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
TIMELINE: Uptick in dog attacks in Greater Houston area
April 10, 2025 -- There appears to be a concerning rise in reported dog attacks across the Greater Houston area and nearby counties since 2024, with a significantly concentration of cases coming from Liberty County - many involving stray dogs. ... Read More ...
No, CenterPoint will not fully refund customers for its unused generators. Here's what to know.
April 7, 2025 -- Texas lawmakers will no longer push CenterPoint Energy to directly refund Houstonians for any money the company has already collected on its controversial lease of mostly-unused generators, which is even more expensive than previously reported. ... Read More ...
How to safely surrender pets in Houston area
March 31, 2025 -- Does your furry friend need to be rehomed? For reasons that do not matter much, if you’re looking for a safe space to surrender your pet around Houston, we’ve curated a list of animal rescue centers that will safely take them. ... Read More ...
Victoria Freeman
ParkHouston Compliance Officer Victoria Freeman won the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) Professional Excellence Award for Superior Parking Compliance Frontline staff at the IPMI annual conference in Fort Worth in June 2023! Congratulations Ms. Freeman and thank you for your dedication to ParkHouston and the Administration & Regulatory Affairs Department.
Animal Control Officer Rebeckah Glaster finds the 'good times' working for BARC
The adage, “time flies when you’re having fun” can be applied to BARC Animal Control Officer Rebeckah Glaster. She’s worked at the shelter for nearly two years, but to let her tell it, the experience still feels like yesterday.
City of Houston Names New Animal Shelter Director
The City of Houston has selected Jarrad Mears, a senior executive at BARC, to run the City’s animal shelter. As director of the shelter, Mears will oversee 124 team members, including enforcement officers, veterinarians, shelter staff, customer service, and outreach employees.