City Hall, the library and who does what in Bellaire

City Hall: the paperwork side

City Hall is at 7008 S. Rice Avenue, Bellaire, TX 77401. The city lists its hours as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except city holidays.

The Finance Department works out of City Hall. The city describes its job as general accounting, accounts payable, utility billing, purchasing, the municipal court's finances, and cash and debt management. For residents, the part that matters most is Bellaire City Utility Billing, at 7008 S Rice Ave. Its service window is in Customer Service on the first floor, and it keeps a split schedule: 8 a.m. to noon, then 1 to 5 p.m. If you arrive at 12:15, you wait. Water, sewer, garbage and recycling accounts are opened there. Our guide to your water and tax bills covers how they work.

Development Services handles building permits, inspections, code enforcement and zoning. The city says a permit is needed before almost any work begins, and that even painting and small cosmetic projects generally need a floodplain development permit. Ask for an inspection by 4 p.m. and it can be scheduled for the next business day. Our guide to buying or renting a house covers the rules that matter most.

The City Clerk keeps the city's records, including the minutes of council meetings. To get a city document, you file a public information request with the Clerk.

The council

Bellaire has no council districts. The city says all council members are elected at-large, so residents may speak with any of them. Regular council meetings are on the first and third Monday of each month. To speak at one, the city points residents to the City Clerk or its online e-comment form.

Jessamine Street: the safety side

The Bellaire Police Department is at 5110 Jessamine St, and the Bellaire Municipal Court shares that address. The court handles traffic tickets, Class C misdemeanors and city ordinance violations within the city limits. The city says court generally meets on Tuesday mornings for jury trials, Tuesday evenings for arraignment dockets and Wednesday afternoons for trials before the judge. You can pay fines in person at the court or online through the city's payment portal.

The Bellaire Fire Department is at 5101 Jessamine St. It also runs the city's ambulance. Our guide to getting help fast covers police, fire and medical care.

The library next to the fire station

The Bellaire City Library is at 5111 Jessamine St, next door to the fire station and across the street from the Little League field and the police and courts building. The city posts these hours:

- Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Sunday, closed.

The book drop is by the entrance, near the sidewalk. The library has public Wi-Fi with no password, and mobile printing.

The library is a pickup site for Houston Public Library holds, so you can order a book from Houston's catalog and collect it on Jessamine.

Cards cost nothing for Bellaire residents and are renewed every three years with proof that you still live in the city. Non-residents pay $30 a year for a new or renewed card, and a replacement card is $2. Apply in person with proof of your current address: a driver's license, mail, a lease, insurance papers, checks or school papers. Children 15 and under need a parent or guardian to sign. Teens who are 16 or 17 need no signature but do need proof of address.

Cardholders can borrow books, audiobooks on CD, DVDs, and digital books, audiobooks and magazines, and can use the library's databases from home around the clock. Audio-visual equipment is lent to Bellaire residents only. Ebooks, audiobooks and magazines come through the Libby app, and ebooks also through SimplyE.

Bellaire residents can also get cards from Harris County Public Library and Houston Public Library at no charge. The library is a pickup site for Houston Public Library holds, so you can order a book from Houston's catalog and collect it on Jessamine. Bellaire also has a reciprocal borrowing agreement with Harris County Public Library, the Montgomery County Memorial Library System and Pasadena Public Library.

The children's programs start promptly, and some need registration. Babies and Books, for babies not yet walking, is on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Move and Groove Storytime, for all ages, is on Wednesdays and every other Saturday at 10:30 a.m. STEM Camp, for kindergarten through fifth grade, is the first and third Thursday at 4:30 p.m. At Paws for Reading, the third Saturday of each month at 2 p.m., children read to a dog from Faithful Paws.

A few things people ask

Bellaire was founded in 1908 and incorporated in 1918, according to the city, and its FAQ puts the population at 17,439, citing the 2024 Census Report. The Bellaire Post Office is at 5350 Bellaire Blvd, and the city notes you can get a passport there. For a DBA, an assumed business name, the city points to the nearest Harris County annex at 6000 Chimney Rock. Voter registration forms are at the library. Non-residents can use city recreation programs and the library too, though most recreation activities charge non-residents a separate fee.

For problems after City Hall closes, call 911 in an emergency. For anything else, the city points residents to the police non-emergency line or SeeClickFix, its online reporting tool.

Before you go

- Go to City Hall on a weekday and avoid the Utility Billing window's noon-to-1 lunch hour. - Ask Development Services before starting any project on your house, even painting. - Bring proof of address, such as a lease, when you apply for a library card. - Ask for your Harris County and Houston library cards at the same time, since they cost nothing. - Use SeeClickFix or the police non-emergency line for city problems after hours.

Sources

- City of Bellaire, Frequently Asked Questions, General (https://www.bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=21) - City of Bellaire, Frequently Asked Questions, Utility Billing (https://www.bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=58) - City of Bellaire, Frequently Asked Questions, Development Services (https://www.bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=115) - City of Bellaire, Finance Administration (https://www.bellairetx.gov/602/Finance-Administration) - City of Bellaire, Development Services (https://www.bellairetx.gov/621/Development-Services) - City of Bellaire, City Clerk (https://www.bellairetx.gov/761/City-Clerk) - City of Bellaire, Municipal Court (https://www.bellairetx.gov/674/Municipal-Court) - City of Bellaire, Fire Department (https://www.bellairetx.gov/672/Fire-Department) - City of Bellaire, Library Hours and Location (https://www.bellairetx.gov/659/Hours-and-Location) - City of Bellaire, Borrowers Information (https://www.bellairetx.gov/660/Borrowers-Information) - City of Bellaire, Children's Programs (https://www.bellairetx.gov/667/Childrens-Programs) - City of Bellaire, City After Hours (https://www.bellairetx.gov/1490/City-After-Hours)

En español

El Ayuntamiento de Bellaire está en 7008 S. Rice Avenue y abre de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m., de lunes a viernes. Allí se abren las cuentas de agua, basura y reciclaje, en una ventanilla que cierra de mediodía a la 1 p.m., y se tramitan los permisos de construcción. La policía, la corte municipal, los bomberos y la biblioteca están en la calle Jessamine. La tarjeta de la biblioteca no cuesta nada para los residentes; los demás pagan $30 al año. Lleve un comprobante de domicilio, como un contrato de alquiler. Los residentes también pueden sacar tarjetas de las bibliotecas del condado de Harris y de Houston sin costo. El concejo se reúne el primer y tercer lunes de cada mes.