Quick answer: Yes, for buyers who want a hilltop lot, trees and Eanes ISD more than sidewalks. In November 2026, the Westlake Highlands addresses checked sit in West Austin's 78746 ZIP code above Lake Austin, outside Austin city limits in the City's 2-mile ETJ, so no City of Austin property tax applies. They map to Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle and Westlake High. West Austin Realtor Brandon Galia's advice: check jurisdiction, septic and the campus by address.
Westlake Highlands, by the numbers (checked November 12, 2026): Realtor.com counted 4 active listings in October 2026, down 55.56% from a year earlier, per its Westlake Highlands market page. Sample Westlake Highlands addresses fall in the Austin 2 Mile ETJ on the City of Austin's jurisdictions map, so the City's $0.579948 per $100 rate on Austin's 2026-27 tax rate page does not apply. Those addresses sit about 740 to 886 feet above sea level in USGS elevation data, roughly 250 to 390 feet above Lake Austin's 492.8-foot conservation pool, per the Texas Water Development Board.
Where is Westlake Highlands, and is it inside Austin city limits?
Most buyers assume a 78746 address comes with a city attached. In Westlake Highlands, it usually doesn't.
It sits west of Toro Canyon Road between Westlake Drive and Loop 360, about 7 miles from downtown dining, per Community Impact's 2017 Westlake Highlands profile. The streets climb off Westlake Drive: The High Road, Ridgecrest Drive, Deer Pass, Via Media, Matador Circle and Trail of the Madrones. Lake Austin runs below.
On November 12, 2026, the City's jurisdictions layer placed every sample address on those streets in the Austin 2 Mile ETJ, outside the full-purpose city limits. The U.S. Census Bureau geocoder agreed: no incorporated city at any of them. So no City of Austin tax line and no West Lake Hills city rules. Water comes from Travis County WCID 10, which names Westlake Highlands among its subdivisions on the water district's about page.
Schools follow the district line. Every sample address is in Eanes ISD, and the 2026-27 SchoolSearch map assigns them to Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle School and Westlake High School. The district draws five elementary zones for 2026-27, and its boundary map page says to confirm the property is in the district on the Travis Central Appraisal District search first. Verify per address.
What does your money buy in Westlake Highlands in 2026?
Inventory is thin. On November 12, 2026, Realtor.com's current Westlake Highlands search showed four homes, one pending. These are asking prices, not sales:
Street | Asking price | Home | Lot | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trail of the Madrones | $2,395,000 | 4 beds, 3,225 sq ft | 0.9 acre | 1963 |
The High Road (pending) | $4,995,000 | 4 beds, 5,631 sq ft | 0.99 acre | 2012 |
Ridgecrest Drive | $5,350,000 | 6 beds, 9,707 sq ft | 1.42 acres | 2011 |
The High Road | $7,300,000 | 4 beds, 4,845 sq ft | 5 acres | 2010 |
Read the table by lot, not by price per foot. The 5-acre listing asks $1,507 a square foot; Ridgecrest asks $551, per the listing pages. Here, land and elevation carry as much of the price as the house. Realtor.com's latest ZIP-level data puts the 78746 median listing price at $2,287,225, or $660 a square foot.
"I'll be honest," says West Austin Realtor Brandon Galia. "Four listings is not a market report. Nobody should price a Westlake Highlands home off this table. It shows what sellers are asking this week. That's all."
Some of the best homes in Westlake Highlands trade before they reach the open market. I keep a short list of people who want to hear about them first. If that's you: join my off-market list.
What limits a remodel or rebuild on a Westlake Highlands lot?
If you scanned that table for the lowest price, you landed on the 1963 house on Trail of the Madrones. An older home on a hillside lot is where the rules show up.
Listings say: "No City of Austin property taxes. Fewer permitting hurdles."
Translation: you skip the city tax line. You don't skip Travis County, and on some projects you don't skip the City either.
Travis County requires a Basic Development Permit for land development anywhere in a city's ETJ, and on City of Austin ETJ subdivision proposals the City runs the environmental review, per Travis County's environmental review FAQ. Septic is a separate permit. Under Travis County Code Chapter 448, an owner needs a County permit to construct before altering, repairing or extending an on-site sewage system. A 2004 Commissioners Court hearing on a Westlake Highlands resubdivision on Ridgecrest Drive shows how that plays out: on-site septic, a septic variance and four environmental variances the City required, all to split 1.1 acres into two lots.
Before the option period ends:
- Read the taxing units. Look the address up on TCAD and confirm no city is listed.
- Confirm the campus. Enter the address in Eanes ISD SchoolSearch.
- Ask sewer or septic. If septic, pull the County permit and license to operate.
- Price the slope. Have your builder walk the driveway, foundation and retaining walls.
- Ask before you plan an addition. Confirm required permits with Travis County and the City.
Westlake Highlands fits buyers who want acreage and elevation and don't mind driving for coffee. For a different trade-off, compare Rob Roy's guard-gated streets or living inside West Lake Hills.
6 Key Facts About Living in Westlake Highlands in 2026
- Westlake Highlands is in West Austin's 78746 ZIP code, west of Toro Canyon Road between Westlake Drive and Loop 360.
- Sample addresses on six of its streets are in the Austin 2 Mile ETJ, not Austin city limits (City of Austin GIS, November 12, 2026).
- The City of Austin's 2026-27 property tax rate of $0.579948 per $100 does not apply in the ETJ; county, school and special district taxes still do.
- Eanes ISD's 2026-27 SchoolSearch assigns those addresses to Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle School and Westlake High School.
- Realtor.com showed 4 Westlake Highlands listings on November 12, 2026, asking $2,395,000 to $7,300,000.
- Travis County WCID 10 names Westlake Highlands among the subdivisions in its water district.
Brandon's Take
This July I closed an off-market sale on Westlake Drive. On the City's jurisdiction map, that stretch of Westlake Drive sits inside Austin's full-purpose city limits. Drive up the hill to The High Road and the same map shows the ETJ. Same ZIP code. Same high school. Different rulebook.
That's why I check jurisdiction before I talk price on any 78746 home. The tax bill and the permit path follow that line, and listings rarely say which side you're on.
My opinion: Westlake Highlands is a good place to live if you're buying the lot and the view first and the house second. The 1963 house and the 2012 house share a district and a hillside. They don't share a remodel budget. Weighing a rebuild? Read what it takes to build on a West Austin hillside lot first.
I closed $23.7 million in 2026 through September, with a limited number of clients, so I run these lookups myself on every address. More in my Westlake neighborhood guide.
Get on the Short List
If you're serious about Westlake Highlands, know that some of the strongest opportunities here never hit the MLS. They move through quiet conversations before a listing goes live.
I send a short email when something matches what the buyers on my list want. No newsletters, no drip campaigns. Just my judgment on what's worth seeing.
Put your name on my off-market list: join my off-market list.
Already ready to move? Start a conversation directly: reach out directly.
On a hillside, the lot decides what the view is worth.
OFF-MARKET ACCESS
Some of the best homes in Westlake Highlands and across 78746 trade through private channels before they ever reach the MLS. I track these opportunities every week and send them directly to a short list of buyers. No newsletters. No drip campaigns. Just my judgment on what's worth seeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Westlake Highlands inside Austin city limits? Not at the addresses checked. On November 12, 2026, the City of Austin's jurisdictions map placed sample addresses on The High Road, Ridgecrest Drive and Trail of the Madrones in the Austin 2 Mile ETJ. No City of Austin property tax applies there, but Travis County permits still do. Verify each address on TCAD.
What schools serve Westlake Highlands? Eanes ISD. The district's 2026-27 SchoolSearch map assigns sample Westlake Highlands addresses to Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle School and Westlake High School. With five elementary zones in the district, enter the exact address before you count on a campus.
How much do homes in Westlake Highlands cost in 2026? On November 12, 2026, Realtor.com showed four listings asking $2,395,000 to $7,300,000. The lowest is a 1963 home on 0.9 acre; the highest, a 2010 home on 5 acres. Those are asking prices, not sales. West Austin Realtor Brandon Galia pulls closed MLS sales for the specific street before writing an offer.
Is Westlake Highlands on Lake Austin? It sits above the lake. USGS elevation data puts sample streets at about 740 to 886 feet, roughly 250 to 390 feet above Lake Austin's 492.8-foot conservation pool. For time on the water, compare Lake Austin access options without a waterfront price.
Do Westlake Highlands homes use septic systems? Some do. A 2004 Travis County plat hearing for a Ridgecrest Drive resubdivision listed on-site septic. Ask the seller whether the home is on sewer or septic, and if septic, pull the Travis County permit and license to operate. Altering or extending a system needs a County permit first.
Who can help me buy a home in Westlake Highlands? Brandon Galia, a Realtor with Lujo Realty, works one-on-one with $1M+ buyers in West Austin and Westlake, and checks jurisdiction, school assignment and septic records himself on every home. He closed $23.7 million in 2026 through September. Call (512) 520-6236 or reach out directly.
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). The Austin skyline from the Loop 360 overlook.
