WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT (ESD)

An Emergency Services District (ESD) is a grassroots government created by voters in an area to fund fire protection, emergency medical services, or both. More than 300 districts are operating in Texas, and more are added at almost every uniform election date. There are more than 310 ESDs in Texas, 32 of which are in Harris County. The governing statute for an ESD is Chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. An ESD collects taxes based on appraisals of real and personal property and usually contracts with a service provider (e.g. Tomball Fire Department).  There are two types of ESDs: one is for fire protection and the other is for emergency medical services (EMS).  ...read more