Texas Food Handler Card Requirements

Texas Health and Safety Code Section 438.046, the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) Section 228.31, and 25 Texas Administrative Code Section 229.178 set out exactly who must hold a food handler card, on what timeline, and for how long. This page lays out the full requirement, the narrow exemptions, and what happens when a Texas city or county adds its own rules on top. See the DSHS food handler laws and regulations page for the regulator's own text.

What Are Texas Food Handler Card Requirements?

The course itself has a ceiling, not a floor: DSHS accreditation standards cap an accredited food handler course at no more than 2 hours, but there is no statutory minimum hour count, so a provider can run a shorter course as long as it covers the required content. Most accredited online courses run close to the full 2 hours in practice.

Who Must Get a Texas Food Handler Card?

Anyone who handles unpackaged food, food-contact equipment, or food-contact surfaces must hold a food handler card, including cooks, servers, dishwashers, bartenders who also handle food, and cashiers at a food counter, under TFER Section 228.31(d). This reaches essentially every front-line employee at a restaurant, food truck, bar kitchen, catering operation, convenience store food counter, or school cafeteria. It does not reach employees who only handle pre-packaged food that is not opened, repackaged, or prepared on-site, since those roles do not touch unpackaged food or food-contact surfaces in the way the rule covers.

A single food handler card covers the employee, not the establishment: a worker who changes jobs between two Texas food establishments does not need a new card as long as the existing card has not expired. An establishment does, however, need to confirm each new hire's card status and keep a record on file, since the burden of proof in an inspection falls on the employer, not the employee.

What Is the Deadline to Get a Texas Food Handler Card After Hire?

Texas Health and Safety Code Section 438.046 and TFER Section 228.31(d) require a covered food employee to complete an accredited food handler course within 30 days of their first day of employment, not before the job starts. The clock starts on the employee's actual start date, not on the date the job offer was made or accepted. An employer that lets an employee work past the 30-day mark without a completed card is out of compliance and risks a citation from the local health jurisdiction during a routine inspection.

Because the course is inexpensive and typically takes under 2 hours online, most employers ask new hires to complete it during onboarding week rather than waiting until the deadline approaches. See how the enrollment-to-card process works for a step-by-step walkthrough of what to expect.

Who Is Exempt From the Texas Food Handler Requirement?

Certified Food Protection Managers are exempt from separately holding a food handler card, and pre-packaged-only establishments or certain Temporary Food Establishments may qualify for narrow exemptions under TFER Section 228.31, but most employees have no exemption available. A Certified Food Manager (CFM) certificate is a separate, higher-tier credential; holding one exempts that individual employee from the food handler card requirement personally, but it does not exempt anyone else at the same establishment. See food handler card vs. food manager certificate for the full comparison of the two credentials.

Exemptions are narrow by design, and an employee or employer unsure whether a specific exemption applies should confirm directly with DSHS or the local health jurisdiction rather than assume one applies, since an incorrectly claimed exemption is treated the same as never completing the requirement at all during an inspection.

How Long Does a Texas Food Handler Card Stay Valid?

A Texas food handler card is valid for 2 years from its date of issuance under 25 Texas Administrative Code Section 229.178, after which the employee must repeat an accredited course; there is no renewal-by-attestation option. The 2-year clock runs from the completion date on the certificate, not from the hire date, so an employee who completes the course on day 5 of employment has a card valid through the same date two years later.

There is no partial-credit or shortened refresher course for renewal: a lapsed or expiring food handler card is replaced the same way the original one was earned, by completing a full accredited course again. See how Texas food handler cards get renewed for what to expect when a card is close to expiring.

Can a Texas City Add Stricter Food Handler Rules?

Yes, a Texas city or county may add stricter local food safety rules on top of the state minimum, but no city may charge a separate fee or require its own local food handler card under Section 438.046(c). Local jurisdictions frequently layer additional requirements onto food establishments, such as requiring a manager to be on-site during specific operating hours, but they cannot invent a second, incompatible food handler credential or bill the worker for recognizing an accredited card that already satisfies state law.

This distinction matters for a worker moving between Texas cities: an accredited food handler card earned in one Texas city remains valid statewide, and no new city can force a duplicate card or charge a duplicate fee simply because the employee changed jobs to a different jurisdiction.

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Frequently asked questions

Regulator: Texas Department of State Health Services.Facts on this page were last verified 2026-09-14. Next scheduled review 2027-03-14.