Permits and Codes

In Austin, an uncovered wood deck with gaps between the boards over soil or grass counts as 50 percent impervious cover. A covered deck counts as fully impervious. On a lot near its limit, that can decide a deck’s size. Impervious cover in Austin is the share of a lot covered by surfaces that keep

A deck on a property in an Austin historic district may need the city’s historic review before a permit is issued. Whether it does depends on how the property is designated and what the work changes, so check before design is final. Planning a deck on an older home in a historic district in Austin