Austin, Texas · Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Effective date: August 31, 2026. Last updated: August 31, 2026.

By using austin-texas.news or subscribing to its newsletter, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site. These terms are governed primarily by U.S. and Texas law, as set out below.

1. What this service is

austin-texas.news is a free, independent local newsletter about what is changing at the addresses around Austin, Texas, delivered by email three mornings a week and archived on this site. It is an editorial publication, described fully on our About page. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of Austin, Travis County, or any government body.

2. Editorial personas and the nature of the content

The recurring voices in this newsletter — Zilker and Rainey — are clearly-labeled fictional editorial personas produced with AI assistance, not real staff reporters, as disclosed on About and throughout the site. The newsletter is provided for general informational and editorial purposes only. Facts it presents about permits, zoning, road closures, and news events are drawn from public sources and outlets identified in each edition; while we check what we publish against the public record, we do not guarantee that any fact is current, complete, or accurate, and nothing here is a flood determination, a legal, tax, or engineering opinion, or a substitute for the City of Austin's, Travis County's, or any licensed professional's own determination. Where a decision genuinely depends on accuracy, confirm directly with the relevant government office or a licensed professional.

3. No warranty on content accuracy

Content in the newsletter and on this site is provided "as is." We expressly disclaim all warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Links to third-party news outlets are provided for reference; we are not responsible for the content of external sites.

4. Subscriptions

The newsletter is free. Subscribing requires confirming your email address through a double opt-in: no editions are sent until you click the confirmation link. You can unsubscribe at any time using the one-click link in any email, with no login required; unsubscribing stops all further editions immediately. We may pause, change, or discontinue the newsletter, or the frequency or format of editions, at any time. There is no fee and no purchase associated with the newsletter; should a paid offering ever be introduced, its terms would be published here before any charge is made.

5. Tips and submissions

If you send a tip, you represent that the information you provide is truthful to the best of your knowledge and does not include private information about a specific identifiable person. Tips are reviewed by a person and checked against the public record before any use; sending a tip does not guarantee it will be used, and tips are never attributed to a sender by name. By submitting a tip, you grant us permission to use the information in it, in a form that does not identify you, in the newsletter and on this site. Do not submit anything false, defamatory, unlawful, or aimed at identifying, locating, or harassing a specific resident.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to: use this site or newsletter to identify, locate, contact, harass, or cause harm to a specific resident of any address; scrape, bulk-download, or systematically extract content other than through normal browsing; submit false, defamatory, or unlawful material through the tip form; or attempt to interfere with, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to the site or its underlying systems. We may suspend access or decline submissions for a violation of this section without prior notice.

7. Intellectual property

The site's design, original text, and software are the property of EZOSHosting. News stories referenced in editions remain the property of the outlets that reported them and are credited accordingly; public data presented here remains subject to the terms of its original government source. We don't claim ownership over the underlying public records or third-party reporting.

8. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, EZOSHosting is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from your use of this site or the newsletter, or from reliance on information either displays, including but not limited to decisions related to property, permitting, zoning, or flood risk.

9. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Exclusive venue for any dispute is Travis County, Texas.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the newsletter or applicable law changes. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "last updated" date above; continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

11. Contact

Questions about these terms: howdy@austin-tx.us.

An independent newsletter by EZOSHosting, Austin, TX. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of Austin or Travis County. Official information: austintexas.gov.