Moving to Bellaire: The First-Month Guide

Bellaire is 3.6 square miles, and the city itself runs the water, the sewer, the trash and the recycling, so several first-week errands happen at a counter in City Hall.

Water, sewer, trash and recycling

Apply in person at Utility Billing, in Customer Service on the first floor of City Hall, 7008 S. Rice Avenue. New construction and leased houses need a Certificate of Occupancy before an account can open. A service fee and a deposit are due when you ask for service. The city does not publish the amounts, so ask. A residential deposit comes back as an account credit after 12 consecutive months of good payment history. Write to [email protected]. The city lists the Utility Billing window's hours differently on different pages, so call before you go.

Bills are due before 5 p.m. on the second Friday of each month. You can pay at the window, by mail, online, by phone, by auto-draft or in the drop box outside City Hall. The rates the city posted took effect October 1, 2025: solid waste is $31.19 a month per residential address ($27.77 for sanitation, $3.42 for recycling), water starts at $3.85 per 1,000 gallons for the first 5,000, and sewer is $4.79 per 1,000. A new budget year begins each October 1, so confirm the current schedule at bellairetx.gov/UtilityRates. The resident utility portal at belltx.aquahawk.us is a free way to watch your water use and set leak alerts.

The city's Public Works department, not a private hauler, collects the trash. The monthly fee covers up to six bags per home on each regular garbage day, and extra-bag stickers are $2.25 at the Utility Billing window. The city no longer supplies bags, so you buy your own. Recycling bins are $16.89 at the same window.

The city is divided into five service areas, A through E. Your section comes from the city's map and its Bellaire Collects address lookup, both at bellairetx.gov/swschedule.

- Trash, twice a week: A, B and E on Monday and Thursday; C and D on Tuesday and Friday. - Recycling, once a week: B on Tuesday; A, C and D on Wednesday; E on Friday. - Limbs and brush: D on Monday, E on Tuesday, B on Wednesday, C on Thursday, A on Friday. - Heavy trash is usually handled by appointment with Public Works.

After a holiday, collection moves to your next regular day.

Your car and your license

Texas gives you 30 days from the time you move to register your vehicle. The Harris County Tax Office's new-resident page lists the order: proof of Texas liability insurance ($30,000, $60,000 and $25,000 limits); a passing emissions inspection; then an application for title and registration at the Harris County Tax Office on Form 130-U. The fees listed there are a $90 new-resident tax if you apply within 30 days, a $33 application fee, $68 for a 12-month registration and a $4.75 TxDMV fee.

In Bellaire a permit comes before the work, and even a fresh coat of paint can call for a floodplain development permit.

Then comes the license: new Texas residents must get a Texas driver license within 90 days. If you already hold one, the address on it must be changed within 30 days of your move, for a replacement fee. The City FAQ names 6000 Chimney Rock Road as the nearest Harris County Tax Office. The county's auto page lists 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, closed Wednesdays, so call the branch first.

Voting

To vote in a Harris County election you must be registered at least 30 days before it. Forms are at the Bellaire City Library, 5111 Jessamine, and go by mail to the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar. Bellaire's regular city elections fall in November of odd-numbered years, for the mayor and three council seats.

The homestead exemption

The Harris Central Appraisal District, HCAD, advises filing your regular residential homestead exemption between January 1 and April 30, and it does not accept early applications. The school homestead exemption is at least $140,000, and Harris County's 20 percent exemption is optional. You can file electronically in the HCAD Info and Exemptions mobile app, which asks for your occupancy date and your Texas driver license, so the license comes first.

Schools

Bellaire does not run its own schools. Houston ISD does, and every child who lives in the city is zoned to Bellaire High School, 5100 Maple. Elementary and middle zones depend on the exact address, so check the district's School Navigator at schoolnavigator.houstonisd.org or ask the district. The 2026-27 school year began August 10, and Online Enrollment stays open through the year. Write to [email protected]. Our schools guide covers the campuses.

Bellaire High asks students not currently in HISD for a birth certificate, a parent's ID, a gas, water or electric bill (no other bill is accepted), proof of residence such as a lease or mortgage documents, a report card or transcript and immunization records, plus withdrawal paperwork from the previous school after the first day of classes.

Flood and permits

In Bellaire a permit comes before the work, and even a fresh coat of paint can call for a floodplain development permit. Fence repair or replacement needs only that permit, plus a survey, through the city's SmartGov portal. Removing or damaging a protected tree needs a tree permit. Development Services ([email protected]) issues Certificates of Occupancy and takes inspection requests until 3 p.m. for the next business day. The city does not enforce deed restrictions; copies come from the Harris County Clerk, using the legal description on HCAD.

On the FEMA flood map viewer, the city says, Zone AE is the 100-year flood zone and Zone X the 500-year zone. Harvey flooded about 2,000 Bellaire homes in 2017, so check your own address and read our flooding guide. PrepareBellaire, at bellairetx.gov/1763/Sign-Up-For, sends National Weather Service alerts and city emergency notices.

Offices to know

- City Hall, 7008 S. Rice Ave. - After hours and police non-emergency: Bellaire Police Department, 5110 Jessamine St. - Utility Billing, City Hall first floor - Public Works - Development Services - Emergencies: 911

Sources

- City of Bellaire, starting water, sewer, garbage and recycling service (FAQ): https://bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=58 - City of Bellaire, utility rates: https://bellairetx.gov/UtilityRates - City of Bellaire, general FAQ (garbage bags, voter forms): https://www.bellairetx.gov/FAQ/Topic?mobile=ON&topic=19 - City of Bellaire, solid waste schedule: https://bellairetx.gov/swschedule - City of Bellaire, Resident Utility Portal: https://bellairetx.gov/1613/Resident-Utility-Portal - City of Bellaire, Sign Up For (PrepareBellaire): https://bellairetx.gov/1763/Sign-Up-For - City of Bellaire, permits FAQ: https://bellairetx.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=2 - Harris County Tax Office, voter registration: https://www.hctax.net/voter/registration - Harris County Tax Office, new resident vehicle registration: https://www.hctax.net/HarrisCounty/NewResidentFL - Harris County Tax Office, auto FAQ: https://www.hctax.net/auto/autofaq - Texas DPS, changing your driver license address: https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/how-change-information-your-driver-license-or-id-card - TxDMV, form VTR-146: https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/form_files/VTR_146.pdf - Harris Central Appraisal District, homestead exemptions: https://hcad.org/hcad-help/texas-first-time-property-owner/exemptions/property-tax-exemptions-for-homeowners - Harris Central Appraisal District, filing online: https://hcad.org/hcad-online-services/homestead/ - Houston ISD, student enrollment: https://www.houstonisd.org/schools-academics/student-enrollment - Houston ISD, Demographics and Zoning: https://www.houstonisd.org/our-district/demographics-strategic-planning - Bellaire High School, enrollment and registration: https://bellaire.houstonisd.org/our-family-students/new-families-start-here/enrollment-and-registration - City of Bellaire, Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Schedule: https://www.bellairetx.gov/1241/Solid-Waste-and-Recycling-Collection-Sch

En español

Los nuevos residentes de Bellaire abren el servicio de agua, drenaje, basura y reciclaje en persona, en Utility Billing, dentro del City Hall (7008 S. Rice Avenue). Las facturas vencen antes de las 5 p.m. del segundo viernes de cada mes. Texas da 30 días para registrar un vehículo y 90 días para obtener una licencia de Texas. La exención de vivienda (homestead) se solicita al Harris Central Appraisal District entre el 1 de enero y el 30 de abril. Todas las direcciones de Bellaire pertenecen a Bellaire High School, del distrito Houston ISD, pero la primaria y la secundaria dependen de la dirección exacta. Casi todo trabajo en la casa requiere un permiso antes de empezar; consulte con Development Services.