Austin Premises Liability Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Austin Premises Liability Lawyers

Slip-and-fall at the Domain, falling merchandise at a big-box retailer, parking-garage injury downtown, assault at an apartment complex with inadequate security, or injury at an SXSW event venue? Texas premises liability turns on what the owner knew or should have known. We serve Austin from our San Antonio office.

★ 5.0 on 483+ Google reviews $100 Million+ recovered Super Lawyers® · AVVO 10.0

(817) 784-2000 Free Consultation

Free Case Consultation

No Obligation — No Cost Unless We Win

How we serve Austin clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Austin. We serve Austin-area clients from our San Antonio office (about 80 miles south on I-35) and our Fort Worth office. We know Texas premises-liability law, the invitee/licensee/trespasser duty framework, and the surveillance-video preservation moves that decide premises cases at the threshold.

Where Austin premises liability cases happen

6th Street, Rainey Street, and East 6th Street nightlife. Bar and restaurant incidents, dram-shop liability under Tex. Alc. Bev. Code §2.02, negligent-security after assault.
SXSW event venues and event-permitting failures. Crowd-control, stage-rigging, security staffing.
The Domain and the Domain Northside. Mall and restaurant district premises cases.
Big-box retailers and grocery chains. Walmart, Target, HEB, Whole Foods, Costco. Liquid-spill and falling-merchandise incidents.
Downtown hotels and Convention Center area. Hotel pool-area, parking-garage, and stairway-fall cases.
Apartment complexes. Negligent-security after assault, inadequate-lighting falls, swimming pool drownings.
Texas Capitol and state property. TTCA notice deadlines and §101.023(b) damages caps apply.
Lake Travis and Lady Bird Lake premises. Marina and boat-rental incidents, recreational use statute (§75.001 et seq.) issues.
UT Austin campus. Universities as governmental entities trigger TTCA notice and damages caps.
Q2 Stadium and Moody Center event venues. Large-crowd negligent-security and crowd-flow incidents.

Texas premises liability law — what Austin clients should know

Two-year statute of limitations

§16.003 sets a two-year SOL from the date of injury. Government-defendant claims may have shorter Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines.

Invitee / licensee / trespasser framework

Texas case law assigns different duties based on the visitor's status. An invitee is owed the highest duty.

Knowledge requirement

The plaintiff must show the owner knew or reasonably should have known of the dangerous condition. Constructive knowledge can satisfy this element.

Modified comparative fault (§33.001)

You can recover as long as you are 50% or less at fault.

Texas Recreational Use Statute (§75.001 et seq.)

Limits liability when someone is injured during recreational activity on certain property — common issue at Lake Travis and Lady Bird Lake. Exceptions exist, particularly for gross negligence or paid admission.

Dog bite liability

Texas follows a modified one-bite rule. Owner liable if they knew or should have known of dangerous propensity. Texas Health & Safety Code §822.0421.

Negligent security

Texas recognizes a duty to provide reasonable security against foreseeable criminal acts. Foreseeability depends on prior criminal incidents on the property and surrounding crime statistics — particularly relevant in East Austin and 6th Street bar district cases.

Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)

Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts actually paid or incurred. Critical for substantial Dell Seton trauma stays.

Where Austin premises liability cases are heard

Travis County

Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, Austin. 12 civil district courts.

Williamson & Hays

Williamson County Justice Center (Georgetown), Hays County Government Center (San Marcos).

Federal court (W.D. Tex.)

United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, 501 W 5th Street.

Other Austin injury cases we handle

Common questions from Austin premises liability clients

What is the deadline to file an Austin premises liability lawsuit?

Two years from the date of the injury under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003. Claims against city, county, or state property — including the City of Austin, Travis County, UT Austin, Austin Independent School District, or the Texas State Capitol — can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months under §101.101.

What does Texas law require me to prove in a premises case?

Generally, the plaintiff must prove (1) a dangerous condition existed on the property, (2) the property owner knew or reasonably should have known about it, (3) the owner failed to exercise reasonable care to make the condition safe or warn about it, and (4) that failure caused the injury. The owner's duty depends on whether the visitor was an invitee, licensee, or trespasser.

Does it matter why I was on the property when I got hurt?

Yes. Texas law assigns different duties based on the visitor's status. An invitee (someone there for the owner's business benefit, like a shopper at the Domain) is owed the highest duty. A licensee (a social guest) is owed a more limited duty. A trespasser is owed only the duty not to be willfully or wantonly injured. Customers in an Austin restaurant, hotel, or shopping center are invitees.

Can I recover if I was partially at fault for not seeing the hazard?

Yes, as long as you were 50% or less at fault. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §33.001 reduces your recovery by your share of fault but does not bar it unless that share exceeds 50%.

What about negligent security at an Austin apartment complex, hotel, or bar?

Texas recognizes a duty to provide reasonable security against foreseeable criminal acts by third parties. Whether an assault or robbery was foreseeable depends on factors including prior criminal incidents on the property, the surrounding neighborhood crime statistics, the nature of the business, and whether the owner had security measures in place. Bar and apartment-complex negligent-security cases are common on the East Side, in the downtown entertainment districts (6th Street and Rainey Street), and along South Lamar.

What about SXSW and other event-venue injuries?

Event-venue premises claims involve detailed analysis of crowd-control planning, security staffing, alcohol-service procedures, and physical-condition maintenance. Whether the venue (or the City of Austin as permitting authority) was on notice of foreseeable risks drives the case. Surveillance video, ticketing records, and event-security contracts all need to be preserved early.

Where will my Austin premises liability case be filed?

Most Travis County civil cases are heard at the Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, Austin. The 12 civil district courts handle the docket. Williamson County and Hays County cases go to their respective courthouses. Federal claims can be filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, at 501 W 5th Street.

Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Austin?

We do not have a brick-and-mortar office in Austin. We serve Austin-area clients from our San Antonio office (about 80 miles south on I-35) and our Fort Worth office.

How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for an Austin premises case?

Nothing up front. We take premises-liability cases on contingency — you pay no attorney fees unless we recover for you. The consultation is free and confidential. Se habla español.

Injured on someone else's property in Austin? Talk to a Texas trial lawyer today.

Free phone or Zoom consultation · No fee unless we win · Available 24/7 · Se habla español

(817) 784-2000 Free Case Review