Building Safety in Dallas, TX (2026)
9 verified building safety rules for Dallas, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Lead Paint
Lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 is regulated by EPA's RRP Rule and Texas Environmental Lead Reduction Rules (TELRR). Contractors disturbing more than 6 sq ft of interior paint or 20 sq ft of exterior paint must be EPA/DSHS certified.
Dallas Lead Paint Safety Requirements
Light RestrictionsTex. Occ. Code Sec. 1955.052
Sec. 1955.052. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT. (a) The executive commissioner by rule may require a person involved in a lead-based paint activity in target housing or a public area that the department determines creates a public health hazard to be certified. The department shall delay implementation of the certification requirement for six months after the date the rule is adopted. (b) A rule adop...
Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed
Dallas City Code Sec. 43-6 makes it unlawful to erect or use an unsafe or insecure scaffold anywhere in the city if it endangers workers on it or people passing underneath. Because the section carries no listed dollar fine, the city's general penalty in Sec. 13-1 fills the gap: up to $500 a violation, or $2,000 if the scaffold also creates a fire, zoning, or health hazard.
Dallas Prohibits Unsafe or Insecure Scaffolds
Some RestrictionsDallas City Code Secs. 43-6, 13-1
SEC. 43-6. UNSAFE SCAFFOLDS. No person shall erect, use or cause or suffer to be erected or used within the city any insecure or unsafe scaffold, whereby the safety of persons working thereon or passing thereunder may be in any manner endangered. ... SEC. 13-1. GENERAL PENALTY; CONTINUING VIOLATIONS. (a) Whenever a person does an act that is forbidden, fails to perform an act tha...
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Dallas Chapter 17 adopts the International Fire Code with local amendments and the IRC R313 sprinkler provision. Most new commercial buildings require NFPA 13 sprinklers, while large new single-family homes trigger NFPA 13D residential coverage.
Fire Sprinklers: New Single-Family Threshold and Code Requirements
Some RestrictionsTexas Local Government Code Chapter 233 - County Regulation of Housing and Other Structures
Sec. 233.153. BUILDING CODE STANDARDS APPLICABLE. (a) New residential construction of a single-family house or duplex in the unincorporated area of a county to which this subchapter applies shall conform to the version of the International Residential Code published as of May 1, 2008, or the version of the International Residential Code that is applicable in the county seat of that county.(b) S...
Childcare Center Rules
Dallas requires childcare centers to obtain a certificate of occupancy under Chapter 53, comply with Chapter 17 fire code, and hold a Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child Care Licensing permit before opening or expanding capacity.
Childcare Center Rules: Local Permits and State Licensing
Some RestrictionsTex. Human Resources Code Sec. 42.002(7) (Day-Care Center Definition)
fined by department rule.(7) "Day-care center" means a child-care facility that provides care at a location other than the residence of the director, owner, or operator of the child-care facility for seven or more children under 14 years of age for less than 24 hours a day, but at least two hours a day, three or more days a week.(8) "Group day-care home" means a child-care facility that provi...
Anti-Mansionization
Dallas controls bulky new construction next to single-family and duplex lots with a residential proximity slope rather than a mansionization ordinance by name. Sec. 51A-4.412 projects an angled plane upward from the boundary of every low-density 'site of origination,' and no part of a taller neighboring structure may rise above it.
Dallas Residential Proximity Slope Height Limit
Some RestrictionsDallas Development Code Sec. 51A-4.412
(a) Definitions of general terms. In this section: ... (3) SITE OF ORIGINATION means any private property in: (A) an R, R(A), D, D(A), TH, TH(A), CH, MF-1, MF-1(A), MF-1(SAH), MF-2, MF-2(A), or MF-2(SAH) district; or (B) an identifiable portion of a planned development or conservation district, which portion is restricted to residential uses not exceeding 36 feet in height... (b) Residential pr...
Green Building Code
Dallas Green Building Ordinance amends Chapter 53 to require energy-efficient envelopes, reflective high-rise roofs and walls, permeable surfaces on certain projects, and SmartGrowth checklists for new commercial and multifamily construction.
Green Building Code: Reflective Surfaces and Permeability Standards
Some RestrictionsTexas Health & Safety Code Chapter 388 - Texas Building Energy Performance Standards
Sec. 388.003. ADOPTION OF BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. (a) To achieve energy conservation in single-family residential construction, the energy efficiency chapter of the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2001, is adopted as the energy code in this state for single-family residential construction. On September 1, 2016, the energy efficiency chapter of t...
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Dallas requires every licensed boarding home facility to install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping rooms. Code Sec. 8A-29(i) ties the standard to Section 42.060 of the Texas Human Resources Code, and the licensee must keep the detectors in good working order or face the chapter's fire-safety penalty tier.
Dallas Boarding Home CO Detector Rule
Some RestrictionsDallas City Code Sec. 8A-29(i)
The licensee shall install and properly maintain carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping rooms in accordance with Section 42.060 of the Texas Human Resources Code, as amended.
Building Permits
Dallas' city charter gives the city power to prohibit anyone from erecting, constructing, or repairing any building or structure without first obtaining a permit from the city. The charter also lets the city council charge a permit fee, inspect work in progress, and require construction to conform to the building regulations in effect, or later adopted, under Chapter 53.
Dallas City Charter Requires a Building Permit
Some RestrictionsDallas City Charter, Ch. XXIV, Sec. 7
The city shall have power to prohibit the erection, construction or repair of any building or structure of any kind within the city without a permit first having been issued by the city for the construction, erection or repair of such building or structure, and may authorize a fee to be charged for such permit, and in pursuance of said authority, may authorize the inspection by the city of all ...
Plumbing Permits
Dallas requires a permit from the city's building official before any plumbing work, because plumbing counts as building service equipment under Chapter 52 of the Dallas City Code. Water heater and boiler replacements always need a permit, while minor repairs or repiping under $1,000 on a single-family or duplex home are exempt.
Dallas Plumbing Permit Required Before Work
Some RestrictionsDallas City Code Ch. 52, Secs. 301.1.1, 301.2.2
301.1.1 General. A person, firm, or corporation shall not, without first obtaining a permit from the building official: 1. erect, construct, enlarge, add to, alter, repair, replace, move, improve, remove, install, convert, demolish, equip, use, occupy, or maintain a structure or building service equipment ... 301.2.2 Plumbing. No permit is required for: 1. Maintenance, repair, or replacement in...
Looking for Dallas County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Dallas city rules.
Building Safety in Dallas County →