Dallas has piloted reflective cool-pavement coatings through the Department of Transportation and Public Works in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods identified by the Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan, but no city ordinance mandates cool pavement on private property or new street construction citywide.
Dallas's Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP, 2020) flagged the urban heat island effect as a priority, with surface temperatures in southern Dallas neighborhoods running several degrees hotter than wealthier northern areas. The Department of Transportation and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability have applied reflective sealcoats on selected streets and parking lots as pilots. There is no Dallas ordinance imposing solar reflectance index minimums on private parking lots or driveways, and no street-design standard requiring cool surfaces. Adoption is grant-funded and voluntary. Cool roof requirements exist separately under Dallas Chapter 53 building code provisions and the Energy Conservation Code.
Because cool pavement is voluntary in Dallas, there are no city penalties tied to using or omitting reflective coatings. Pilot installations must still meet standard Texas Department of Transportation and Public Works specifications and not interfere with stormwater drainage requirements.
Dallas, TX
Dallas City Council adopted Resolution 19-1366 in May 2020 approving the Climate Action and Equity Plan (CECAP). The plan sets a goal of net-zero greenhouse ...
Dallas, TX
Dallas Ordinance 30932 and the city's Procurement Diversity and Sustainability program direct departments to weigh environmental and equity criteria when buy...
Dallas, TX
Dallas's Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan sets urban canopy and heat mitigation goals, including a target of 37 percent tree canopy citywi...
See how Dallas's cool pavement rules stack up against other locations.
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