Texas · ERRCS / BDA requirements
ERRCS requirements in Texas
We have not found a Texas statute that sets ERRCS rules statewide. Cities such as Houston enforce radio coverage through the fire and building codes they adopt, so rules differ by city. Use your city page.
Guidance, not engineering advice. Rules on this page come from the documents listed under Sources. Confirm with your city or county fire marshal (the authority having jurisdiction) before you design, permit or test a system.
Local fire marshals in Texas
Each local AHJ sets its own signal levels and permit steps within the state rules.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Downlink signal | Confidence | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | City | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal | high | Oct 25, 2026 |
Who must comply
| Rule | Effect | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas cities enforce ERRCS through their locally adopted fire and building codes. Houston, for example, cites Sections 510 and 918 of its adopted fire and building codes. | Note | Houston ERCC Guideline (CE-1350), Purpose | City of Houston, Houston Permitting Center |
| Trigger | Published value |
|---|---|
| Minimum building size | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Minimum stories | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Height trigger | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Below-grade areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Building types named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Existing buildings must retrofit | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Compliance deadline | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
This page states no statewide threshold.
Signal and coverage
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum downlink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Minimum uplink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Delivered audio quality (DAQ) | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, general areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, critical areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Critical areas named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Public safety radio bands | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
Set locally.
How coverage is tested
One floor, 20 squares, a radio check in each
- 20 test areas per floorEach floor is divided into a grid of 20 roughly equal areas.IFC 2021 510.5.4
- One test spot per areaA spot near the center stands for the whole area. No extra spots after it is chosen.
- One failed area is allowedMore than one failed area fails the floor. With exactly two, the floor may be re-divided into 40 areas, and up to two non-adjacent failures are allowed.IFC 2021 510.5.4
- Critical areas count moreTypical model-code targets: 95 percent of all areas and 99 percent of critical areas such as stairs and elevator lobbies. Your fire marshal sets the numbers that apply to you.IFC 2021 510.4.1
Illustration: 19 of 20 areas pass, so this floor passes. Some fire departments use other numbers; Miami-Dade, for example, stops an acceptance test below 90 percent of general areas.
Testing
| Test | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance test | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Annual test | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Five-year test | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Coverage assessment interval | Not published in the documents we read; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
Permit and inspection process
Not published; confirm with the fire marshal.
Permits are issued locally. See your city page.
Notes
Pointer page. We add Texas cities only after reading their own documents.
Next step
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Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- Building Code Enforcement, Emergency Responder Communication Coverage (ERCC) Guideline, Form CE-1350 (revised July 2025), City of Houston, Houston Permitting Center