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State Cert Guide

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Do I need a food handlers card in Texas?

If you handle unpackaged food, food equipment, utensils or food-contact surfaces at work, yes. A few jobs are exempt. Texas says you finish an accredited course within 30 days of starting the job. The place you work has to keep your certificate on site. Pick an accredited course from the state's lists or the ANSI link before you pay.

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The rule, fact by fact

Deadline after hire
Within 30 days of employmentTXDSHS requires this of all food employees under the Texas Food Establishment Rules, section 228.31.
Verified. Texas Department of State Health Services · Food Handler Programs FAQ (opens state website) · checked Nov 12, 2026
Valid for
Until the expiration date on the card. Two years from issue if it has noneLook for an expiration date on your card or certificate. If one is printed, it counts, even if it isn't two years after the issue date.
Same source and date as above
What your certificate shows
Program name, address and a TXDSHS Accreditation License Number or ANSI listingEvery card or certificate has to carry them, so check yours before you hand it in.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check that the rule covers your job. Texas says every food employee has to complete an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting the job. Some people and places are exempt: Certified Food Managers, places that only serve pre-packaged items, and temporary food establishments under the state health department. Volunteers and a few other groups are exempt too, if someone with a card from an accredited course or a Certified Food Manager supervises them.

  2. Step 2. Choose a course from the state's list of accredited online providers or its classroom list, or from the ANSI link on the online list page. A program counts when TXDSHS or ANSI has accredited it. If you can't find an online provider on the state's list or through ANSI, ask the provider if it is accredited, or pick another one.

  3. Step 3. Take the course. Accredited providers may offer it on the internet, so you don't have to sit in a classroom. The state's online list has a column for other languages.

  4. Step 4. Read your certificate before you hand it in. It has to show the program's name and address and either a TXDSHS license number or an ANSI listing. Give your employer a copy, and ask the provider for a replacement if you lose it.

Before you pay

Look for an online provider on the state's online list or through the ANSI link before you enter a card number. For a classroom course, use the state's classroom list.

Ask what the course costs and whether the certificate costs extra. The state's online list has no price column, and we haven't confirmed one.

Check whether the certificate shows an expiration date. If it shows none, it is valid for two years from the day it was issued.

If you already hold a card from another state, find out whether that program was ANSI accredited. Texas gives a card from another state reciprocity if it was.

Questions

How long is a Texas food handlers card good for?

Up to the expiration date printed on it. If your card shows no expiration date, Texas counts it as valid for two years from the day it was issued.

Is a food handlers card a license?

Texas treats it as proof that you finished an accredited course. The state's page calls it a food handler card or certificate, and says regulators recognize it statewide as valid proof of completion.

Does my city or county make me get its own card?

No. If you can show proof of an accredited program, a local health department can't charge you a fee or require or issue a local food handler card for it. That is what the state's page says.

My employer gives its own course. Does it count?

Only for that employer. One entity in a local health jurisdiction may give its own employees a course without accreditation, but the course is only good for that entity's employees and has no statewide reciprocity. If your workplace is under the state health department, not a local one, the course has to be accredited. Ask your employer which one you're taking.

What to do next

Start with the state's list of accredited online providers or its classroom list. Pick one before you pay. Not sure your job is covered? Read the state's questions and answers first.

www.dshs.texas.gov

Sources we read