Who is authorized to remove a red tag?

• A. The building owner or owner's representative
• B. An authorized employee of a registered firm
• C. An authorized representative of a governmental agency
• D. An authorized employee of a registered firm or an authorized representative of a governmental agency

Answer: (D)

A red tag is a control mark that indicates the sprinkler system or part of it is out of service for safety reasons, and removal should only happen after proper verification and restoration. In Texas, the authority to remove that tag rests with someone who has formal approval to re-energize the system: either an authorized employee of a registered fire protection firm, or an authorized representative of a governmental agency (the AHJ). This dual path ensures that repairs and testing are performed by qualified personnel or officially approved authorities before the system is put back into service, maintaining life-safety standards. A building owner or their representative generally lacks the required official authorization, so they aren’t the designated tag-removal party.