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LATE FILING FEE.

Austin City Code § 4-8-11
in effect
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§ 4-8-11 - LATE FILING FEE. (A) A person responsible for filing a late report is liable to the City for payment of a late filing fee. The amount of the late filing fee shall be set by ordinance. A late filing fee is not penal in nature, and is in addition to an available sanction for a late filing of a report. A person's payment of a late fee under this section does not discharge a person's liability for a criminal offense under this chapter. (B) The city clerk shall determine from any available evidence whether a report under this chapter is late. (1) A registration or activity report that is not timely filed is late. Reports are late if filed after 11:59 p.m. on the due date. If the last day to perform an act is a Saturday, Sunday, or City holiday, Section 1-1-5 (Calculation of Time) applies, and the due date is the next date that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or City holiday. (2) A registration or activity report is not properly filed without all required fees, including accrued late fees, being paid timely. Accordingly, a registration or activity report filed without the required fees being paid timely is late. The city clerk may use an electronic form that will prevent a filer from submitting a required report until all registration, renewal, or late fees owed by a registrant or employee lobbyist are paid. (C) The city clerk may not extend a deadline or waive a late fee caused by an inadvertent error or omission of a person responsible for filing a report, or the error or omission of the person's authorized officer or agent. (D) The city clerk may extend a deadline for a period of up to 30 days and may waive up to two late fees if the registrant or person responsible for filing a report is unable to timely file a report due to: (1) a business interruption caused by a natural catastrophic event (such as tornado, flood, fire, hurricane, or earthquake), a serious weather-related event (such as heavy winds, ice, or snow), or other unsafe condition affecting the person's business or access to the person's business that is not caused by the person; or (2) a personal emergency related to: (a) the death, disability, or serious medical condition of the person, or the person's relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity; or (b) a natural catastrophic event. (E) Except to provide public testimony at a meeting subject to the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act, a lobbyist may not lobby a City Official unless all fees have been paid and all required reports have been filed. (F) On making a determination that a report is late, the clerk shall not later than the next business day send, by email, or other traceable method, a notice of the determination to the person responsible for the filing, notifying the person of the fee for late filing, and charging the fee. Late fees are due by 11:59 p.m. on the 10th day after the notice of determination is sent and are subject to Section 1-1-5 (Calculation of Time). (G) The city clerk will apply additional late fees on the first business day occurring after the 10th day after the date the city clerk sent the notice of determination. (1) Until the person files the activity report, the person is liable for an additional late fee each time the clerk sends a 10-day notice up to a cumulative maximum of $500 per report. (2) The clerk need not send additional notices when the total of the late fees has reached the maximum amount and may not send the notices more frequently than every 10th day. (H) The clerk shall provide a copy of each notice sent under this section to the city attorney. (I) The clerk shall deposit and use money received from late fees in the manner prescribed in this chapter for a registration fee. (J) A report is not properly or timely filed in compliance with this chapter if the registrant or lobbyist responsible for filing the report has failed to pay any fee owed under this Chapter prior to, or at the time of, the filing. Source: Ord. No. 20160922-005, Pt. 1, 6-1-17; Ord. No. 20190619-172, Pt. 5, 7-1-19; Ord. No. 20230323-003, Pt. 2, 4-3-23.
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=TIT4BUREPERE_CH4-8RELO_S4-8-11LAFIFEFetched: 10/27/2026

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