It's looking to be a record breaking year for graffiti clean-up, according to Austin's Graffiti Abatement Program. Crews said the problem is only getting worse during the summer.

You'll find that a lot of the tagging is on highways even the new roads that are being built aren't immune. Officials say the more graffiti you see, the more money it's costing you to clean it up.

How and when they do it is a mystery for many people, but graffiti artists are busier than ever this year sometimes risking their lives to make their mark.

"One, either they're intoxicated or two they have no problem with being afraid as they want to be," Tony Casarez with the Austin Graffiti Abatement Program said, "It's definitely a group of maybe one or two, maybe three or four people going up to see who can get the highest, who can leave their mark the highest."

Officials are finding those marks go far beyond the city streets. The Texas Department of Transportation is seeing an increase on its properties in Austin.

"They hit that new construction but we've been trying to keep up with it," Michael McKissick with TxDOT said.

Cleaning up has cost contractors time at problem areas like the developing construction of Ben White and I-35. TxDOT crews are constantly cleaning the concrete at Airport Boulevard at I-35. MoPac at First Street is also a graffiti hot spot.

"This year, we're going to break our record as far as how many we've cleaned in the city. I know we're going to hit about 7,500 clean-ups in the city," Casarez said.

Crews had 800 clean-ups in June and even more are expected this month. Casarez says school being out may be partly to blame. TxDOT officials say no matter who's to blame, the clean-ups aren't free.

"In other areas of town, where we've got to keep cleaning it up, it costs the taxpayers money for state forces to come out there and paint over them, and take them off somehow," McKissick said.

TxDOT crews say there are some spots they don't even clean up anymore because the taggers just re-paint over old graffiti.

People caught can face anywhere from a Class A misdemeanor to a felony charge that could result in jail time.