Fire protection.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-233
in effectSec. 42-233. - Fire protection.
(a) Fire hydrants shall be located along each private street in a manner that will allow fire fighting apparatus to park and connect by hose to a hydrant not more than 300 feet away and reach any part of any building within the development with a 200-foot long hose extending from the equipment. The hose distance shall be measured as laid on the ground, around buildings, fences and other obstacles, and not as an aerial radius from a hydrant or parked equipment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, fire hydrants shall be located not more than 600 feet apart, unless the fire chief approves a different configuration where, in his professional judgement, fire protection needs can be adequately provided.
(b) If a multi-family residential building will be constructed over and across a private street, the unobstructed overhead clearance of the multi-family residential building shall be not less than 14 feet measured between the highest point of the private street paving under the building and the lowest part of the building or associated parts thereof.
(c) The fire chief shall review and approve each development plat that provides for one or more multi-family residential buildings and shall provide the director with recommendations regarding the adequacy of the design of the development to provide sufficient emergency access to all buildings by firefighters and fire fighting equipment, considering the kinds of equipment and methods of fire-fighting in use by the fire department of the city, the location of buildings in the proposed development and their relationship to existing and proposed fire hydrants and any other factors that may affect the safety and general welfare of the public and the occupants of the buildings to be constructed.
(Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH42SUDEPL_ARTIIIPLST_DIV6MUMIREDE_S42-233FIPRFetched: 10/26/2026