The coat of arms of the city of Burghausen is first documented on the seal of a document from 1290. However, this seal was lost. The oldest existing representation of the city seal with the city coat of arms dates back to 1332 and authenticates a foundation deed of the Burghausen hospital. The deed of foundation is located in the city archive of Burghausen.
Coats of arms, flags and official seals of municipalities are national symbols. Coats of arms and flags may therefore only be used by third parties with the permission of the respective municipality. The official description of the coat of arms for Burghausen reads: "In red on a green triple hill, a silver castle with an open golden gate. Three towers, the middle one being taller and wider; the roofs are golden.
In 1255, when the Bavarian state was divided, Burghausen fell to Duke Heinrich von Niederbayern, who developed Burghausen as a residence next to Landshut. The coat of arms shows the importance of Burghausen as a city with a city wall and an open city gate. The Dreiberg was only added to the coat of arms in 1416.
The colors of today's coat of arms of the city have been handed down since 1605. In contrast, the roofs were shown in blue in 1912 and 1964. According to a report by the General Directorate of the Bavarian State Archives from 1977, however, the oldest coat of arms description with the golden roofs is decisive, which has also been valid since then.