Fire Marshal's Office

The Fire Marshal's Office is responsible for the protection of life and property through code enforcement, plans review, fire inspections, and fire cause determination.

Important Message from the Fire Marshal’s Office

Effective January 7, 2018, the City of Austin adopted the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code with local amendments. The Austin Fire Department is 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 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 (1st floor - City Hall, 301 W. 2^nd Street) or from the Fire Marshal’s Office (2nd floor - One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Rd).

Fire Prevention encompasses:

Inspections - Fire/life safety inspections.
Special Events - Assess the fire safety needs and dictates the occupancy load for all enclosed venues.
Plans Review - Engineers review plans related to sites, buildings, and fire protection systems for new and renovated structures.
Hazardous Materials Engineering - Oversee and inspect occupancies that store hazardous materials, ensures compliance with appropriate regulations, and issues permits.
Fire Investigations - Determines fire cause determination, conducts criminal investigations, and arrests those suspected of committing the crime of arson.

Services

Fire Hydrant Flow Requests
Permits - Issues several types of permits, including, but not limited to:
- Burn Permit (Recreation Fires)
- Fire Protection Systems
- Fireworks
- High-Piled Storage
- Prescribed Burns
- Public Assembly
- Temporary Change of Occupancy
- Tents

Fire Department Connection (F.D.C.) Knox locking plug (cap) installation
Knox Boxes and Knox Locks: Request online. (downloadable instructions)
Residential Home Box: Request online.

Mailing Address

City of Austin – Fire Marshal’s Office – One Texas Center
Attn: Fire Admin In-Take – 2nd Floor – Ste. 200
P.O. Box 1088
Austin, TX 78767-1088

Insurance Service Office (ISO) Rating

The Insurance Service Office (ISO) assigns two ratings to the City of Austin based upon their examination of personnel and resources related to fire protection.

Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating: Reflecting a community's local fire protection capabilities for property insurance rating purposes, the Austin Fire Department currently holds a ranking of 1, with 1 being the most desirable and 10 being the least desirable.
Building Code Effectiveness Grade Scale (BCEGS) rating: This number is determined by assessing the building codes in effect in a particular community and how that community enforces its building codes, with special emphasis on mitigation of losses from natural hazards. The City of Austin is evaluated for its effectiveness in enforcing the Building Code, in which AFD also plays a key role. The City has a ranking 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. Property owners outside of Austin need to contact their respective fire department for its specific ISO rating. For example, the Building Code Effectiveness Grade Scale for Travis County is 99.

Information about the ISO rating schedules