An Important Message From the Fire Marshal’s Office

Effective January 7, 2018, the City of Austin has adopted the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code with local amendments. The Austin Fire Department is in the process of revising and updating the Fire Protection Criteria Manual through the City’s rule making process. When the revision is completed, a link to the updated Fire Criteria Manual will be provided. In the interim, the 2012 Fire Protection Criteria Manual can still be used for guidance in the application of the 2015 International Fire Code and amendments. Copies of either the 2015 International Fire Code adopting ordinance and amendment or the Fire Criteria manual can be obtained from the office of the City Clerk (first floor of City Hall) or from the Fire Marshal’s Office (second floor of One Texas Center).

Fire Prevention Division:

• Inspections - Fire and life safety inspections.
• Special Events - Assess the fire safety needs and dictates the occupancy load for all enclosed venues.
• Plans Review - Fire protection engineers review site plans, building plans and fire protection system plans for new and renovated structures
• Hazardous Materials Engineering - Oversight and inspection of occupancies that store hazardous materials, ensure compliance with appropriate regulations, and issue Hazmat permits.
• Fire Investigations - Conduct fire cause determination, conduct criminal investigations, and arrest and prosecute violators.

Services

• Fire Hydrant Flow Requests
• Permits - Responsible for issuing several types of permits, including, but not limited to:
  • Temp Change of Occupancy
  • High Piled Storage
  • Fire Protection Systems
  • Public Assembly
  • Fireworks Permit Application
  • Tents
  • Open Burning.
    • Open Burning, as defined by the International Fire Code, and adopted by the City of Austin is prohibited, unless properly permitted
    • Recreational Fires (Ground Fires and Portable Outdoor Fireplaces) are permissible with restrictions.
• Fire Department Connection (F.D.C.) Knox locking plug (cap) installation
• Knox Boxes and Knox Locks: Request online at www.knoxbox.com. (Downloadable instructions)
• Residential Home Box: Request online at www.knoxhomebox.com/community

Insurance Service Office (ISO) Rating

The Insurance Service Office (ISO) assigns two ratings to the City of Austin based upon there examination of our personnel and resources. Austin Fire Department is assigned a Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating of 1, with 1 being the most desirable and 10 being the least desirable. The City of Austin is also evaluated for its effectiveness in enforcing the Building Code, which AFD is also involved in. The City has a Building Code Effectiveness Grade Scale (BCEGS) of 4, with 1 being the most desirable and 99 being the least desirable.

These ratings are specific to property owners within the City of Austin and do not include other fire departments within Travis County. Travis County property owners will need to contact their respective fire department for its specific ISO rating. The Building Code Effectiveness Grade Scale for Travis County is 99.

Information about the ISO rating schedules is available at http://www.verisk.com/iso.html

Related Links

• Approved Fee Schedule
• Fire/Building Codes
• International Fire Code
• 2015 International Code Council