Austin Now Requires All Homes to Have Air Conditioning Amid Rising Heat

As summer approaches, the Austin City Council unanimously passed a new property care code Thursday that requires all city homes to have working air conditioning. 

This is a significant policy change meant to protect public health during extreme temperatures. The law doesn't require central air systems. Still, it does say that homeowners and landlords must place equipment, like window or portable units, that can cool the inside of a building at least 15 degrees below the temperature outside, as long as the temperature inside doesn't go over 85°F.  

This rule applies to all "habitable" rooms in a house, such as kitchens, living rooms, and beds. "Knowing that Austinites were living in very hot conditions, I'm very happy to see this move forward," said Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, who helped lead the effort and represents parts of Southeast Austin. 

Cities in Texas, such as Dallas, Denton, and Austin, now require rental houses to have air conditioning.  The town used to only need that if a home had air conditioning, it had to work. Homes didn't have to have air conditioning at all, anyway. After having temps above 100°F for more than 40 days in a row in 2023, Austin's hottest summer ever, this change was made. 

It's not clear how many people in Texas don't have air conditioning, but U.S. Census data shows that about 1% of households in the state don't have any kind of cooling system. Laws requiring air cooling across the whole state have not been passed yet. 

One 2023 bill introduced by state Rep. Sheryl Cole has not moved forward in the Legislature. With Austin's heatwaves getting worse and happening more often, the new law is meant to keep people safe and cool inside their homes no matter how hot it is outside.

‍