Visiting the Texas Bullion Depository: What the Public Can Actually Do
Short on time? The essentials
- The Texas Bullion Depository is an agency of the State of Texas, operated for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts by Lone Star Tangible Assets under a state contract.
- The facility sits on a 10 acre campus in Leander, Texas, just north of Austin. The building is a purpose-built high-security vault of more than 40,000 square feet.
- There is no public tour program. The site does not host a walk-in visitor center, and the vault is not open to the general public for a scheduled tour.
- Depository Account Holders may schedule an appointment for account business. This is transactional access to a controlled area, not a tour of the vault itself.
- Perimeter security is provided by State Police Officers from the Texas Comptroller's Criminal Investigation Division, plus a Lone Star Tangible Assets armed team.
- The main public contact line is +1 (844) 416-GOLD, staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM US Central Time, closed Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.
- The enabling law is House Bill 483 of the 84th Texas Legislature, signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2015. Individual accounts opened April 1, 2018.
- For Texans and visitors who want an on-site Texas heritage experience, the Texas State Capitol, Bullock Texas State History Museum, and Texas General Land Office archives in Austin all offer public access.
On this page
- What public access actually exists
- What the depository site actually says
- What the operator actually says
- Why there is no public tour
- Where the depository sits
- What an account-holder appointment looks like
- History of the depository in five milestones
- Where to see Texas heritage on the same trip
- Common misconceptions to set aside
- When a trip out to Leander does not make sense
- What the public record does not show
- Texas Bullion Depository visit FAQ
What public access actually exists
The Texas Bullion Depository is a working state-run vault, not a museum. Its public-facing website advertises three ways to interact with the facility. All three are transactional or informational, not experiential.
You can call the public support line at +1 (844) 416-GOLD during business hours to ask a question about the depository. You can send a contact form through the site. You can open a Depository Account online and then schedule a lobby appointment for account business.
The site does not advertise a public tour, a visitor center, or an open house event. Nothing on the depository's site, on the Texas Comptroller's site, or in the operator's public statements offers a scheduled walk-in for the general public.
| Type of access | Available to the general public? | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in visitor center | No | The site has no advertised visitor center. There is no lobby that a member of the public can walk into without an appointment tied to an account. |
| Scheduled public tour of the vault | No | Neither the depository site nor the Texas Comptroller lists a tour program. The vault is a controlled Class III facility. |
| Open house or public event | No standing program | No recurring open house is listed on the site. Any one-off state media event is announced separately by the Comptroller's press office. |
| Public support phone line | Yes | +1 (844) 416-GOLD. Staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM US Central Time, closed Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. |
| Public contact form | Yes | Submitted on the depository site's Contact page. A team member replies by email or phone. |
| Depository Administrator office | Yes, for administrative questions | +1 (512) 463-4433 or depository.administrator@cpa.texas.gov, at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in Austin. |
| Account-holder lobby appointment | Only for account holders | Booked in advance for deposit, withdrawal, or verification of your own account. Not a tour and not open to the public. |
| State of Texas auditor access | Only for authorized state staff | The Depository Administrator, the Comptroller's internal audit team, and outside auditors under state contract have audit access. |
Sources: Texas Bullion Depository site Contact and Depository Administrator pages; TxBD FAQs page; Texas Bullion Depository "First in Class" oversight page. Checked August 2026.
What the depository site actually says
The public FAQs on texasbulliondepository.gov confirm three points that matter for the question of visiting. The first is that the site is a working depository, not a museum. The second is that access to metals in storage is limited to the account holder. The third is that oversight of that access is state-controlled.
On ownership, the site says "The Texas Bullion Depository is an agency of the State of Texas." On location, it says the facility is in Leander, Texas, just north of Austin. On construction, it credits Lone Star Tangible Assets with building the purpose-built facility under state contract.
On audit, the FAQ says the Depository Administrator is appointed by the Comptroller and has direct oversight and audit privileges of every Depository Account Holder account. It adds that a Texas-based accounting firm audits the depository separately and that the State of Texas retains its own audit rights.
The site does list a public support phone line, a public contact form, and a physical address in Leander for the operator's mail. It does not list a tour schedule, an admission fee, or visitor hours. If a visit program existed, it would sit under the "Contact Us" or "About" area, and it does not.
What the operator actually says
Lone Star Tangible Assets is the private operator that built and runs the depository under a state contract. Its public statements on the depository site describe security posture and operational discipline, not visitor programs. Two of its published points shape what a public visit could ever look like.
The operator's "First in Class" oversight page states that the depository offers fully segregated Class III vaulting inside its purpose-built Leander facility. It states that all operations are conducted under 24-hour video surveillance. It states that layered physical security is designed to increase in complexity at each successive layer.
The same page states that the depository is safeguarded by State Police Officers from the Texas Comptroller's Criminal Investigation Division, and that Lone Star Tangible Assets maintains its own armed security team at the facility. That is the security stack the vault would present to any visitor who reached a controlled area.
None of Lone Star Tangible Assets' public statements offers a public tour, an educational visit for schools, or a walk-in for the general public. Access described on the operator's own site is described in the language of accounts, deposits, and withdrawals, not the language of visitor experience.
Why there is no public tour
The security posture explains the closed-door approach. A commercial-grade vault holding client-owned precious metals in fully segregated Class III storage runs on the same principle that governs a Federal Reserve cash-processing floor. Every person on the working floor either has an account interest or an audit or security role.
A public tour of the working vault would require a separate visitor path, a separate briefing, and a separate insurance treatment. The all-risk policy underwritten through Lloyd's of London that covers account-holder assets is written for the operational posture of the facility as it stands.
The state agency framing sharpens the point. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the constitutional office that oversees the depository, is not in the visitor-attraction business. Its published mission for the depository is safe, insured storage of client-owned precious metals under state audit, not a public education program.
The Comptroller's press office does occasionally host a small media event at the facility, notably around new coin releases in the State of Texas Commemorative Coins series. Those are invitation-only news events, not public tours.
Where the depository sits
The Texas Bullion Depository sits on a 10 acre campus in Leander, in Williamson County, Texas. Leander is about 30 miles north of downtown Austin and roughly a 40 minute drive from the Texas State Capitol under typical Interstate 35 conditions.
The purpose-built facility itself is more than 40,000 square feet. Construction uses reinforced concrete, hardened vaults, and multiple controlled access points. The building was engineered to resist physical and environmental threats.
The depository's site does not publish the street address for casual visitors, and this page will not attempt to hand-map a route to a controlled-access government facility that runs no public tour. The operator's mailing address is available to Depository Account Holders through the Dealer Shipping Instructions and account onboarding process.
For non-account inquiries, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts publishes the Depository Administrator's office in Austin at +1 (512) 463-4433 and depository.administrator@cpa.texas.gov. That is the correct address for administrative correspondence about the depository as a state agency.
What an account-holder appointment looks like
A Depository Account Holder can visit the Leander facility on a scheduled appointment. This is not a tour and it does not include free movement inside the vault. It is a transactional appointment for a specific piece of account business.
Typical account-holder visits fall into three categories. A deposit visit brings approved precious metal items to be logged, weighed, photographed, and placed in segregated storage under the account. A withdrawal visit receives approved items back out of segregated storage under the same photographic verification. A verification visit views specific holdings under staff supervision.
Every visit is booked in advance. Photo identification tied to the depository account is required. Escort by Lone Star Tangible Assets staff is standard through any controlled area. The vault itself remains under 24-hour video surveillance and the layered access controls described on the operator's oversight page.
The account-holder path is not marketed as a museum experience. Its purpose is to complete a controlled deposit, withdrawal, or verification against a live account, with a documentary trail sufficient to satisfy the Depository Administrator and the state audit process.
History of the depository in five milestones
The depository's history is a short one. The concept, the enabling law, and the opening date are all inside a five-year window that the state and the operator have documented on public sites.
| Year | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The concept is introduced in the Texas Legislature. No enabling bill passes that session, but the idea of a state-administered depository enters the public record. | Texas Bullion Depository "First in Class" oversight page timeline. |
| 2015 | House Bill 483 of the 84th Texas Legislature passes. Governor Greg Abbott signs it into law on June 12, 2015, formally creating the Texas Bullion Depository as an agency of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. | TxBD "First in Class" page; Texas Legislature Online HB 483 record. |
| 2017 to 2018 | Lone Star Tangible Assets is selected as depository operator. The purpose-built facility in Leander is completed and prepared for state audit and go-live. | TxBD FAQ ("Lone Star Tangible Assets was responsible for the construction of the purpose-built facility"); operator statements on the TxBD site. |
| April 1, 2018 | U.S. citizens and residents, including business entities, can open a Depository Account. The state's operating date for individual account services begins. | TxBD FAQs page, question "Who can store precious metals at the Texas Bullion Depository?" |
| 2019 to 2026 | State of Texas Commemorative Coins launch under the depository's mark. Coins are announced by the Comptroller and produced under the TxBD program to celebrate Texas heritage. | TxBD news page; Texas Comptroller press releases on 2026 State of Texas Commemorative Coins. |
Sources: Texas Bullion Depository "First in Class" oversight page; TxBD FAQs page; Texas Bullion Depository news; Texas Legislature Online record for House Bill 483, 84th Regular Session (2015). Checked August 2026.
Where to see Texas heritage on the same trip
A trip to Leander to look at a working vault from the outside is a short experience. Visitors who want a genuine Texas heritage day out have five well-run public sites within an hour of the depository. Each is open to the public with published hours and standard admission.
Common misconceptions to set aside
Because the Texas Bullion Depository is sometimes described in shorthand as "the Fort Knox of Texas," it picks up a few misconceptions that this page can retire in one place.
It is not a museum. There is no numismatic exhibit hall, no educational film, and no gift shop. It is a working segregated-storage vault operated for account holders and audited by the state.
It is not a branch of the United States Mint or of the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. It stores no federal reserves. It is a Texas state agency for client-owned precious metals under contract with a private operator.
It is not a bank. It does not hold cash deposits, does not issue debit cards, and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Account-holder metals are insured through the Lloyd's of London insurance marketplace under an all-risk policy reviewed by the Depository Administrator.
It is not open for a walk-in tour, even for Texas residents. Residency in Texas does not confer a right of access to a controlled-access state vault. The Depository Account Holder relationship is the only public path to a scheduled visit.
When a trip out to Leander does not make sense
When to skip the drive to the depository site.
If you are hoping to walk in off the street to look at Texas state gold, skip the drive. There is nothing to walk into. The building is not a visitor destination, and there is no lobby program for casual visitors.
If you are a numismatic enthusiast looking for a coin exhibition, the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin is a much better stop. The Bullock's galleries cover Texas monetary history in a way a working vault cannot.
If you are researching the depository as a state agency, an in-person visit adds nothing that the public record does not already give you. The Comptroller's site, the depository's site, and the Texas Legislature Online record for HB 483 (84th Legislature) hold the primary documents.
Trying to verify that a specific coin dealer stores at the depository? Call the public line at +1 (844) 416-GOLD or the Depository Administrator's office at +1 (512) 463-4433. Do not drive to Leander to ask at the gate.
What the public record does not show
Several details about the depository sit outside the public record. Honesty about those gaps matters more than filling them with guesses.
The public record does not publish a precise street address for the depository facility in a form intended for casual visitors. That is a security decision consistent with a controlled-access state vault, not an oversight of the state site.
The public record does not publish the total value or the total weight of precious metals in storage. Account-level data is confidential under state law and under the operator's account holder agreement, and only the Depository Administrator and authorized auditors see the underlying figures.
The public record does not publish a fixed annual open-house date. If the Comptroller's press office ever chooses to hold a public event, it will announce it separately through comptroller.texas.gov and the depository site, and this page will be updated when that happens.
The public record does not confer any right of entry on members of the general public. State residency, tax-paying status, and interest in Texas heritage do not, on their own, grant access to a controlled-access state vault. That is the same rule that governs any other state-run high-security facility in Texas.
Texas Bullion Depository visit FAQ
Can I tour the Texas Bullion Depository?
No. The Texas Bullion Depository does not offer a public tour of its vault. There is no walk-in visitor center, no scheduled tour program, and no standing open-house event. The public support line at +1 (844) 416-GOLD and the public contact form on texasbulliondepository.gov are the appropriate channels for general questions about the depository as a state agency.
Is there a visitor center at the Texas Bullion Depository?
No. The depository's Leander facility is a purpose-built working vault, not a visitor site. Its site lists no visitor center, no admission hours, and no gift shop. For a public-facing Texas heritage visit, pick the Bullock Texas State History Museum or the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Both run standing public programs.
Can Texas residents get in for free?
No. Texas residency does not confer a right of access to the depository's controlled-access facility. The only public path to a scheduled on-site appointment is the Depository Account Holder relationship, and every scheduled appointment is tied to a specific piece of account business, not to a tour experience.
Where exactly is the Texas Bullion Depository?
The depository is in Leander, Texas, in Williamson County, about 30 miles north of downtown Austin. Its site describes a 10 acre campus with a purpose-built facility of more than 40,000 square feet. The site does not publish a casual-visitor street address, consistent with a controlled-access state vault. The Depository Administrator's Austin office at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is the correct address for administrative correspondence.
Who runs the Texas Bullion Depository?
The depository is a state agency of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Day-to-day operations are run by Lone Star Tangible Assets under a state contract. The Depository Administrator is Macy Douglas, a 20-plus year veteran of the Texas Comptroller's office and Director of Treasury Operations. Oversight includes an internal audit team at the Comptroller's office and outside auditors under state contract.
When did the Texas Bullion Depository open?
The Texas Bullion Depository Bill (House Bill 483 of the 84th Texas Legislature) was signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2015. Individual U.S. citizens and residents, including business entities, could open a Depository Account starting April 1, 2018. That April 2018 date is the operational go-live for the depository as a working vault for private account holders.
Is there any way to see inside the vault?
Only in a controlled, escorted way tied to a Depository Account Holder appointment for deposit, withdrawal, or verification of that account holder's own assets. Every controlled-area entry is escorted by Lone Star Tangible Assets staff, is logged, and takes place under 24-hour video surveillance. There is no unaccompanied access to the vault for account holders or for any other party.
Are State of Texas Commemorative Coins on display at the depository?
No standing exhibit is advertised at the Leander facility. State of Texas Commemorative Coins in the Lone Star Series and the Modern Redback series are sold through the Where to Buy channels listed on the depository's site. Physical coin viewing is a dealer, auction, or museum activity, not a depository visit activity.
Readers who arrived at this page from the storage-and-IRA angle rather than the state-facility angle will find our separate write-up on what the Texas Bullion Depository is and how it operates more directly useful.
Sources
- Texas Bullion Depository. Frequently Asked Questions. Confirms that the depository is an agency of the State of Texas, that it is located in Leander just north of Austin, that Lone Star Tangible Assets was responsible for construction, that individuals could open accounts starting April 1, 2018, and that account holder assets are insured through the Lloyd's of London insurance marketplace. texasbulliondepository.gov/faqs. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. The First Precious Metals Depository with State Oversight. Describes the operational history from concept (2013) to law (2015) to open for business (2018), plus fully segregated Class III vaulting in the purpose-built Leander facility, 24-hour video surveillance, State Police Officers from the Texas Comptroller's Criminal Investigation Division, Lone Star Tangible Assets' own armed security team, and an all-risk policy underwritten through Lloyd's of London. texasbulliondepository.gov/first-in-class. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. Depository Administrator. Names Macy Douglas as Depository Administrator, a 20-plus year veteran of the Texas Comptroller's office and Director of Treasury Operations. Lists the Austin office phone at +1 (512) 463-4433, the Compliance Manager at +1 (512) 463-3875, and the email depository.administrator@cpa.texas.gov. texasbulliondepository.gov/depository-administrator. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. Contact Us. Publishes the public support line at +1 (844) 416-GOLD, staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM US Central Time, closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Confirms that the depository is a registered trademark of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. texasbulliondepository.gov/contact. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Bullion Depository. Home. Describes the facility as a 10 acre campus in Leander, Texas, with a purpose-built high-security facility of more than 40,000 square feet, reinforced concrete construction, hardened vaults, and multiple controlled access points, protected by on-site Texas State Police under the authority of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. texasbulliondepository.gov. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Legislature Online. House Bill 483, 84th Regular Session (2015). Enabling legislation for the Texas Bullion Depository, filed in the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, passed by both chambers and signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2015. capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=84R&Bill=HB483. Checked August 2026.
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Office of the Texas Comptroller. Constitutional office that oversees the Texas Bullion Depository as an agency of the state, appoints the Depository Administrator, and retains audit rights over the depository operator. comptroller.texas.gov. Checked August 2026.
- Texas State Preservation Board. Texas State Capitol Visitors. Public information on visiting the Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin, including free daily tours, opening hours, and public access to the rotunda, chambers, and grounds. Referenced on this page as the primary Texas heritage site with a standing public tour program. tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc/capitol.html. Checked August 2026.
- Bullock Texas State History Museum. Story of Texas. Standing public exhibits on Texas annexation, statehood, ranching economy, and Republic of Texas history, operated by the State Preservation Board. Referenced on this page as the primary museum alternative for visitors who want an on-site Texas heritage experience the depository cannot provide. thestoryoftexas.com. Checked August 2026.
- Texas General Land Office. Archives and Records. Custodian of Republic of Texas land grants, Spanish land documents, and other primary records dating to the eighteenth century, with public research access at the GLO offices on 17th Street in Austin. Referenced on this page as a working state archive available to Texas heritage researchers. glo.texas.gov/history/archives. Checked August 2026.