Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Staff Directory to find all department and staff contact information.

Use the FAQs module to easily find answers to the questions you ask the most.

You may contact the Tomball Municipal Court at (281) 351-7894 or the police department (281) 351-5451. You can view your violations through our website. Warrants cannot be paid online, but you can view your current and past violations. For more information on what to do if you have a warrant, visit the Warrants page. 

Visit the City Council webpage for email links or call City Hall at (281) 351-5484. Mail may be sent to City Councilmembers at Tomball City Hall, 401 Market Street, Tomball, TX 77375.

Click here to view Current and Recent City Council Agendas.

Regularly scheduled meetings for the Tomball City Council are typically  held on the first and third Monday of each month. However, the City Council meetings may be impacted by holidays or special meetings may be called. Make sure you check the City Council Meeting Calendar to stay up to date on future meetings.  

Unless otherwise specified, the City Council meets at Tomball City Hall, 401 Market Street, Tomball, TX 77375.  

Members of the general public are invited to speak at the beginning of each regular City Council meeting. A sign-up sheet will be posted at the entrance. To request to speak in favor of or opposing a specific item on the agenda, contact the City Secretary's Office at cso@tomballtx.gov or (281) 351-5484.

Please call the City of Tomball Utility billing at (281) 290-1400 or visit the Public Works office at 501 James St., Tomball, TX 77375.

No, the City of Tomball does not have a facility for disposal of household hazardous waste. Harris County offers a household hazardous waste disposal facility, with appointment-only drop-off scheduling. For more information, visit the Harris County Engineering Department HHW Facility website.

Street light outages must be reported to CenterPoint. You can report an outage on their website.

Please call (281) 290-1400. Please provide your name, address and daytime telephone number.

Please call (281) 290-1400. Please provide your name, address and daytime telephone number and a representative will find your street sweeping day.

Please call (281) 290-1400. Please provide the address, nearest cross street, your name and daytime telephone number.

Please call (281) 290-1400. You will need to provide the address, nearest cross street, your name and daytime telephone number. This service is only provided if the tree is not on private property.

If the dead animal is on private property, it is the landowner’s responsibility. If the dead animal is on public property, call (281) 290-1400. When calling after regular business hours, please call the Tomball Police Department’s non-emergency number at (281) 351-5451 so that a call duty technician can be dispatched to your location.

Yes. Please call (281) 290-1400. Scheduling of the park pavilions is done on a “first come, first served" basis. For more information about City Parks and facilities, please visit City of Tomball Parks & Recreation.

Please call (281) 290-1400 for service. Please provide your name, address and daytime telephone number.

Please call (281) 290-1400. Please provide your name, address and daytime telephone number. When calling after regular business hours, please call the Tomball Police Department’s non-emergency number at (281) 351-5451 so that a call duty technician can be dispatched to your location.

No. A Tomball mailing address does not always mean the property is inside Tomball city limits. Some Tomball addresses are in unincorporated Harris County.

To verify, check the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) website here for the property’s taxing entities. If it lists the City of Tomball, the address is within city limits. You can also confirm using the City’s online GIS/web map here.

The City of Tomball accepts applications for only those open positions listed on the City’s website. All available positions are advertised.

After your application is submitted, it is entered into a tracking system and sorted by hiring department. The hiring supervisor reviews all applications and then selects qualified applicants for interviews. 

The application review process takes at least 2 to 3 weeks after the position has closed. Applications for positions listed as “until filled” are reviewed by the hiring department at their discretion. 

If you have been selected for an interview, the department will call you to schedule an interview. After interviews are conducted, a top candidate is identified. The HR Department conducts a background check. The hiring department contacts the top candidate to make a job offer.

Yes, you may call the Human Resources office at (281) 290-1018 or (281) 290-1001, and we can tell you what day your application was sent to the requested department and whether or not the position has been filled.

The effective date of insurance for regular, full-time employees is the first of the month following the date of hire.

Natural gas is a naturally occurring fuel extracted from within the earth, which is normally non-toxic, tasteless, colorless and odorless. It is not one gas but a mixture of various naturally occurring gases which vary between wells. Natural gas is primarily methane, but can also contain flammable gases such as propane, butane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Since natural gas is colorless and odorless in its natural state, it is mandatory by the Federal Government to use Marcaptan to make it readily detectable.

Leave the house immediately! DO NOT make calls from your house. Phones are capable of producing a spark, which could start a fire or trigger an explosion. 

From a phone outside of your home, please contact: 

• City of Tomball (normal business hours) - (281) 290-1400 
• Tomball Police Department (Nights, weekends or holidays) - (281) 351-5451 

DO NOT light a match or other combustible material! DO NOT turn any switches on or off and DO NOT plug or unplug any electrical appliance! These activities can all produce a spark that could start a fire or trigger an explosion.

Natural gas is lighter than air. If natural gas escapes into the atmosphere, it dissipates rapidly whereas a heavier-than-air gas, such as propane or gasoline, would settle and accumulate near the ground. 

Natural gas is colorless. When mixed with the proper amount of air and ignited, invisible natural gas burns with a clean, blue flame. It is one of the cleanest burning fuels, producing primarily heat, carbon dioxide and water vapor. 

Natural gas is odorless. When taken from the ground, natural gas is odorless. A harmless but pungent odor is added as a safety precaution. The odorant is so powerful you can smell even the smallest quantity of gas in the event of a leak.

Natural gas in its natural state is colorless and odorless; therefore, Mercaptan is added to natural gas to make it easier to detect a leak. Mercaptan contains sulfur and is harmless, but does omit a pungent smell similar to rotten eggs. The type of Mercaptan used by the City of Tomball blends well with natural gas and, in a gaseous state, has many of the same properties of natural gas so it will rise and dissipate. Mercaptan is only used to ensure the safety of our customers and the community.

Emergency medical services in Tomball are provided by Emergency Services District (ESD) No. 8, through Northwest Community Health. You can learn more about Northwest Community Health by visiting the Northwest Community Health website. 

Northwest Community Health offers community programs to assist in keeping Tomball healthy. Programs include: mobile healthcare operations, education and outreach, and mobility transportation. To learn more about these services, visit the Northwest Community Health website.

Visit the "How to Pay Your Bill" page for a complete list of ways to pay your bill.

Bills are always due by 4 p.m. on the last business day of the month to avoid a late penalty.

Yes! You can sign up for e-billing by submitting our Request for E-Billing form to our offices. 

We offer bank drafts and credit card drafts. 

All draft arrangements must go through the online payment portal.

Information about Park Reservations is available on our Parks & Recreation page.

Street light outages must be reported to CenterPoint. You can report an outage on their website.

The City of Tomball Recycling Day is held in April, on or close to Earth Day, every year. 

Yes, if you have residential garbage services.  The City of Tomball offers residents two rolls of trash bags each year in January. Additional rolls are $12.00 per roll. 

Please click here to find additional garbage service information.

The City of Tomball is replacing all manual-read and aging residential and commercial water utility customers as part of a project to upgrade and modernize the City's water billing infrastructure. It is expected to take 12 months to replace all of the 4,800 meters throughout the City’s water utility system. The City is working with the company Aqua-Metric to replace meters and complete the project. 

Customers will not be charged for the new meter. The City of Tomball will incur all costs for the new meter, including the installation of the meter and any repairs needed to the meter area from damage caused by the installation. 

AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. These new AMI meters consist of a water meter with a low-powered communication device/radio that is continuously recording usage and the radio sends a meter reading to the City through a secure network every 6 to 12 hours.

In most cases, the installation of a new meter takes less than 30 minutes. However, crews may be in certain areas longer if they encounter any challenges. 

The City is prioritizing the replacement of meters that require manual reads and neighborhoods with the most of those meters. As such, crews will work their way around Tomball addressing the high-priority areas first. You can keep track of upcoming neighborhoods on the project webpage. 

City employees and our contractor, Aqua-Metric, will have identification and the proper safety gear on at all times. City crews will accompany the Aqua-Metric crews most of the time. If you are even unsure if someone is authorized to perform work, please contact Customer Service at (281) 290-1450.

Yes. All utility customers will be provided general information in their utility bill inserts. Additionally, signage will be placed in the work area as work crews begin to install new meters in that location and door hangers will be left a few days before work begins. 

Before starting the replacement process at a residence, a member of the installation team will give a courtesy knock on the front door. If a customer answers the door, the team member will explain the process and ask that the customer not use any water for approximately 30 minutes during the installation. If there is no response, and before beginning the installation the team will attempt to determine that water is not currently being used. If it is determined that water is currently in use, the team will proceed with work on another customer meter and return to re-attempt the installation.

Yes. Work crews will place a door hanger at the residence to indicate the installation process has begun on replacing the water meters in the neighborhood but due to scheduling or the availability of supplies the installation process will require a return visit to your property to complete the new meter. This temporary pause in the installation process will not disrupt water service to the customer.

Yes. Work crews will place a door hanger at a residence if they are unable to access the meter location or need the resident’s assistance in other ways before the box and meter can be changed out. This may include the meter being behind a locked gate, unsecured dog or other obstructions that prevent crews from performing their work. 

Yes. Work crews will place a door hanger at the residence once the new meter is set and it will provide instructions to follow on flushing your lines.

In most cases, there will be an interruption of service for approximately 15 minutes during the change.

No, they do not need to enter your home. If the water meter is behind a fence, workers will need access to that part of the property. Aqua-Metric or City of Tomball employees will not have to enter homes at any time to perform work. 

No, your new meter does not require any maintenance by the customer. The City of Tomball will take care of all maintenance.

Visit the project website at https://tomballtx.gov/857/Water-Meter-Replacement-Program or contact the Customer Service department at (281) 290-1450 or customerservice@tomballtx.gov.

No. Effective Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, the City of Tomball has returned to normal water operation.

Tomball’s drought stages are as follows:

As of Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, the City of Tomball has returned to normal water operation.

There are currently no watering restrictions in place. However, the City encourages all residents and businesses to practice water conservation whenever possible.

As of Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, the City of Tomball has returned to normal water operation. There are no current watering restrictions. 

Irrigation is based on the response stage as identified in the City's adopted Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, depicted below. Regardless of assigned irrigation days, watering with irrigation systems or hose-end sprinklers is prohibited between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 p.m., but residents may water with a bucket or watering can at any time. 

Exemptions may be requested by filing a petition for variance with the City of Tomball within five (5) days after the Plan or a particular drought response stage has been implemented. Information regarding the exemption request can be found in the City's adopted Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, or by contacting our Public Works department to inquire about the process. 

Yes, you can still hand-water your garden or plants using a bucket or watering can outside of the restricted hours. 

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office has a great tool for residents looking for guidance on lawn watering called the “Water My Yard” Program. Through this tool, residents can determine how much water their yard needs per week and receive weekly water recommendations. We encourage residents to use this free tool available through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension at https://watermyyard.org/#/Location. 

In addition, to maintain your lawn's health, consider the following tips:

• Water deeply and infrequently, promoting deeper root growth.
• Adjust your lawnmower to a higher setting to provide shade for the soil.
• Apply a layer of mulch around plants to retain moisture.
• Avoid over-fertilizing, as it can increase water demand.

Any person who violates the Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan, or the associated watering restrictions, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction shall be punished by a fine shall be punished by a fine as established in the City’s Master Fee Schedule, and as amended from time to time. Each day that one or more of the provisions of this Plan is violated shall constitute a separate offense.

If a person is convicted of three or more distinct violations of this Plan, the City Manager, or his/her designee, shall, upon due notice to the person, be authorized to discontinue water service to the premises where such violations occur. Services discontinued under such circumstances shall be restored only upon payment of a reconnection fee, as established in the City’s Master Fee Schedule, as amended from time to time, criminal penalties, and reimbursement to the City for any and all costs incurred by the City, including reasonable attorney’s fees incurred for enforcement of this Plan. In addition, suitable assurance must be given to the City that the same action shall not be repeated while the Plan is in effect. Compliance with this Plan may also be sought through injunctive relief in the district court.

The duration of watering restrictions will depend on the severity of the drought and the availability of water resources. The City closely monitors water levels and weather patterns to determine when it's safe to lift or adjust the restrictions.

We will provide updates through our official city website (tomballtx.gov), social media channels, and local news outlets. For additional questions or clarifications, please contact our Public Works Department at (281) 290-1425 or refer to our official website at https://tomballtx.gov/709/Drought-Status. Thank you for your cooperation in conserving water during this drought.

You can place your appliance out for collection on your bulk trash day, which is your last service day of the week. Be aware that there are limits to the amount you can place out for collection. For detailed information, please refer to the guidelines on the Frontier Waste Solutions website. If you have more than the allowed amount or need a special collection, you can arrange for it through their services.

Trash collection days differ depending on your area. Please see the service map.

You can apply for bag-only service; however, you cannot use any other poly cart except Frontier's. 

$1.84 per poly cart, fees are subject to change. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas. If your service day falls on those respective days, your service will resume on your next scheduled service day. 

See “Bulk and Brush” guidelines.

You may begin utilizing your Frontier poly cart immediately.

No, you must be able to close your poly cart lid. Any additional household trash, excluding bulk and brush, will need to be placed in your poly cart for collection on your next service day.

You can place one mattress per bulk pickup day out for collection.

No, all recycling must be loose, and bags are not permitted as accepted recycling items. Please see “Recycling” guidelines.

Solid waste and recycling items cannot be placed out earlier than 5 p.m. the day before your service day (according to City Ordinance) but all items must be placed out before 7 a.m. on collection day to ensure service.

You can place out grass clippings for bulk pickup on your last service day of the week.

Please contact City of Tomball at (281) 290-1450 to report any issues.

Yes, residents will still be provided two rolls of garbage bags per calendar year. Additional rolls will be available for purchase at the Administrative Services Building (501 James St.).

To request a replacement poly cart please contact the City of Tomball directly at (281) 290-1450.

You will contact the City of Tomball directly at (281) 290-1450 to schedule an additional collection; additional fees will apply. 

If you think your dumpster needs to be replaced, please contact the City of Tomball at (281) 290-1450 for an evaluation of your dumpster. 

Remember, dumpsters should not be overfilled, and lids must be closed. If you have items that cannot be placed into your dumpster, please contact the City of Tomball at (281) 290-1450 to schedule an unusual accumulation collection; additional fees will apply. 

The City of Tomball contracts with Frontier Waste Solutions as the sole provider of solid waste services. To request a roll off, please contact Frontier Waste directly at (936) 258-9035.

No, permits for removal of protected trees are only required within the city limits of Tomball.

A tree that measures at least 18 inches in diameter and is included on the City of Tomball Tree List below.

The diameter is measured at 54 inches above the ground.

Measure the circumference of the tree using a flexible tape measure and divide the measured inches by Pi (π), approximately 3.14. 

For example, if the circumference of the tree measures 75 inches, divide 75 by 3.14. 

75 / 3.14 = 23.88 inches

A Tree Removal Permit will be required. Contact the Community Development Department at (281) 290-1405.

Refer to the City of Tomball Master Fee Schedule for the most updated permit fees. 

Yes, after two years.

Yes, if the protected tree that is removed is not dead, diseased, or a safety hazard. Replacement is inch per inch. For example, an 18-inch diameter tree needs to be replaced with 18 caliper inches. The caliper inch measurement is measured at 12 inches above the ground. Replacement trees need to be at least four caliper inches each and need to be listed on the City of Tomball Tree List.

Possibly, contact the Community Development Department at (281) 290-1405 to discuss options. 

Possibly, contact the Community Development Department at (281) 290-1405.

Yes, but contact the Community Development Department before doing so at (281) 290-1405. If an emergency situation exists, the tree can immediately be removed, however, still contact the Community Development Department after doing so.

Yes, as long as the protected tree is not critically altered.

Yes, as long as the improvements do not encroach within the tree’s dripline (imaginary line extending from the external boundary of a tree’s canopy to the ground).

They are required if platting a tract five acres or greater that is adjacent to a residential zoning district.

An appeal can be made to the City Council. Contact the Community Development department at (281) 290-1405 to discuss how to file an appeal.