Relating to the offense of failure to comply with an order from a fire marshal and the authority of certain county peace officers to issue citations for certain violations; changing a criminal penalty.

HB 716 changes penalties for failing to follow fire marshal orders and grants specific county peace officers authority to issue citations for fire safety violations. It upgrades penalties: first-time violations become Class B misdemeanors (previously Class C), with Class A misdemeanors if injury/death occurs and state jail felonies for two or more prior violations. The bill also allows peace officers certified as fire inspectors in large counties (population 4 million+) or adjacent counties to issue citations for fire safety violations in unincorporated areas. These citations apply only to violations under Section 352.022 or fire safety orders by county commissioners courts. The bill directly affects property owners/occupants who ignore fire safety orders and county peace officers in designated jurisdictions.