8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Travis County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Travis County Fire Marshal permits recreational fire pits in unincorporated areas with 25-foot clearance from structures and combustible vegetation. Pits must be under 3 feet diameter and contained by non-combustible ring. Gas/propane pits exempt from burn bans; wood-burning pits prohibited during Commissioners Court burn bans, common in Hill Country summers.
Fireworks sales and use in unincorporated Travis County are governed by TX Occupations Code Ch. 2154. Commissioners Court routinely restricts or prohibits certain fireworks (missiles with fins, skyrockets with sticks) during drought under HSC 352.051. Legal periods: June 24-July 4 and Dec 20-Jan 1. Austin city limits ban all consumer fireworks.
Travis County recommends 30-foot defensible space around structures in WUI zones per Texas A&M Forest Service Firewise guidelines. No county-wide mandatory brush clearance ordinance exists, but ESDs and some MUDs (Steiner Ranch, Lakeway area) have adopted local clearance standards. Cedar (Ashe juniper) removal is strongly encouraged within 100 feet of homes.
Outdoor burning in unincorporated Travis County is governed by TCEQ 30 TAC 111.219 and Commissioners Court burn ban orders. Burn bans are in effect most summers (typically May-October) when KBDI exceeds 575. Burning household garbage, construction debris, and wire insulation is prohibited year-round. Permits required for land-clearing burns.
TCEQ — Outdoor Burning (30 TAC Ch. 111, Subch. B)
Outdoor Burning Information and resources for outdoor burning in Texas. [...] Outdoor Burning Brochure Answers to Some Burning Questions-Do's and Don'ts for Outdoor Burning at Your Residence Small Business and Local Government Assistance Home Air Compliance Resources
Western Travis County (Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, Spicewood, Bee Cave, Lago Vista) sits in the Hill Country Wildland-Urban Interface documented by TAMU Forest Service. The 2011 Steiner Ranch fire destroyed 23 homes; the same year Bastrop Complex fire (adjacent county) destroyed 1,660 homes. Insurers increasingly require defensible space and Class A roofing in these areas.
Smoke detector requirements follow Texas Property Code Ch. 92 for rental dwellings (landlord must install and maintain one in each bedroom and hallway). Owner-occupied homes in unincorporated Travis County have no county-level requirement, but state fire code encourages compliance. STR operators must meet TX 2015 IRC smoke alarm standards.
Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.254-92.255
Sec. 92.255. INSTALLATION AND LOCATION. (a) A landlord shall install at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom in a dwelling unit. In addition: (1) if the dwelling unit is designed to use a single smoke alarm to provide alarms for more than one bedroom, the landlord shall comply with recognized standards regarding placement... Sec. 92.254. SMOKE ALARM. (a) A smoke alarm must be: (1) des...
Backyard recreational fires in unincorporated Travis County must comply with TCEQ 30 TAC 111.219 and active Commissioners Court burn bans. Wood fires require 25-foot clearance, continuous attendance, water/extinguisher, and prohibited during burn bans. Propane chimineas and gas fire pits exempt from burn bans and recommended in WUI areas.
TCEQ — Outdoor Burning (30 TAC Ch. 111, Subch. B)
Outdoor Burning Information and resources for outdoor burning in Texas. [...] Outdoor Burning Brochure Answers to Some Burning Questions-Do's and Don'ts for Outdoor Burning at Your Residence Small Business and Local Government Assistance Home Air Compliance Resources
Propane and other LP-gas storage in Travis County is regulated under Texas Railroad Commission rules and the International Fire Code as adopted by local Emergency Services Districts, with strict tank-spacing and permit requirements.
1 cities in Travis County have their own fire regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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