) any combination of methods (1) and (2) above.
(E) The City may provide a financial supplement to a person displaced from a dwelling when the comparable replacement dwelling is more expensive than the displacement dwelling. This supplement shall not exceed $7,200. Only one payment can be made for each dwelling unit acquired. A person eligible for a homeowner supplement under Section 14-3-5(F) is not eligible for this payment.
(1) In addition to the eligibility requirements in Sections 14-3-5(C) and 14-3-5(E)(2), to qualify for a replacement dwelling supplement, the displaced person must:
(a) occupy the displacement dwelling for not less than 90 days prior to the initiation of negotiations; and
(b) purchase or lease a decent, safe and sanitary dwelling no later than one year from the date of displacement.
(2) A late occupant must continue occupancy until the City takes possession of the displacement dwelling or property to qualify for relocation assistance under this section.
(3) The payment made under this section shall not exceed 42 times the difference between the current rent, including utilities, and the comparable replacement rent paid by the displaced person.
(a) The city manager will determine the number of months used to calculate the payment based on the circumstances of each acquisition or displaced person.
(b) The City will use the fair market rent of the displacement dwelling in lieu of the current rent when:
(i) the displaced person is an owner-occupant;
(ii) the displaced person pays less than 50 percent of fair market rent; or
(iii) the displaced person is a dependent. Individuals living in the displaced dwelling who are enrolled full time in an institution of higher education at the time of initiation of negotiations are presumed to be dependents.
(c) If the tenant occupants of a displacement dwelling or property are a household whose total income over the past 12 months is at or below 80 percent MFI as defined in Section 25-1-701(4) of the City Code, the City will use 30 percent of the gross income of all tenant occupants in lieu of current rent when the average monthly income is less than the current monthly rent.
(4) A person meeting the eligibility requirements of this section may elect to rent or purchase a comparable dwelling.
(5) A person eligible for a payment under this section may not receive a payment that exceeds:
(a) the purchase price of the replacement dwelling, including incidental expenses; or
(b) the payment the owner-occupant would have received had the owner-occupant been eligible for a homeowner supplement under Section 14-3-5(F).
(6) When more than one eligible individual or family is displaced from a single displacement dwelling, the replacement dwelling supplement shall be divided among the occupants as determined by the City.
(7) The city manager may waive the limitations set forth in this section when waiver is necessary to provide comparable housing to a tenant or owner-occupant of a dwelling.
(8) Last resort housing shall be used only when suitable decent, safe, and sanitary housing is not available to displaced tenants and owners. As determined by the City, whenever a project cannot proceed on a timely basis because comparable replacement dwellings are not available within the monetary limits for owners or tenants, the City may provide additional or alternative assistance, which may exceed the limits under Section 14-3-5(E).
(F) The City may provide financial assistance to acquire replacement housing to a person displaced from a dwelling owned and occupied by the person when the comparable replacement dwelling is more expensive than the acquisition cost of the displacement dwelling. This payment shall not exceed $31,000, calculated as set forth in this Section 14-3-5(F).
(1) In addition to the eligibility requirements in Section 14-3-5(C), to qualify for a homeowner supplement the displaced person must:
(a) have owned and occupied the displacement dwelling for not less than 90 days prior to the initiation of negotiations; and
(b) purchase and occupy a decent, safe, and sanitary replacement dwelling within one year from the date of displacement.
(2) The payment made under this section shall not exceed an amount equal to the sum of:
(a) the amount the probable cost of a replacement dwelling exceeds the acquisition cost of the displacement dwelling, as determined by the City;
(b) any increased interest and other debt service costs incurred in connection with the mortgage(s) on the replacement dwelling as determined by the City; and
(c) reasonable expenses incidental to the purchase of the replacement dwelling.
(3) Last resort housing shall be used only when suitable decent, safe, and sanitary housing is not available to displaced tenants and owners. As determined by the City, whenever a project cannot proceed on a timely basis because comparable replacement dwellings are not available within the monetary limits for owners or tenants, the City may provide additional or alternative assistance, which may exceed the limits under Section 14-3-5(F).
(G) The City may pay to businesses, farm or ranch operations, or non-profit organizations a payment not to exceed $25,000 for expenses actually incurred in relocating and reestablishing operations at a suitable replacement location. Only expenses that are reasonable and necessary as determined by the City are eligible for reimbursement.
(1) The City may also pay to eligible displaced businesses, farm or ranch operations, or non-profit organizations searching expenses related to finding a suitable replacement site for their business.
(2) The City may also pay to eligible displaced businesses, farm or ranch operations, or non-profit organizations moving expenses related to moving all personal property to storage or replacement site.
(Ord. No. 20230914-055, Pt. 1, 9-25-23)
Source: City of Austin, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT14USSTPUPR_CH14-3REBE_S14-3-5REASFetched: 10/27/2026