Fire Marshal's Office
Inspections and Businesses
Fire inspections
We conduct regular fire inspections of businesses and enforce the International Fire Code. To request an inspection, submit the application to the Fire Marshal's Office at fmo@cockrellhillfire.org.
Application for Fire InspectionPDF.Fees must be paid before the inspection, and your requested date is not set until we confirm it. An adult with keys to every area of the building, including locked rooms, riser rooms, and alarm panels, must be on site. Construction inspections require the contractor to be on site.
Before your inspection, walk through our pre-inspection checklist for the most common problems we find: blocked exits, expired extinguisher tags, missing exit signs, extension cords used as permanent wiring, and storage too close to sprinklers or electrical panels.
Operational permits
Some activities and occupancies need an operational permit from the Fire Marshal's Office, such as hot work (welding, cutting, and torch-applied roofing), carnivals and fairs, amusement buildings, compressed gas storage, and kiosks or displays in mall common areas.
Email your completed application to fmo@cockrellhillfire.org. Fees are due when you apply, and issued permits must be posted where they can be seen.
Which permits you need, what to submit, the fee, and the rules for each permit are in our Operational Permit Guide.
Plan review and fire code
We review construction plans so new projects meet fire and life safety standards. Building permits and plans are submitted online through the City's permit portal (iWorQ) (external site). Contractors may also need a Contractor Fire Permit from the Fire Marshal's Office.
Contractor Fire Permit ApplicationPDF.Fire plans go to the City's approved third-party review firm, and a PDF set of plans, cut sheets, and calculations goes to fmo@cockrellhillfire.org. Commercial fire permits need both. Work may not begin until plans are approved and the permit is issued. The application lists the review firm and what to send.
Cockrell Hill adopted the 2024 International Fire Code and the other 2024 International Codes, effective May 19, 2026. Projects submitted before that date stay under the 2018 codes for the life of their permit. You can read the 2024 codes free online (external site).
For building permits, Certificates of Occupancy, and inspection scheduling, contact City Administration at 214-330-6333 (Option 1 for Administration) or see City permits (external site).
Business emergency contacts
When there is a fire, alarm, break-in, or water leak at your business after hours, the Cockrell Hill Fire Department uses this form to reach someone who can respond and to know what is inside the building. Send an updated form whenever the information changes.
Business Emergency Contact InformationPDF.Email it to contact@cockrellhillfire.org, drop it off at 4125 W. Clarendon Drive, or call 214-330-6357 and we will pick it up.
Ordering a KnoxBox
The City of Cockrell Hill Fire Code requires certain commercial buildings to have a KnoxBox rapid entry system. The secure box holds building keys so firefighters can get in right away during an emergency, without forcing doors or breaking windows. The standard model for most businesses is the KnoxBox 3200 Series.
Choose Cockrell Hill, not Dallas
Select the right fire department when you order. Cockrell Hill is surrounded by Dallas, but we are a separate city with a separate fire department. Do not select "Dallas Fire & Rescue Dept." Their keys will not open your box. You must select "Cockrell Hill Fire Dept." A box keyed for Dallas is useless in an emergency, and you will have to buy a replacement at your own expense.
How to order
- Go to knoxbox.com and select the red BUY button at the top right.
- In the search, choose Texas as your location and type Cockrell Hill as the local fire department or agency.
- Select the entry labeled "Cockrell Hill Fire Dept, Dallas, TX." Check that the next page lists Cockrell Hill Fire Dept as the agency.
- Choose Commercial KnoxBoxes, then the KnoxBox 3200.
- Choose your options: surface mount (bolts to the wall) or recess mount (set into the wall during construction); black, aluminum, or dark bronze; and an optional tamper switch that connects to your alarm system.
- Check out. The box ships to you unlocked.
Before you install it
Do not mount the box when it arrives.
- Keep the box in its shipping container and gather the master keys you plan to put inside.
- Contact the Fire Marshal's Office as soon as it arrives to schedule a pre-install check.
- A Fire Marshal's Office or Fire Department representative will visit to confirm you received a Cockrell Hill box, test your building keys on the required doors, and mark the mounting location required by code.
- Once the location is marked and the box is verified, mount it. We will come back to lock your keys inside.
Schedule your pre-install check: 214-330-6333 (option 1) or fmo@cockrellhillfire.org