Guide · Data
Fire protection licensing by the numbers
Every number here is computed from state licensing records, re-pulled weekly. Last updated October 26, 2026.
4,121Licensed companies
4,769Active company licenses and registrations
873Cities with a licensed company
356Licenses expiring in the next 90 days
+1 / −12Added / lapsed in the latest refresh
12Companies lapsed since we started tracking
Changes over time
A trend chart appears here after 10 weekly refreshes (2 so far). Each refresh so far:
| Refresh | Active companies | Active licenses | Added | Lapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 26, 2026 | 4,121 | 4,769 | +1 | −12 |
| October 24, 2026 (launch) | 4,132 | 4,783 | +0 | −0 |
Texas
Source: Texas Department of Insurance, State Fire Marshal's Office, retrieved October 26, 2026.
1,908Licensed companies (109 based out of state)
2,556Active registrations
392Cities with a company headquartered there
169Companies with more than one Texas location
16,247Individual licenses listed on company records (median 2 per company)
202Expiring in the next 90 days
Where the licenses are
Top 15 cities by active registrations
Companies by service
10% of Texas companies are licensed for all 3 services; 79% for just one.
Registrations by type
California
Source: California Contractors State License Board (CSLB), retrieved October 26, 2026. California listings cover CSLB C-16 Fire Protection contractors (sprinkler and fixed suppression systems). Fire alarm and portable extinguisher companies are not yet included.
2,213Licensed companies (106 based out of state)
2,213Active licenses
481Cities with a company headquartered there
154Expiring in the next 90 days
Where the licenses are
Top 15 cities by active licenses
How these numbers are counted
- Only active licenses count. A company whose license no longer appears in state records is "lapsed": it leaves every count here but keeps its page.
- City figures use each company's headquarters, so branch offices don't double count. Map positions come from U.S. Census place and ZIP code centroids.
- "Expiring in the next 90 days" counts licenses whose expiration date is within 90 days of the last refresh; most are renewed before they lapse.
- The data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. The full dataset is at /api/v1/.
Frequently asked questions
- How many licensed fire protection companies are there?
- As of October 26, 2026, 4,121 companies hold an active state fire protection license in the states we cover: 1,908 in Texas and 2,213 in California.
- Which Texas city has the most fire protection companies?
- Houston: 155 licensed companies are headquartered there, holding 228 active SFMO registrations. Next are San Antonio (90), Dallas (68), Austin (50).
- How many fire alarm, sprinkler and extinguisher companies are licensed in Texas?
- 1,062 fire alarm, 644 fire sprinkler and 655 fire extinguisher companies hold active SFMO registrations. 10% hold all three.
- How many C-16 fire protection contractors are licensed in California?
- 2,213 contractors hold an active, clear CSLB C-16 Fire Protection license; 2,107 are based in California. The most are in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Glendale.
- How often do fire protection licenses lapse?
- In the latest weekly refresh, 12 companies dropped out of state records and 1 was added. 356 active licenses expire within 90 days, though most are renewed in time.