Franchise Administration
Risk Management
Utility Regulation
Operations
Regulatory Permitting
Parking
311
BARC
The Administration & Regulatory Affairs Department (ARA) provides a wide variety of administrative services to the City of Houston’s departments, such as 311 service request routing, payroll processing, asset disposition, citywide policy management, internal mail services, records management, and insurance risk management.
Our Mission is to efficiently deliver superior administration and regulatory affairs services to our customers through the efforts of a highly dedicated and professional staff committed to world class customer service and excellence in everything we do.
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About the Director
As the first Hispanic director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA) Department, Paez was unanimously confirmed by the city council in May of 2013. She has dedicated nearly 30 years as an employee for the City of Houston including 10 years as director of ARA, preceded by 10 years as deputy director. Before joining the City, she worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
As director of ARA, Paez is responsible for oversight of 18 functional units representing a diverse cross section of City services including the BARC Animal Shelter, 3-1-1 Information Services, ParkHouston, Regulatory Permitting, Utility Regulation ... Read more About the Director ...
Tina Paez, Director
Contact ARA
Administration & Regulatory Affairs
611 Walker, 13th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 832.393.8501
E-Mail: aracontactus@houstontx.gov
Records Requests: araopenrecordsrequest@
houstontx.gov
ARA In the News
- View the ARA Press Releases
‘It would be the worst-case scenario for us’ | Houston scooter rental companies push back against proposed scooter ban
July 20, 2025 -- The potential change would create a “scooter-free zone,” which would include some of the busiest parts of Houston, including downtown, midtown and east downtown. ... Read More ...
Third Ward residents are fed up with ‘turn-ups’ and street takeovers. The city needs a plan now.
July 1, 2025 -- ... Still, it's not enough to quell the effects of the wild partying along Emancipation Avenue in Third Ward that spills into the surrounding residential community and wreaks havoc on their quality of life. ... Read More ...
Texas leaders broke promises to hold CenterPoint accountable after Hurricane Beryl. Here are 5 takeaways.
June 26, 2025 -- As Houstonians sweated through days of power outages in the wake of Hurricane Beryl last year, one culprit emerged: CenterPoint Energy, the region’s primary electric utility. ... Read More ...
The City's Garage Sale
People will buy just about anything. Just ask Scott Erdo. As the administrative manager for the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Asset Disposition, he has overseen the sale of everything that comes through his warehouse — from Cessna airplanes to stuffed coyotes.
I found a stray animal—What do I do? BARC weighs in
Houston’s stray animal crisis continues to escalate as BARC, the city’s animal shelter and adoption facility, projects taking in more than 22,000 stray animals this year. The city now ranks second nationwide for dog attacks on postal workers, highlighting growing concerns about public safety and animal control challenges in the nation’s fourth-largest city.
3-1-1: The purpose, process, and progress of Houston’s first source for city services
... This division is the most frequently utilized, but also the most misunderstood. The 3-1-1 telephone number provides a central hub for local residents to access a variety of city services, ask questions or lodge complaints.