On Monday, November 9, paper yard bags will start showing up at curbs across Steiner Ranch. Texas Disposal Systems is running its fall green-waste collection that week. Each household can set out up to 20 thirty-gallon paper bags of leaves, clippings, brush and limbs on its regular trash day. The newsletter says plainly that this will be the only green-waste pickup this fall.
That week falls in the middle of a trimming window that two separate rules hold shut for most of the year. If you have oaks on your lot, and especially if your lot backs onto the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, the months from September through January are close to the only time you can cut without running into one of those rules.
Two Rules That Stack Into One Closed Season
The Steiner Ranch Master Association (SRMA) bans oak trimming from February 1 through June 30. The October 2026 newsletter allows one exception: "unless it's an emergency and with HOA approval." The association's FAQ lists a second fine, called a Habitat Trimming Violation, for an owner who "cuts or trims any tree between March 1st and August 31st."
The two windows overlap. For a property where both rules apply, here is how the calendar works out:
| Months | Oak wilt rule, Feb 1 to June 30 | Habitat rule, March 1 to Aug 31 | What it means for an oak under both rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | Closed | Open | Closed |
| March to June | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| July and August | Open | Closed | Closed |
| September to January | Open | Open | Open |
Under both rules, an oak can be trimmed in five months of the year and is off-limits for seven. Today is October 12, so about 16 weeks remain before the oak rule closes again on February 1.
Why the Oaks Get February Through June
The February cutoff comes from oak wilt biology. The Texas A&M Forest Service explains that sap beetles carrying oak wilt spores are very active in late winter and early spring. That is also when the fungus produces the most of its spore mats on red oaks it has killed. A beetle that has fed on one of those mats can carry spores to a fresh cut on any oak. A pruning wound made in March can let the disease into a tree that was healthy before.
Species matters. The Forest Service says red oaks are the most susceptible and can die within a month. Live oaks fall in the middle. White oaks are the least susceptible but not immune. In live oaks, which cover so much of western Travis County, the bigger risk is underground. The fungus moves through connected root systems, the agency puts average spread at 75 feet a year, and it says root spread causes most of the tree deaths in Central Texas.
That root spread has already happened in Steiner Ranch. A City of Austin and Travis County preserve update covering January through March 2021 reported an oak wilt center on the Steiner Ranch conservation easement. The same center reached into the City's Cortaña tract and the Steiner Ranch Homeowners Association greenbelt, and the agencies worked together to trench the whole center. Travis County's partner report for fiscal 2025 records a separate center on the Woods of Greenshores conservation easement, trenched in December 2024 with about 1,870 feet of trenching. These reports show the disease has occurred locally. They do not say whether those sites are active today.
Trenching cuts root contact between trees. The spring trimming ban works on the other route, above ground, by keeping fresh cuts away from beetle season. The HOA backs that ban with a $250 fine for a first offense and $500 for a second offense in the same year.
Why the Preserve Adds March Through August
The second window belongs to a bird. Travis County's guidance for preserve neighbors says a permit is needed to disturb or remove golden-cheeked warbler habitat at any time of year. During nesting season, March 1 through August 31, nobody can disturb that habitat, "not even permit-holders." The black-capped vireo was once part of this picture, but the county notes it was delisted in May 2018. The seasonal rule is now tied to the warbler.
The scope of each rule is still unclear. County permit terms prohibit clearing from March through August on properties that contain warbler habitat. Being next to the preserve is not, by itself, what triggers the rule. The SRMA FAQ starts its habitat entry with "Trimming in the Balcones Canyon Lands Preserve is strictly prohibited," then sets the fine for cutting "any tree" from March through August. It does not say whether that fine covers trees on private lots outside warbler habitat. If you own a lot near the preserve line and want to trim in July, ask SRMA and the Architectural Control Committee before anyone picks up a saw.
Two points are not in doubt. Trees outside your property line belong to the HOA or the preserve and cannot be altered without formal permission. Travis County also reminds neighbors that cutting vegetation on someone else's property without permission is illegal. Reports of warbler habitat being cleared during nesting season go to both Travis County Natural Resources, at [email protected] or 512-854-7213, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at 512-490-0057.
What a Fall Trim Still Requires
Fall is the open season, but the paperwork still applies. Here is the order things happen in:
- Get HOA approval first. The SRMA FAQ says all exterior work on a home or lot needs Architectural Control Committee approval, landscaping included. Applications go through the Alamo Management Group resident portal. The October newsletter's ACC tips ask for a marked-up survey, photos of the area, and as much project detail as possible, and say not to start before you have written approval.
- Check your City of Austin jurisdiction. The City's Tree Preservation Ordinance applies in Full Purpose and Limited Purpose jurisdictions but not in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. Where it applies, residential owners need a permit to remove a regulated tree, prune 25% or more of its canopy, or disturb its critical root zone. The City's jurisdiction map works from address points and warns that boundary properties need a closer look, so a 78732 ZIP code alone doesn't tell you which rules apply.
- Paint every oak cut. The Forest Service advises painting oak wounds immediately in every season, not only in spring. The statewide TexasOakWilt.org flyer says to paint "all oak wounds/cuts/stumps immediately with any type of paint." The City of Austin calls July through January the best window for pruning oaks and also recommends painting wounds.
- Don't keep infected red oak as firewood. The flyer says infected red oaks should never be stored as firewood. The Forest Service recommends promptly burning, burying, or chipping infected dead red oaks and avoiding moving firewood.
The SRMA FAQ and newsletter set out timing, approval, and fines. They are general guidance, and the full SRMA Oak Wilt Policy may contain details they leave out. This post is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the rules for your own lot with SRMA, the ACC, or a qualified professional.
Where the Branches Go
The November pickup is timed well for this window. Trim in October, and the bagged material can go out the week of November 9. TDS asks that everything fit inside the bags. Loose branches, recyclables, gardening plastics and pet waste are not accepted.
Larger limbs go through a different route. Residents can schedule bulky waste and bundle pickups twice a year by calling TDS at 512-329-1752. Bundles must be tied securely and can be no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 40 pounds. Travis County's February 2026 neighborhood brochure for preserve neighbors says dumping on the preserve is illegal, and that includes landscaping debris.
The same open season applies to the shared trails. The SRMA Trail Committee's next workday is Sunday, October 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. It focuses on the Canyon Glen area, with the entrance at Bear Creek Trail. Tools are provided and no experience is needed. The committee meets the Wednesday before, October 14, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Bella Mar Community Center, 12401 Bella Mar Trail. And if a trimmed yard leaves room for new planting, the ACC approval rule applies there too. Replacing plants in an existing bed is the only exception, and creating a new bed needs a request. For ideas, look at the native plants planted at Towne Square, which are watered with reclaimed water.
The oak trimming rule closes again on February 1. Before then there is one green-waste week, November 9 through 13, and two bundle pickups a year by phone.
To us, mature oaks are part of what a Steiner Ranch property is worth over the long term, and caring for them is part of owning one well. If you'd like to talk through how tree health, HOA approvals, or preserve-adjacent lot rules affect a home you own or are considering, Thompson Real Estate Group is glad to help. Initiate a Private Consultation.
