Lake Austin during a past winter drawdown (photo posted January 2011). Photo: iPhone Photography, CC BY 3.0, resized.
Quick Summary: The 2026 Lake Austin drawdown runs from October 12 through November 30, with the City of Austin and LCRA lowering the lake about ten feet for the first time since 2017. The lake takes about three weeks to reach its low range and begins refilling November 24, so the practical work window is closer to three weeks than seven. Minor dock and bulkhead repairs and slip sediment removal can use a faster city permit made for this drawdown, but structural work still needs a full site plan, so owners should apply now. For buyers, it is one of the best chances to see what normally sits underwater; for sellers, it is a reason to shoot photos before October 12 or wait for the refill. The refill water comes from Lake Travis and will lower it about nine inches at current levels, according to LCRA.
Lake Austin is a constant-level lake, so most owners never see what is under their dock. That changes this fall. The Lake Austin drawdown is a planned, scheduled event, and for owners, buyers, and sellers of Lake Austin homes for sale, it is worth planning around rather than waiting out. This post covers the schedule, what owners can get done while the water is down, the permits that apply, how the drawdown affects buying and selling, and where the refill water comes from.
The 2026 Schedule
At the City of Austin's request, the Lower Colorado River Authority will draw down Lake Austin between Mansfield Dam and Tom Miller Dam starting October 12, 2026. The lake will drop no more than about a foot a day and should reach its target range of 481.8 to 482.8 feet above sea level in roughly three weeks, depending on conditions. That is about ten feet below normal. Refilling is scheduled to begin November 24 at up to two feet a day, with the lake back in its normal operating range by November 30 (City of Austin and LCRA joint announcement, August 20, 2026).
A few details matter for planning. LCRA may release water from Mansfield Dam during the drawdown to hold the lake at its lowered level or pass water downstream, so the upper end of the lake can sit higher than the range measured at Tom Miller Dam. Flooding or a power shortage could shorten or cancel the drawdown. And this is happening in fall rather than winter because, after Winter Storm Uri in 2021, LCRA stopped scheduling winter drawdowns so its hydroelectric generators stay available to the Texas grid during cold weather.
The Real Work Window Is About Three Weeks
The published dates run seven weeks, but the lake needs roughly three of them to get down and starts coming back up on November 24. By our read of the schedule, that leaves about three weeks, from early November to just before Thanksgiving, when the lakebed around most docks will be exposed and workable. Contractors will be booked across the whole lake in that same window. If you have work in mind, line up the contractor and the permit now, not when the water drops.
What a Lower Lake Reveals
Brooke LeMond, one of our Highland Lakes specialists, was working waterfront during the 2017 Lake Austin drawdown. The biggest benefit she saw for owners was simply being able to see and reach parts of their shoreline and dock structures that are normally underwater. Owners used it to make repairs, clean out around slips, check bulkheads and pilings, and handle maintenance that is much harder at normal lake level. She expects owners to treat this year the same way: a limited window to get work done.
Hunter Croan, our owner, saw the same thing on Lake Dunlap, in far less controlled circumstances. After the lake's spill gate failed in May 2019, it sat low for years while the dam was rebuilt (see our Texas lake construction updates). With the water gone, Hunter found holes in his retaining wall that he never would have found with the lake up. They were easy to spot and easy to fix. His neighbors did the same, and several of them teamed up to repaint the metal pipes on their boathouses that normally sit underwater, which makes those structures last much longer. Lake Austin's version is the planned, short, predictable one, which is exactly why it is worth using.
Things worth checking while the lakebed is exposed:
- Bulkheads and retaining walls, especially the base, for cracks, voids, and washouts
- Dock pilings, piers, and the submerged parts of metal boathouse framing
- Boat lift cables and cradles
- Sediment built up in the slip, and the actual depth once it is cleared
- Trash and debris on the lakebed in front of the property
- Hydrilla or other vegetation rooted around the dock and swim area
If you need a contractor, Billy Stephens spent more than ten years in building materials sales before real estate and can connect owners with people who do dock, bulkhead, and shoreline work.
Lake Austin Drawdown Permits: What Fits the Window
Lower water does not mean fewer rules. The City of Austin's boat dock permitting page sorts shoreline work into three groups (as of September 22, 2026).
No permit: painting, staining, limited landscaping and lighting, placing furniture. The city also encourages owners to pick up trash and debris from the exposed lakebed.
Site plan exemption: simple re-decking, repair and maintenance of an existing structure with a building permit, repairs to a legally built bulkhead that do not exceed 25 percent of it, and removal of accumulated sediment for navigational access to existing boat slips and marinas, which the city allows during the 2026 drawdown only. As Brooke has been telling owners, the city created a special 2026 drawdown exemption form for minor dock and bulkhead repairs and is fast-tracking these reviews. The exemption is not a building permit; you may still need a building or demolition permit on top of it.
Full site plan permit: replacing load-bearing beams, piers, or pilings, adding walls, expanding a dock's footprint, placing anything below the water line, and any demolition. These take a standard review, so if your project falls here, talk to the city before assuming it fits this drawdown.
Two more rules. Work can start only once the lakebed is exposed and the permit is approved. And the exemption application requires owners to acknowledge that the lake can refill quickly for a storm or an emergency power need, and that no equipment, tools, or materials can be left in the lakebed unattended. Removing hydrilla or other nuisance vegetation still needs a Texas Parks and Wildlife permit, drawdown or not.
The Drawdown and Hydrilla
Dried aquatic vegetation on the exposed lakebed during a past Lake Austin drawdown (photo posted January 2011). Photo: iPhone Photography, CC BY 3.0, resized.
The drawdown was requested partly because of hydrilla, but the city is clear that it will not control the plant on its own; the roots survive and it comes back. What it does offer is access. An owner with a choked slip can reach the plant at the root while the water is down, with the TPWD permit in hand. Our Lake Austin hydrilla guide covers where it is growing, what the city is doing, and how owners are managing it.
Buying a Lake Austin Home During the Drawdown
Brooke does not see a reason to avoid buying during the drawdown, and she thinks it can be a better due diligence window than normal lake level. It is not the prettiest time to see Lake Austin, but in her words, from a buyer's standpoint it may be one of the most informative, because you get to see the parts of the waterfront that are usually hidden.
At low water a buyer can see more of the shoreline, the condition of the bulkhead, the dock pilings, the bottom around the slip, how much sediment has built up, and the actual slope into the water. It also gives a far better sense of how deep the slip really is and where maintenance is coming due. Her advice: do not judge a property by how the lake looks during the drawdown; use it to inspect what is normally underwater. Bring your inspector and, if the dock is a big part of the purchase, a dock or marine contractor. Ask whether the seller is planning drawdown repairs and whether they are permitted. Our post on costly lakefront buying mistakes covers the rest of the water-related checklist.
Presentation still matters to some buyers. If the view and the lifestyle are the reason you are buying, you may want to see the property again at full lake before you close, and the timeline can usually accommodate that.
Selling a Lake Austin Home Around the Drawdown
From a seller's standpoint, Brooke's rule is simple: get photos and video before the lake goes down on October 12, or wait until it is back up after November 30. Listing photos of an exposed lakebed undersell a waterfront home. If buyers are touring during the drawdown, make sure they understand it is temporary, with the refill scheduled to begin November 24.
The drawdown can also help a seller. Fixing a bulkhead, clearing a slip, or removing hydrilla while the water is down removes a big objection, and a seller who can show recent, permitted waterfront work is in a stronger negotiating position.
Where the Refill Water Comes From
One of the most common questions Brooke hears is where the water to refill Lake Austin comes from, and what it does to the lake upstream. The answer is Lake Travis. LCRA releases the refill water from Lake Travis through Mansfield Dam, not from Lake Buchanan. According to LCRA, a ten-foot drawdown of Lake Austin involves about 13,000 acre-feet of water, and at current levels refilling it will lower Lake Travis by about nine inches (reported by KXAN, August 20, 2026).
For owners and shoppers looking at Lake Travis homes for sale, nine inches is a small, temporary change on a lake that routinely moves many feet with rain and drought. Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan are the region's water supply reservoirs and are designed to fluctuate; Lake Austin is not. Our Lake Austin vs. Lake Travis comparison explains how that difference shapes life on each lake.
Boating, Ramps, and Swimming
Public boat ramps on Lake Austin will be closed and swimming will be prohibited at Emma Long Metropolitan Park throughout the drawdown (City of Austin, August 20, 2026). If you keep a boat at a private dock or a marina, check directly with the facility, since conditions will vary by location and depth. And because releases from Mansfield Dam can raise the upper lake from time to time, not every stretch will look the same on any given day.
Lake Austin Real Estate FAQs
When is the Lake Austin drawdown?
October 12 through November 30, 2026. The lake drops about a foot a day, reaches its low range in about three weeks, begins refilling November 24, and should be back to normal by November 30, per the City of Austin and LCRA. Flooding or a power shortage could shorten or cancel it, so check the City of Austin's Lake Austin page for updates.
How low will Lake Austin go?
About ten feet, to a target range of 481.8 to 482.8 feet above sea level measured at Tom Miller Dam. The upper end of the lake can sit higher when LCRA releases water from Mansfield Dam.
Do I need a permit to repair my dock during the drawdown?
Usually, yes. Minor dock and bulkhead repairs and slip sediment removal can go through the city's special 2026 drawdown site plan exemption, often with a building permit as well. Replacing pilings or load-bearing parts, expanding a dock, or demolition needs a full site plan permit. Painting and staining do not need a permit. Removing hydrilla needs a TPWD permit.
Will the drawdown lower Lake Travis?
Slightly. The refill water comes from Lake Travis, and LCRA estimates the refill will lower it about nine inches at current levels.
Is it a good time to buy on Lake Austin?
For a buyer who wants to understand the waterfront, it can be one of the best. You can inspect the bulkhead, pilings, slip depth, and sediment that are normally underwater. If the view is the reason you are buying, plan a second look after the lake refills.
Will the drawdown get rid of the hydrilla?
No. The roots survive a drawdown. It does give owners access to remove it around their docks with a TPWD permit, and the city's grass carp program remains the long-term tool.
Talk to Our Lake Austin Specialists
A drawdown only comes around every several years, and the owners, buyers, and sellers who plan for it get the most out of it. Whether you want to use the window to inspect a property, time a listing around it, or find the right people to repair a dock, our team can help. We work Lake Austin real estate from the water up, including Lake Austin waterfront lots, Lake Austin condos, and the Tarrytown, Steiner Ranch, and West Lake Hills markets around the lake. Call us at 830.253.5253, contact us online, or sign up for Lake House Alerts to see new listings and off-market opportunities as they come available.
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