Princeton has formally moved to end its fire service contract for areas outside city limits. The original termination date was Oct. 1, 2025, but Council extended coverage through November 2025 to give Collin County time to finalize a long-term plan.
Inside city limits, Princeton Fire Department operations continue as normal.
Why an ESD Is on the Ballot
An Emergency Services District, or ESD, is a local taxing district created by voters to fund and manage fire and EMS coverage in unincorporated areas where no city department provides full service.
As Princeton, McKinney, and Farmersville step away from county fire contracts, Collin County placed Emergency Services District No. 1, or ESD-1, on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot to fund fire and EMS in unincorporated areas.
The measure would create a permanent countywide system for rural fire protection with its own local funding source and board oversight.
What the ESD Does
- Funding: up to $0.10 per $100 valuation, capped by state law
- Model: contracts with existing city fire departments instead of building new ones
- Boundaries: includes unincorporated areas and ETJs that consent to join
- Governance: a five-member board appointed and overseen by the Commissioners Court
Commissioner Darrell Hale told The Princeton Journal:
“I really can’t take a pro or con position on the ESD vote as Commissioner. However, I can comment that the state legislature created the ESD laws so that citizens can solve a problem to provide for fire and EMS service much along the lines they do for providing water services through SUDs. We are doing our duty to bring forward a vote on the ESD after being petitioned by the citizens. The best thing about this vote is that it represents the will of those that are in the ESD area voting. I trust the voters to make the best vote for themselves.”
Who Is Affected
- Inside Princeton city limits: no change. Princeton Fire Department continues normal service.
- Outside city limits: Princeton Fire Department coverage continues through November 2025, then transitions under county or ESD management. Officials say no area will be left without coverage.
- Special districts or MUDs: some already have separate contracts, and residents should verify their subdivision’s arrangement.
Key Dates
- Now through November 2025: Princeton continues rural coverage under the temporary extension while the county finalizes assignments.
- Nov. 4, 2025: ESD-1 election for eligible voters in unincorporated and consenting ETJ areas.
- After November: if voters approve the measure, the ESD becomes the permanent funding and contracting framework for rural fire and EMS.
Princeton’s Broader Context
Separately, Princeton’s development moratorium ends Nov. 30, 2025, under HB 2559, which limits future citywide pauses.
The overlap of the moratorium’s end and the ESD vote makes November a pivotal month for how Princeton and Collin County manage growth, infrastructure, and safety going forward.
The Bottom Line
- City residents: no change in service.
- Unincorporated areas: coverage continues through November, then shifts to county or ESD oversight.
- Policy context: both the fire transition and the moratorium’s end signal a new phase of coordinated regional planning between Princeton and Collin County.
November’s vote will decide how fire protection for thousands of county residents is structured for decades to come and how Princeton and Collin County share responsibility for growth and safety in the years ahead.
