The Travis County Fire Code is part of the official Travis County Code adopted by the Commissioners Court. Additional guidelines can be found on our Permitting and Compliance page.
Penalties for Noncompliance
The Fire Code Penalty Policy (PDF) is designed to match any given violation with an appropriate Fire Code Civil Penalty by quantifying various aspects and circumstances of the violation.
This approach provides flexibility for the Fire Marshal’s office, the County Attorney and the Commissioners Court to address both common types of violations as well as more serious types of violations.
Calculation of a Civil Penalty - Factors
Steps to Determine Civil Penalty
The first step in determining the base civil penalty involves two factors:
- The potential for harm to fire safety practices, human health, or to the regulatory program.
- The extent of deviation from a rule, permit, or statutory requirement, incorporating any number of adjustment factors such as:
- Actions before the violation
- Actions after the violation
- History of noncompliance
- Economic benefit of noncompliance
- Other unique factors
Using Penalty Calculation Matrix
These two considerations (expressed in 8 specific criteria below) determine the seriousness of a violation and are factored into a matrix which yields a numeric rating, corresponding to a specific penalty amount.
The matrix penalty is then multiplied by a number based on the duration of the violation. The resulting figure is the base civil penalty.
Penalty Calculation - Matrix
Download interactive penalty calculation matrix
Harm and Deviation Criteria Points
Preliminary Penalty Factor Points
NONE (0) POSSIBLY (1) PROBABLY (2) DEFINITELY (3)
- Fire Risk? _____
- Human Risk? _____
- Willful or Knowing Violation? _____
- Unresponsive in Correcting Violation? _____
- Improper Operation or Maintenance? _____
- Failure to obtain necessary permits? _____
- Economic Benefit of Noncompliance? _____
- History of noncompliance (referrals)? _____
Referrals: 1st=1pt, 2nd=2pt, 3rd+=3pt
Total Rating Points _____
Harm and Deviation Component Penalties
| Rating | 1-3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penalty | $20.00 | $40.00 | $60.00 | $80.00 | $100.00 |
| Rating | 12-15 | 16-18 | 19-21 | 22-23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penalty | $120.00 | $140.00 | $160.00 | $180.00 | $200.00 |
