Texas fire extinguisher tag requirements and licensing, in plain words

What a Texas service tag must show

Section 34.520(a) sets the basic duty: "After any service, the licensee must complete a service tag in detail, indicating all work that done, and then attach the tag to the portable or fixed system in such a position as to permit convenient inspection and not hamper its actuation or operation." It also says what the signature means: "The signature of the licensee on the service tag certifies that the service performed complies with requirements of law." Under 34.520(b), a new tag must be attached "each time service is performed."

Section 34.520(c) lists ten items every service tag must carry, in the format of the sample tag in subsection (g):

1. "DO NOT REMOVE BY ORDER OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL" (all capital letters, at least 10-point boldface type)
2. Firm's name, address, and telephone number
3. Firm's certificate-of-registration number
4. Licensee's name and license number
5. Licensee's signature ("a stamped signature is prohibited")
6. Month and year (to be punched)
7. Type of work (to be punched)
8. Service performed
9. Name and address of owner or occupant
10. Extinguisher type, size, and location

Two items are easy to miss on a busy route: the signature must be the licensee's own, and a stamp is not allowed, and the month, year and type of work are punched, not written in.

Tag size, color, printing and adhesive labels

The rule references a sample tag layout as an attached graphic in subsection (g). If you are ordering tags from a printer, compare the proof against that graphic in the official code, since the required items must appear "in the format of the tag shown."

Other things that end up on the tag or the unit

• Tamper seals, 34.517(j): after operating the pull pin during maintenance, "the flag of the new tamper seal must bear the year it was attached. The date must be imprinted or embossed on the flag of the new tamper seal. Dates applied with a marker are not allowed."
• Kitchen hood fusible links, 34.517(h): replacement links must carry a manufacturer's date stamp within one year of the replacement date, and "The year of manufacture, temperature, and quantity for new fusible links must be listed on the service tag under service performed."
• Apprentices, 34.512(e): an apprentice permit holder may assist under the licensee's direct supervision, "however, the licensee must sign all documents requiring the licensee's signature." An apprentice cannot sign the tag.

Red tags for impaired equipment

When an extinguisher or system is unsafe or inoperable, section 34.521 requires a red tag instead of a service tag. Red tags are the same size as service tags and must read "DO NOT REMOVE--EQUIPMENT IMPAIRED" in capital letters, with the firm's name and address, registration number, licensee name and number, licensee signature (no stamp), the date, the list of impairments, and the owner or occupant's name and address.

A service tag "must not be attached until the impairments have been corrected or the portable extinguisher or fixed system is replaced" and re-inspected. Only an authorized employee of a registered firm who has corrected the impairments and certified the service, a State Fire Marshal's Office employee, or an employee of another governmental agency with regulatory authority may remove a red tag (34.521(d)).

Firm registration and individual licenses

Texas licenses both the company and the technician. Under 34.510(a), "Each firm and each branch office engaged in the business must obtain a certificate of registration from the state fire marshal." A separate Type C registration is required for hydrostatic testing of U.S. DOT specification cylinders (34.510(c)). Under 34.511(e)(1), a licensee "must not engage in any act of the business unless employed by a registered firm and holding an unexpired license."

Under 34.511(e)(4), a Type A or Type K license is not issued unless the person has held an apprentice permit or a Type B license for at least six months, or has held a license to service fixed extinguisher systems for at least six months in another state. For shops that also do kitchen hood suppression, that means a Type K license comes after at least six months on a Type B license or apprentice permit.

The TDI licensing page describes the testing. Every license type needs the Extinguisher Statutes and Rules test (TFM01). Type B adds the TFM02 technical test, based on NFPA 10. Type K adds TFM02 and TFM03 (NFPA 10, 17A and 96). Type A adds TFM02, TFM03 and TFM04, and Type PL needs NICET Level III instead of the TFM technical tests. TDI says all tests are closed book with 50 true/false or multiple choice questions, and a passing score is 70 percent or better. Certain ICC and NAFED certifications can replace the Type B, K and A technical exams, the apprentice permit has no test, and applicants need a fingerprint background check if none is on file. Check the TDI page for current forms and steps before applying.

Shop and vehicle requirements

• Shop, 34.510(e): a registered firm must maintain a shop, fixed or mobile, and keep at minimum "a copy of the most recently adopted edition of NFPA 10," a copy of Insurance Code Chapter 6001 and the chapter's rules, manufacturer manuals or parts lists, a portable scale, seals or tamper indicators, and temporary replacement extinguishers. Extra equipment is listed for CO2 maintenance, internal maintenance, hydrostatic testing and fixed systems.
• Vehicles, 34.510(f): vehicles used regularly in the business must display the company name, telephone number and certificate of registration number in letters at least one inch high on each side, with the number in the format "TX ECR-number."

NFPA 10 adoption in Texas

Section 34.507 adopts NFPA standards by reference. For portables, the adopted edition is "NFPA 10-2018, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers." The same section adopts NFPA 17A-2021 (wet chemical systems) and NFPA 96-2021 (commercial cooking operations), which matter for hood work. The section was last amended effective September 1, 2023.

Section 34.517(a)(1) says portables must be serviced per the manufacturer's instructions and the adopted standards, "except when the installation or servicing complies with a standard that has been adopted by the political subdivision in which the system is installed." In practice, a city or county that has adopted a different edition can control, so ask the local fire marshal which edition they enforce.

NFPA 10 is a copyrighted standard. Texas adopts it by reference rather than reprinting it, and 34.507 points to the NFPA website (www.nfpa.org) for copies. Unless a local adoption says otherwise, the 2018 edition is the one Texas rules point to for portable service.