2.1 Registration Certificates: Main Office, Branch Office and Single Station
Key Takeaways
- An individual or organization may not engage in the business of planning, certifying, leasing, selling, installing, servicing, monitoring, or maintaining fire alarm or fire detection devices or systems without a registration certificate issued by the department (§ 6002.151(a)).
- The department may issue a limited registration certificate to a firm whose business is restricted to monitoring (§ 6002.151(b)).
- Each separate office location other than the one on the firm's certificate must have a branch office registration certificate (§ 6002.152(a)).
- A firm engaged exclusively in single station devices is not required to obtain a branch office certificate for a separate office or location (§ 6002.152(c)).
- Every registered firm must employ at least one employee who is a fire alarm technician, residential fire alarm superintendent, or fire alarm planning superintendent (§ 6002.154(a)), and at least one full-time licensed individual at each main or branch office (28 TAC § 34.613(a)(4)).
Why This Section Matters
Texas separates the company credential from the person credential. The company credential is the certificate of registration, universally called the ACR (Alarm Certificate of Registration) in the field and on SFMO forms. A licensed technician with no registered employer cannot lawfully perform any act of the business — 28 TAC § 34.611(f)(1) says so directly.
1. The Three Registration Types
| Type | Statutory / rule basis | Scope | Initial fee | Two-year renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Registration (ACR) | § 6002.151(a); 28 TAC § 34.610 | Full fire alarm business: plan, certify, lease, sell, service, install, monitor, maintain | $500 | $1,000 |
| Branch Office Certificate (ACR – Branch) | § 6002.152; § 34.610(f) | Each separate office location of a registered firm doing the same business | $150 (not prorated) | $300 |
| Certificate of Registration – Single Station (ACR-SS) | § 6002.151(b) via limited certificate; § 34.613(a)(8) | Exclusively single station devices | $250 | $500 |
Branch office certificates expire and renew on the same date as the main office certificate (§ 34.610(f)), and existing branches were realigned to that date with prorated fees under § 34.610(i). The single-station firm pays no branch office initial or renewal fee (§ 34.614(c)(2)(E)–(F)) because § 6002.152(c) exempts it from branch certificates entirely.
2. The Designated Employee Requirement
Two provisions work together:
- § 6002.154(a): Each registered firm — including a firm engaged exclusively in single station devices — must employ at least one employee who is a fire alarm technician (FAL), a residential fire alarm superintendent (RAS), or a fire alarm planning superintendent (APS).
- 28 TAC § 34.613(a)(4): A registered firm must employ at least one full-time licensed individual at each location of a main or branch office.
Common misconception. An ACR does not require an APS. FAL, RAS, or APS all satisfy § 6002.154(a). What an ACR firm cannot do without an APS or RAS is plan systems — § 34.619(a) requires planning by an APS, an RAS (as applicable), or a Texas registered professional engineer. A Residential Fire Alarm Technician (RAL) license alone is not enough to support a certificate of registration.
Monitoring firms have an extra staffing rule
28 TAC § 34.616(c)(3): a registered firm must employ at least one technician licensee at each central station location. Each dispatcher at the central station is not required to be a fire alarm technician licensee. Section 34.613(a)(7) also requires an applicant that engages in monitoring to identify each monitoring location and the name and license number of the licensee at each — and that licensee may not serve in that capacity for any other registered firm.
3. What Must Accompany a Registration Application (28 TAC § 34.613(a))
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Correct form | Fire Alarm Certificate of Registration Application, Form SF031 (renewal: Form SF084), adopted by reference in § 34.630 |
| Signatures | Sole proprietor, each partner of a partnership, or an officer of a corporation |
| Assumed name | Evidence of compliance with the Assumed Business or Professional Name Act (Bus. & Com. Code ch. 71) |
| Inspection authorization | Written authorization allowing the state fire marshal or a representative to enter, examine, and inspect any premises used by the applicant while engaged in the business |
| Corporate documents | Each shareholder owning more than 25% of shares; corporate taxpayer ID; charter number; corporate charter (or Texas certificate of authority for a foreign corporation); current franchise tax certificate showing active status |
| Insurance | Evidence of an acceptable general liability policy on file (see § 2.2) |
| Monitoring | Locations, licensee names and license numbers, evidence of central-station listing or certification by an approved laboratory, and a statement that monitoring complies with NFPA 72 as adopted in § 34.607 |
| Single station | A signed statement that the firm exclusively engages in single station device business |
| Completeness | An application must be complete within 180 days of the SFMO's receipt of the initial application or a new application and fees are required (§ 34.613(e)) |
4. Certificates Are Not Transferable
Section 6002.161 states flatly: a registration certificate or license issued under this chapter is not transferable. 28 TAC § 34.612 adds that altering a certificate, license, or approval renders it invalid and is a basis for administrative action under § 6002.302. Approvals (instructor and training school) are likewise non-transferable under § 34.611(g).
This is why a change of ownership is handled as a new application, not an assignment — see § 2.4.
5. Applying the Rules
Scenario 1. A licensed FAL wants to start his own company and work as a one-person shop. → He needs both an individual FAL license and a certificate of registration for the company. He satisfies § 6002.154(a) himself, and § 34.613(a)(4) because he is the full-time licensed individual at the single location. He cannot plan systems; he must obtain plans from an APS, an RAS (residential), or a Texas PE.
Scenario 2. A registered firm in Houston opens a warehouse and dispatch office in San Antonio doing the same business. → A branch office certificate is required (§ 6002.152(a)), at $150 initial, and it will expire on the same date as the Houston certificate. San Antonio also needs its own full-time licensed individual (§ 34.613(a)(4)).
Scenario 3. A firm sells and installs only single-station smoke alarms in one- and two-family homes and opens a second sales office. → No branch certificate required (§ 6002.152(c)), and no branch fee (§ 34.614(c)(2)(E)). The firm still needs an ACR-SS, the exclusivity statement under § 34.613(a)(8), and supervision of exempt employees by an RAS-SS, RAS, or APS under § 34.616(a)(1).
Which individual license types satisfy the requirement in § 6002.154(a) that a registered firm employ at least one qualifying licensee?
A registered firm that deals exclusively in single station devices opens a second office in another city. What does Chapter 6002 require?
Under 28 TAC § 34.613, within what period must a registration or license application be completed after the State Fire Marshal's Office receives the initial application?