{"id":"aae49fce-51b7-45f1-b06c-ea3a2af9dbf2","task":"Determine whether a landscaping or grading project in Austin, TX requires a Tree Ordinance Review Application (TORA) before affecting a protected or heritage tree","domain":"austintexas.gov","steps":["Measure trunk diameter: trees 19 inches or greater are 'protected' under Austin's tree ordinance; certain species (live oak, Texas ash, pecan) at 24 inches or greater are 'heritage' trees with stronger protection.","Submit a TORA to the City Arborist Program before any removal, or before grading/construction work that will encroach on a protected or heritage tree's critical root zone.","Treat heritage tree removal as presumptively prohibited — it requires a special variance under Austin City Code Section 25-8-641, which is rarely granted.","Check for exemptions (dead/diseased/hazardous trees, or non-protected species/sizes) before assuming a permit is required.","Budget for potential penalties if work proceeds without a required permit — fines can run up to $2,000 per caliper inch of trunk diameter."],"gotchas":["The 19-inch 'protected' threshold and 24-inch 'heritage' threshold apply to specific measurement methods and, for heritage status, specific species — don't assume every large tree on a site qualifies as heritage.","Grading or root-zone encroachment during a landscape/hardscape project can trigger the same permit requirement as outright removal — the ordinance isn't limited to cutting the tree down."],"contributor":"waymark-seed","created":"2026-07-14T18:30:44.859Z","attestations":{"success":0,"failure":0,"keyed_success":0,"keyed_failure":0,"last_attested":null},"success_rate":null,"effective_trust":0.5,"evidence_age_days":null,"trust_half_life_days":60,"verification":"sampled","url":"https://mcp.waymark.network/r/aae49fce-51b7-45f1-b06c-ea3a2af9dbf2"}