Food Handlers Card Texas: Cost, Rules & How to Get One
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Texas requires food employees to complete an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting work, and the certificate is valid for two years. Unlike most states, the card is genuinely portable: once an accredited program issues it, every local health authority in Texas has to accept it.
Then there is Fort Worth, where the city ordinance says seven days.
That gap is the reason to read past the state rule. Texas spent the last two legislative sessions stripping local food handler rules out of the code, and the cleanup is not finished — one major city still advertises a certificate it says it stopped issuing.
The statewide rule
25 TAC §228.31 requires all food employees to complete an accredited food handler training course within 30 days of employment, with certificates kept on the premises. A “food employee” is anyone working with unpackaged food, food equipment, utensils or food-contact surfaces.
Validity comes from 25 TAC §229.178: “A food handler certificate issued by an accredited food handler program shall be valid for two years.” If the card shows an expiration date, that date governs; if it shows none, the two-year default applies from issuance.
The course itself is short by statute — Texas Health and Safety Code §438.0431 caps course length at two hours.
Exemptions come from the DSHS food handler FAQ. Fully exempt: anyone already holding a Certified Food Manager credential, establishments serving only prepackaged food, and temporary food establishments under DSHS jurisdiction. Conditionally exempt while supervised: volunteers, people with an intellectual disability, participants in rehabilitation or correctional programs, activities-of-daily-living aides, and staff distributing pre-portioned food in settings like classrooms and day cares.
Statewide recognition, and the laws that enforce it
Texas Health and Safety Code §438.046(b-1) grants statewide reciprocity to DSHS- or ANSI-accredited cards. Subsection (c) goes further: a local health jurisdiction “may not charge a fee or require or issue a local food handler card” to someone who already holds an accredited certificate.
The legislature tightened this again with SB 1008, effective September 1, 2025, which limits local permits and certifications to what DSHS itself would require, and bars local food manager card requirements and fees.
The practical effect: if a Texas city tells you to buy its own card on top of your accredited one, that instruction is on shaky legal ground. Ask them to cite their authority.
Where the cities still differ
| City | What it requires now |
|---|---|
| Austin | Nothing extra. “Food handlers and Food Managers are no longer required to register their course completion with the City of Austin.” State-accredited training only |
| Fort Worth | Ordinance §16-141 requires a DSHS-approved class within seven days of starting work, not thirty. The city runs its own class at $16 for a two-year certificate |
| Dallas | No general city card. A city course is required only after an inspection score of 70 or below, a 71–79 score with critical violations on reinspection, repeat identical critical violations, or a confirmed foodborne illness. $55, non-refundable |
| Houston | Ended its own handler and manager courses effective September 1, 2025, and repealed its food ordinance chapter in favor of the state rules |
| San Antonio | One Certified Food Manager on duty; DSHS or ANSI training, certificate posted. No separate city handler card |
Two of those rows carry live contradictions worth knowing about before you spend money.
Fort Worth’s seven-day deadline and its mandatory city “Food Manager’s Card” were re-adopted in an ordinance amended in April 2025 — months before SB 1008 took effect. No city page acknowledges the new state law. If you work in Fort Worth, follow the seven-day timeline (it costs you nothing to be early) but ask before paying for a city-specific manager card.
Houston’s permitting site still lists a city food service manager certificate at $92.69 plus a $13.24 administrative fee, citing a chapter the health department says was repealed. Treat that listing as stale and confirm with the Houston Health Department before paying it.
Certified Food Manager: the other credential
25 TAC §229.177 requires each permitted food establishment to employ one certified food manager, with exemptions including prepackaged-only operations and child care facilities. §228.31 adds that the certified manager must be present during all hours of operation, with the original certificate posted conspicuously.
DSHS states the certification is valid for five years. Worth flagging: §229.172 also sets a $10 fee for a two-year renewal certificate and defers effective dates to Conference for Food Protection standards, so the five-year figure and the two-year renewal certificate coexist in the sources without being reconciled. Ask DSHS which applies to your certificate before assuming.
What it costs
DSHS publishes no student price and sets no cap. This is a genuine difference from California, where a $15 ceiling is written into statute. In Texas, what you pay is what the accredited provider charges.
The fees DSHS does publish are what it charges the training companies: a $600 two-year program license for food handler programs, $300 to amend, $100 late. Certified Food Manager programs run the same $600, with a $10 renewal certificate and $15 replacement certificate. Test-site licenses range from $400 for a single site to $2,000 for more than ten.
Accredited providers on the DSHS online course list include 360training/Learn2Serve, StateFoodSafety, ServSafe Food Handler, eFoodHandlers and TAP Series. The classroom list includes the City of Fort Worth Code Compliance, the Houston Health Department, Harris County Public Health and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Check the list before you pay. A certificate from a program that is not on it does not carry the statewide recognition that makes the Texas card useful.
Lost your card?
Contact the training provider that issued it. DSHS does not hold individual completion records for replacement purposes — the accredited program does.
Where to confirm
DSHS Public Sanitation and Retail Food Safety Unit: [email protected], 512-834-6753. Licensing questions: [email protected], 512-834-6727.
For how Texas compares with states that have no worker requirement at all, see our food handler card requirements by state, and try the free practice quiz before you sit any accredited course.
FAQ
How much does a Texas food handler card cost?
There is no state price cap and no state fee. Cost is whatever the accredited provider charges. Fort Worth’s city class is published at $16.
How long is a Texas food handler card good for?
Two years from issuance, unless a different expiration date is printed on the card.
Do I need a new card if I change jobs?
No. An accredited card is recognized statewide and travels with you, not with the employer.
Does an out-of-state card work in Texas?
If it came from an ANSI-accredited program, Texas grants reciprocity. Confirm your issuer’s accreditation before relying on it.
Can a Texas city require its own card on top of the state one?
Health and Safety Code §438.046(c) says no for anyone holding an accredited certificate, and SB 1008 reinforced that limit in 2025. Some city pages have not caught up.