City of El Lago

Homeowner Information

El Lago Street Repairs Coming

The City of El Lago is very fortunate to be the recipient of Harris County Metro Funds in the amount of approximately 3 million dollars for a considerable street repair and replacement project. The project is slated to begin in the spring and should be ongoing for 8 to 10 months. Please see the diagram where all street repairs and/or replacements are marked in red. All residents who's streets, sidewalks and/or driveways will be affected will be notified in advance of the projected work on their block.

Reminders from City Hall

City Improvement on the Way - It's an exciting time to be in the City of El Lago.there are so many different improvement projects that are just getting under way. First, take a drive by the new City Hall/Community Center location on Tallowood. You may have noted that the demolition has taken place and the new building slab is being framed up. Scheduled completion of the building is June 11th. I can hardly contain myself.

Next, the County, using Metro dollars in excess of 2.7 million is about to start a major improvement project on the city's streets. The primary focus of the improvements will be to streets located in the older section of El Lago where the streets are 40+ years old. Complete street replacement will take place on Bayou View, Biscayne, Shadow Creek and Tallowood. Other streets which will undergo section repair are Confederate Way, Cedar Lane, Terrace, Pebblebrook, Whitecap, Bayview and Seaway. Of course, when construction is about to commence, all homeowners that will be affected by the construction will be notified and arrangements will be made when and where necessary. Keep an eye on the website where pictures of the construction areas as well as updates on the progress will be posted.

In addition to the street repairs, Metro dollars are also being used to put in much needed parking spaces in the vacant lot to the right of the pool as well as cut in spaces in front of the tennis courts and new building. Construction on the parking areas will begin as construction on the building is completed.

Annual City Licenses - Just a reminder that annual city licenses are due January 1, 2011:

Pets - All pet cats and dogs should be licensed by the City. Please bring a copy of your pet's rabies vaccination to city hall and receive a pet license and tag for $5.00 per year. You may purchase up to a 3-year license (still at $5.00 each year) with proof of a 3-year rabies vaccination.

Alarms - Home and business alarms are required to be permitted each year. Please be prepared to update or complete an alarm permit form with your alarm company and emergency contact information. Alarm permits are $5.00 annually.

Recycling Changes - If you somehow missed out on getting delivery of your new, larger, covered AND wheeled recycling bin, just give Ameriwaste a call at 281-331-8400 and they will exchange your old red bin for the new blue one. Also, note that they WILL now take glass in all colors. A full list of accepted recycling materials is available on this website.

EMS Services by Nassau Bay - You may have heard some chatter about the City considering changing contracted Emergency Medical Services. Well, after some diligent investigative work by the Mayor and Council members, the choice was made to switch from CLEMC to Nassau Bay. The average response time of Nassau Bay to El Lago customers is 6.5 minutes which is well below the national average of over 9 minutes. Nassau Bay has equal equipment to that of CLEMC, they have Medics with 10 or more years of experience and their price is about 30% lower.truly a deal that is healthy for our city!

Parking Violations - Just a reminder that according to City Ordinances, it is unlawful to park your vehicle in the manner or area as contained in the following list. Continuous violator's cars may be towed!

On the street between 3-5 a.m.
On the lawn of a residence
On the curb of a residence
Between the curb and the residence except in the driveway of the residence
In such a manner as to block the sidewalk
Blocking the driveway
Parked on Street over 48 Hours
In any area prohibited by a traffic-control sign, "No Parking" or "No Parking Anytime - Tow Away Zone"
In any area prohibited by a sign indicating, "No Parking Any Time - Fire Lane - Tow Away Zone".

Trash Talk! - I know there has been a number of garbage issues lately so I hope the info below will clean up this smelly situation. Should you have any further issues WHILE complying with the info below, please call AmeriWaste at 281-331-8400. If you problem is not resolved immediately, please call me at City Hall at 281-326-1951, ext. 12.

BACK DOOR PICK-UP: ONLY "residential" trash such as kitchen and bath trash will be picked-up at the back door - number of bags/cans are unlimited, pick-up Wednesdays and Saturdays.

YARD WASTE: All yard waste (even that random stick) must be placed curb side in order to be picked-up. No more than 5 bags (each under 50 pounds) and/or 10 bundles (bundled in lengths shorted than 5 feet and under 50 pounds each) will be picked up Wednesdays and Saturdays.

HEAVY TRASH: This is considered miscellaneous single items greater than 50 pounds - must be placed curb side and will ONLY be picked up on WEDNESDAYS. This includes appliances such as old TV's, dishwashers, water heaters, etc. If you have an item such as a freezer or refrigerator, it must have a label on it stating that the freon has been removed. Significant quantities of heavy trash require that you contact AmeriWaste ahead of time to make pick-up and payment arrangements.

El Lago Automobile Stickers - If you don’t already have one, please come by City Hall to pickup you reflective “El Lago” automobile stickers. These stickers allow residents and the Lakeview Police Officers to recognize El Lago residents versus potentially suspicious vehicle traffic in the neighborhoods.

Mosquito Spraying Information and Schedule - The City sprays for mosquitoes (typically starting in the late spring) two to three times a week, depending on the amount of rain we have had and/or complaints of mosquito activity. When they spray, it is usually on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. They begin at 9:00 p.m. and usually end up at the Boondoggles area at 10:30 p.m. or so. When they see people outside, they stop the spray and only keep the machine running. We use a mixture of mineral oil and Biomist3030, which contains NO DDT. It is a birth inhibitor and has not been shown to have any impact on humans.

New City Laws You Should Know

The following are new ordinances passed recently by City Council - please take note . . .

HOUSE NUMBERS -

OVERGROWN LAWNS -

POOL MAINTENANCE ORDINANCE -

STORAGE OF MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ON YOUR PROPERTY (This applies to any miscellaneous building materials, toys, appliances or other items) - It shall be unlawful for any owner, occupant, lessee or tenant of any parcel or parcels of real property within the City of El Lago to store objects of value other than allowed vehicles, upon any real property including parkways, driveways, or public right of ways within the City of El Lago in a location in which the objects of value can be viewed from the public street or any adjacent property.

PARKING OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLES - No person shall park a vehicle or any portion of a vehicle or a towed vehicle including trailers, mobile homes, boat trailers, boats, boat rigging or carts, and some motor driven vehicles including motor homes, recreational vehicles or campers . . . on the lawn of a residence, either directly on the lawn or on blocks or on any temporary surface such as gravel, bricks and pavers located on the lawn of a residence . . .

SCOFFLAW VEHICLES - No person shall park a scofflaw vehicle on any avenue, street, or drive or in any other location in the city. (So what IS a SCOFFLAW Vehicle? It is a vehicle that has more than 10 outstanding parking tickets from the Lakeview Police Department. If a scofflaw vehicle is found to be parked in El Lago, the vehicle will be towed and held until the parking fines are settled. Additionally, the owner will be responsible for towing and storage fees for the vehicle as well.)

Just a reminder that according to City Ordinances, it is unlawful to park in the following manner or areas:

On the street between 3-5 AM
On the lawn of a residence
On the curb of a residence
Between the curb and the residence except in the driveway of the residence
In such a manner as to block the sidewalk
Blocking the driveway
Parked on Street over 48 Hours
In any area prohibited by a traffic-control sign, "No Parking" or "No Parking Anytime - Tow Away Zone"
In any area prohibited by a sign indicating, "No Parking Any Time - Fire Lane - Tow Away Zone"

Alarm Registration and Renewal

Registration and renewal of home security alarms is due each January. There is an annual fee of $5.00. The application form can be downloaded from here and processed in person at City Hall, or you can mail the form, with a check or money order made out to City of El Lago (no cash please), to:

City of El Lago
98 Lakeshore Drive
El Lago, TX 77586

City Ordinances of Note

Overnight on-street parking prohibited: On-street parking is prohibited between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Boats and Recreational Vehicles must be parked behind front set back lines. Variances can only be granted by city council.
Juvenile Curfew: Persons under the age of 17 may be in violation of the curfew if they are out during school hours or after midnight without cause or supervision. The ordinance allows ticketing of both parent and child.
Speed limit: The speed limit in the residential portion of El Lago is 20 MPH; 15 MPH in a school zone during posted hours. Let visitors know enforcement with radar is strict to protect children and pedestrians.

Garbage and Recycling Collection (printable version)

Garbage and recycling services for the City of El Lago are provided by AmeriWaste. Pick up for garbage is twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays; recyclable materials are picked up on Wednesdays. Solid waste and recyclables MUST be out by 7:00 a.m. Details follow below:

Normal Garbage: All normal and usual household waste products are to be placed in approved containers or bags.

Limits: 30 GALLON BAGS OR CANS - HOUSEHOLD TRASH ONLY; Unlimited number, not to exceed 50 lbs. each
Garbage must be in plain view from the driveway at curbside.
AmeriWaste is not required to remove containers from within a garage, dwelling, behind fences or closed gates.

Recyclable Materials: All recyclable items should be reasonably clean. Please secure all paper products so they do not get blown into the street. The following are recyclable:

ALUMINUM - beverage cans, aluminum foil products and wrapping
TIN/BI-METAL CANS - vegetables, soup, coffee, etc. wire coat hangers, empty aerosol cans. NO automotive or plumbing parts accepted.
PLASTICS #1 through #5 - plastics MAY be colored. Liquid soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, soft drinks, milk/juice jugs, water bottles, sport drinks, condiments, yogurt or microwave containers. NO plastic wrapping, grocery bags, polystyrene or Styrofoam (usually labeled as #6) or flammable product containers like cooking oil, motor oil, antifreeze, etc. Please remove caps from containers before placing in the recycle bin.
CARDBOARD - cereal, snack, frozen and dry food, beverage or shipping boxes; NO packing "peanuts"
PAPER - Newspapers, office paper, magazines, phone books, circulars, etc. NO staples
GLASS - Clear or colored beverage bottles, food Jars, etc. No ceramic, mirrors, pane or auto glass accepted.

Bulky Waste: Pickup day is Saturday. All Bulky Waste items must be manageable by 2 workers and capable of being placed "as is" in the compactor truck. Excessive bulky waste pickup must be arranged by the resident with AmeriWaste - THE CITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR RELATED COSTS OF SPECIAL PICKUPS.

The following are included in Bulky Waste pickup - maximum of 10 bulky waste items will be picked up per residence. This can be bags, bundles or a combination of bags and bundles:

BAGS - weight MAY exceed 50 lbs.
BUNDLES - Maximum of 5; size no larger than 5 feet long and 18 inches in diameter; NOT to exceed 50 lbs.
FURNITURE
MATTRESSES
RESIDENTIAL HOME APPLIANCES - All liquids, gasses or other material such as Freon, which are considered hazardous must be emptied and the appliance tagged by a certified technician prior to pickup.

Construction Debris: Waste building materials resulting from construction, remodeling repair or demolition operations.

Collected as "special collection" with pricing determined on a call by call basis - THE CITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR RELATED COSTS OF SPECIAL PICKUPS.

Holiday Schedule: The following holidays will be observed by AmeriWaste:

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

If the collection day falls on a holiday, collection will resume on the next regularly scheduled collection day.

Complaints: For complaints, problems or additional pickups, call AmeriWaste at 281-331-8400.

Easy e-Recycling for Home and Business

The Dell Corporation has teamed with Goodwill Industries to make it easy for homeowners and businesses to recycle their used computer equipment. Simply take your old equipment, functioning or not, to any of Goodwill's 2200 participating locations in the United States and Canada. The nearest location to El Lago can be found at 2700 Marina Bay Drive, Suite H, in League City. They are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and can be contacted at 713.568.4667; for other locations, search here using your zip code.

Homeowners Associations

The deed restriction information for El Lago Sections 1 through 4 are available via the links below. Links to the Web sites for the other homeowners associations serving the El Lago community can be found here.

Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4

El Lago Sections 1 - 4 Adopted Amendments:

Resolution Regarding Exterior Maintenance Guidelines

The deed restriction information for Taylorcrest Community Association Sections 1 through 3 as well as the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws are available via the links below:

Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Taylorcrest By-Laws | Taylorcrest By-Law Amendments

Lost Pet?

If your dog is missing and you just don't know where to look, think about City Hall. Very often we are called to pick up roaming animals and even sometimes concerned residents deliver them to our door step! If we have your pet kenneled, there is a minimum fee of $25.00 for the first day and $15.00 per day for each additional day. After 4 days, the animal will be turned over to the SPCA so please check with us first!

Pet Registration

Pets who reside in the City of El Lago are required to be registered and wear a City license tag. Annual renewals are due each January for a $5.00 fee and are available at City Hall. Please bring proof of rabies vaccination at time of registering.

Utility Provider Contacts

Reliant Energy HL&P: Call 713.207.2222 to report outages, emergencies or utility service order requests. To report street light outages, click here.

CenterPoint Energy Houston: Call 1.888.836.6709 to report outages, emergencies or utility service requests. Call before you dig: Call 1.800.545.6005 for underground gas line location to prevent service interruption or a potentially hazardous situation. Click here for further details.

Verizon: Call 1.800.483.1000 to report outages or repair requests. To report via the Web, click here.

Comcast: Call 800.266.2278 to report outages or to request a change in services.

Water: WCID 50, call 281.326.5573, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to report outages, outside leaks or request emergency shutoff. Contact the duty employee on call at 281.904.7906 at all other times.

Vehicle Window Stickers

City of El Lago vehicle stickers are issued by the city to identify resident vehicles for the police department, and may be used to restrict access to the city during emergencies (hurricane evacuation, etc.). The stickers are issued free and available at City Hall.