Dallas, Texas, USA downtown city skyline in the afternoon | Image by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Many Dallas offices and public facilities will close Friday, September 4, for the city’s second mandatory furlough day, followed by another closure Monday, September 7, for Labor Day. The dates fall on either side of the weekend, meaning some in-person municipal services will be unavailable until Tuesday.

Emergency operations and several critical services will continue Friday. Dallas Police, Dallas Fire-Rescue, emergency medical services, sanitation, Dallas Water Utilities, Dallas Love Field, and Dallas Executive Airport will remain operational, according to the city’s detailed September 4 schedule. The city’s original furlough announcement also lists 911 employees among those exempt from the mandatory furloughs.

What Will Close Friday

City Hall will be closed to the public on Friday, including the Dallas Water Utilities customer service lobby. Code Compliance offices, Dallas Park and Recreation administrative offices and facilities — including recreation centers, aquatic facilities, golf courses, and Fair Park — and the Office of Arts and Culture’s administrative and headquarters offices will also close, according to the city’s detailed schedule.

All Dallas Public Library locations will be closed Friday and again Monday, according to the library system’s official closure calendar. Digital materials and other online resources will remain available.

Dallas Animal Services’ administrative offices and shelter will operate during normal hours Friday, although Pet Support intake services will close to the public Tuesday, September 8, to accommodate the furlough. Dallas Municipal Court and Detention Services, WIC clinics, and the Bath House, Oak Cliff, South Dallas, and Latino cultural centers will also remain open Friday, according to the city’s detailed schedule. The Oak Cliff Municipal Center and Planning and Development district offices will maintain normal hours, while the department’s City Hall offices will close.

The city said its online systems will remain available around the clock for water-bill payments, permit submissions, and non-emergency 311 requests. Emergency and essential field operations will continue.

Labor Day Brings Another Round of Closures

The city’s Labor Day schedule, released Wednesday, calls for city offices, Municipal Court, recreation centers, maintenance facilities, public libraries, Office of Arts and Culture administrative offices, and cultural centers to close Monday.

Garbage, recycling, and brush and bulky-item collections will proceed on their normal schedules. The McCommas Bluff Landfill and transfer stations will also maintain regular residential disposal hours.

The Dallas Animal Services shelter will operate during normal business hours Monday, although its administrative offices will close. Animal services officers will continue responding to requests submitted through 311.

The 311 Customer Help Line will remain staffed for reports involving water main breaks, downed trees or limbs, malfunctioning traffic signals, animal control issues, and other service needs, according to the city’s Labor Day schedule. Dallas Water Utilities’ administrative and customer-service offices will be closed, but emergency water requests may be reported through 311.

Furloughs Tied to Financial Shortfall

Friday is the second of three mandatory furlough days announced as Dallas works to address a current-year financial shortfall. The dates are July 10, September 4, and September 28.

Most non-uniformed employees paid through the General Fund must take unpaid leave on those dates and cannot substitute vacation, sick leave, or compensatory time. Certain executives must take two additional unpaid floating furlough days before September 16.

Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, 911 employees, and workers in several enterprise-funded departments are exempt.

“Furloughs are not our preferred solution; however, they enable us to reduce expenses, protect jobs and employee health benefits, and continue delivering services to our residents,” Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said when the city announced the furlough plan in June.

The first furlough day closed City Hall, libraries, Code Compliance offices, and several cultural facilities on July 10, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

The closures come while Dallas considers its next budget. A proposed $5.6 billion fiscal year 2026-27 spending plan was developed after the city identified a projected $50.9 million General Fund shortfall and would eliminate 296 budgeted positions, as reported by The Dallas Express. The Dallas City Council is scheduled to take its final budget vote on September 16.