Texas Food Handler Card and TABC Requirements

Authority sources verified August 9, 2026. Prices are dated snapshots — each carries the date it was sampled.

Most Texas food employees — people who work with unpackaged food, food equipment, utensils, or food-contact surfaces — must complete an accredited food handler training course within 30 days of employment. That is not guidance; it is Texas Food Establishment Rules §228.31(d), which excepts certified food protection managers and does not apply to temporary food establishments. Subsection (e) of the same rule makes your employer keep a completion certificate on premises for every food employee, so a missed deadline surfaces as an establishment violation at inspection — and most Texas employers will not schedule you until the card is in hand. Accredited food handler courses are advertised from under a dollar. Among the providers below that publish a combined price for both credentials, the cheapest route was $18.95 (checked 2026-07-22) and the dearest $21.24 before tax (checked 2026-08-09); one provider advertises cheaper components but publishes no combined total.

TABC seller/server certification is a different credential, under a different authority, with a different rule: Texas state law does not generally require bartenders or wait staff to hold it. Employers require it anyway, because a license holder only keeps safe-harbor protection if everyone selling, serving or delivering alcohol — and their immediate managers — is certified within 30 days of hire. Two thirty-day clocks, two authorities, one shift — and each course has to be verified on its own official list before you pay, because a provider brand, a bundle name, or the words "state approved" prove nothing about your specific requirement.

• Choose an accredited food handler course, and nothing else, if your Texas job involves unpackaged food, utensils, equipment or food-contact surfaces but no alcohol duties. Finish within 30 days of starting work.
• Hold off on buying a TABC course if you only sell or serve alcohol and your employer has not said certification is required — state law does not generally require it for that role alone.
• Plan on both credentials, verified separately on the DSHS and TABC lists, if your job mixes food handling with alcohol sales or service.
• Verify first and do not pay yet if your employer assigns or pays for training, if you hold a Certified Food Manager certificate, if you already hold an ANSI-accredited card from another state, or if you work only with prepackaged food. You may already be covered or exempt.

On this page

• Verify the exact course on an official list first
• Do you need a food handler card, TABC certification, both, or neither?
• Texas food handler card requirements
• Is TABC certification required in Texas?
• How to verify an approved course before you pay
• Verified options and current limitations
• Choosing a course at a glance
• Total cost and the certificate timeline
• Government-run courses and local rules
• Frequently asked questions
• Employer onboarding checklist
• Your next step

Verify the exact course on an official list first

Official list status below was checked August 9, 2026. Before paying for any course, complete these checks:

• Food handler course: confirm the exact program — legal licensee name and TXDSHS license number — on the DSHS accredited food handler internet program list or the DSHS accredited classroom program list. Programs accredited by ANSI/ANAB are also accepted; DSHS links that directory itself.
• TABC course: confirm the school on the TABC certification schools list. If an online program is not on that list, TABC asks you to email seller.training@tabc.texas.gov for confirmation before you buy. After you finish, confirm your own record in TABC Certificate Inquiry — you will need your Social Security number without dashes, your date of birth and your name.
• Bundles need two matches. A "food handler + TABC" package is usable only when each component course independently matches the correct official list. A brand appearing on one list does not validate the other half of a bundle.
• Do not rely on a provider logo, the phrase "state approved," an instant-certificate claim, or a bundle name alone.
• Check your employer's policy and your local food authority before purchase. Either can change which course you should take, or whether you need to buy one at all.
• If a listing looks wrong or out of date, report it: TABC takes school complaints at seller.training@tabc.texas.gov or 512-206-3420, and DSHS publishes a complaints and enforcement route for food handler programs.

Required Courses is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with Texas DSHS, TABC, or any other government agency, and it is not a course provider. How this page is funded: Required Courses is supported by advertising and, on some pages, disclosed referral links. No provider has paid for placement, ordering, or inclusion on this page, and compensation never determines what is included or how it is ranked. If a compensated link is added to this page, it will be disclosed here. If a listing here has gone stale, the two authorities' own complaint routes are linked above, and we re-verify every row on the cadence published with the comparison table.

Do you need a food handler card, TABC certification, both, or neither?

The matrix below maps common roles to the credential decision and the first official check. Row rules reflect TFER §228.31 and current DSHS and TABC guidance as of August 9, 2026.

Role or situation	Food handler training	TABC seller/server	Other	First official check
Handles unpackaged food, utensils, equipment, or food-contact surfaces	Required within 30 days of employment under §228.31(d) unless exempt	Only if alcohol duties or employer policy apply	Local food authority may enforce additional rules	DSHS food handler FAQ and accredited-program lists
Sells or serves alcohol but does not handle food	Usually not for that role alone	Not required by state law; employer may require, and safe harbor depends on it	Separate free annual opioid course may apply at defined bars and clubs	TABC certification FAQ, employer policy, and approved-school list
Handles food and sells or serves alcohol	Yes within 30 days, unless exempt	Usually employer-required; not a substitute for food handler training	Two separate 30-day clocks run at once	Verify each course separately on the DSHS and TABC lists
Certified Food Manager	Excepted by §228.31(d) itself	Separate question based on alcohol duties and employer policy	Manager certification does not equal TABC certification	TFER §228.31 and employer policy
Works only with prepackaged food	Likely outside the "food employee" definition — confirm your actual duties	Separate question based on alcohol duties and employer policy	Local role facts still matter	DSHS food employee definition
Temporary food establishment worker	§228.31(d) does not apply to temporary food establishments	Separate question	Local rules for temporary events still apply	TFER §228.31 and your local authority
Conditionally exempt person working under supervision	Exempt only under the stated conditions, and only while supervised	Separate question	Document the supervisor's credential and your role	DSHS conditional-exemption list
Alcohol delivery driver	Depends on food handling duties	Seller/server may not be the course this role needs	TABC runs a separate delivery course, TRAD	TABC certification page and TRAD

Two situations trip people up. If your duties expand after you are hired — a host promoted to expo, a barback who begins pouring — the clock starts with the new duties, not your original hire date, and if those duties include alcohol, the safe-harbor clock starts too. If you work alcohol-only, ask your employer in writing whether certification is required and whether it accepts any TABC-approved school or only named ones. Both are employer policy.

Whatever your row, the first action is an official check — DSHS guidance, the TABC FAQ, or your employer's written policy — not a course purchase.

Texas food handler card requirements

The food handler requirement — the one behind what most people call a Texas food handlers card — applies to food employees: people who work with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces. It does not automatically apply to every person who works at a food business. A host who never touches food, utensils, or food-contact surfaces is in a different position than a line cook, and the DSHS food handler FAQ carries the current definition.

Covered food employees must complete an accredited food handler training course within 30 days of employment under TFER §228.31(d). The clock runs from when employment begins, not from a first paycheck or a probation milestone. What happens if it runs out is worth being clear about, because it lands in two places at once. Subsection (e) of the same rule requires the establishment to keep a completion certificate on premises for every food employee, in hard copy or electronic form, available on request — so an untrained employee past day 30 is a documented gap the regulatory authority finds at inspection, and it is the business that answers for it. An employer may layer a stricter policy on top of the state deadline, and many do.

"Accredited" has a specific meaning here. DSHS accepts programs it has licensed — the classroom and internet programs on its published lists — and programs accredited under the ANSI path it recognizes. Any of these produces a certificate or card recognized throughout Texas under Texas Health and Safety Code §438.046. Under SB 1089, a local health jurisdiction may not charge you a fee or require a separate local food handler card once you present proof from an accredited program.

You can check your own card. DSHS requires every accredited card or certificate to show the program name, its address, and either a TXDSHS accreditation license number or ANSI. A card missing all of those is a card worth questioning before an inspector questions it.

Two boundaries keep the credential in perspective. The food handler certificate is proof of completed training; it is not a professional or occupational license. And a certificate from a single-entity in-house course — training SB 1089 allows one business to give its own employees without accreditation — covers only that entity and has no reciprocity elsewhere in the state, which is why the accredited path is the default for anyone who may change employers.

A Texas food handler card that does not show a printed expiration date is valid for two years from issuance under 25 TAC §229.178; if your card shows a printed date, that date controls. If you lose the card, DSHS directs you back to the training provider that issued it for a replacement.

Who is exempt from food handler training?

The rule itself excepts two categories: certified food protection managers, and workers at temporary food establishments — a carve-out DSHS scopes to its own jurisdiction, so in a city or county running its own program, confirm the local treatment. If you hold a current CFM certificate, no separate food handler card is required; food handler vs. food manager covers which credential your role actually calls for.

The DSHS FAQ additionally lists a set of conditional exemptions, which apply only while the person is supervised by someone who holds either accredited food handler certification or CFM certification:

• individuals with an intellectual disability;
• persons in a rehabilitation or correctional facility who work with food or food-related items as part of their rehabilitation;
• persons who aid in activities of daily living, such as certified nurse assistants and nurses;
• persons who distribute pre-portioned food items in settings such as classrooms and daycare;
• volunteers who work with food or food-related items but are not employed by the food establishment.

One discrepancy is worth naming rather than smoothing over. The DSHS FAQ also lists "food establishment that only serves pre-packaged items" as exempt from food handler training, while §228.31(d) itself excepts only certified food protection managers and temporary food establishments — the prepackaged carve-out in §228.31(c) applies to the certified-manager presence requirement in subsection (b), not to food handler training. In practice a worker who genuinely handles only prepackaged food is unlikely to meet the "food employee" definition at all, so the outcome is usually the same; the mechanism is not. If you are relying on this, confirm your actual duties with your employer and your local authority rather than the label on your job title.

A conditional exemption that depends on supervision fails the day the supervisor is off, and "mostly prepackaged" is not "only prepackaged." An exemption claimed but not documented tends to fail at inspection or onboarding. When the requirement does apply and you are choosing where to take the course, you can compare online food-handler course options on our national hub after verifying Texas-specific status below.

Is TABC certification required in Texas?

TABC seller/server certification answers to a different authority and a different logic. According to the TABC certification FAQs, Texas state law does not require bartenders, servers or sellers to hold seller/server certification. The TABC certification overview describes the program as agency-approved training that TABC recommends and that is widely available online through approved schools.

So why does nearly every alcohol-serving job posting ask for it? Because of safe harbor, and because safe harbor has a deadline of its own. Under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code §106.14(a) and TABC Administrative Rule §34.4, TABC will not take administrative action against a license or permit holder when an employee sells or serves to a minor or an intoxicated customer, provided all of the following are met:

• the person selling is not the owner or an officer of the company;
• that person holds a current seller/server certificate from a TABC-approved school;
• all employees engaged in the sale, service or delivery of alcoholic beverages, and their immediate managers, are certified within 30 days of their hire date;
• the employer has written policies for responsible alcohol service and ensures each employee has read and understands them;
• the employer did not directly or indirectly encourage the employee to violate the law;
• there are not three or more such violations in a 12-month period.

TABC adds one limitation to the whole arrangement: safe harbor does not apply to alcohol sales to members of private clubs.

Read the third condition again, because it is the one that reaches you. Safe harbor protects the business, not the worker — and it depends on the whole alcohol-handling staff being certified within 30 days of hire. That is the real source of the "before your first shift" hiring policy, and it is employer policy built on a statutory condition, not a state mandate on you personally.

The individual exposure runs the other way. TABC states that selling or serving to an intoxicated person is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $100 to $500 and up to a year in jail, rising to $500 to $1,000 for a second violation; selling or serving to a minor is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $4,000 and up to a year in jail. Counterfeit or forged seller training certificates are separately criminal, ranging from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony — which is the practical reason to confirm your own record in Certificate Inquiry rather than trusting a download from an unlisted site.

TABC seller/server certification is valid for two years from the date it is issued, and renewal means taking the full course again — TABC publishes no shorter recertification path. It does not substitute for food handler training, and food handler training does not substitute for it.

The separate free opioid-overdose course

One TABC course is free and actually required — for a narrow group. The TABC Education Center states that Texas law requires an annual opioid-overdose course from Mixed Beverage Permit holders and Private Club Permit holders that are not restaurants, plus employees of those permit holders whom the permit holder also requires to complete seller/server certification. The requirement comes from Senate Bill 998, enacted by the 88th Texas Legislature and effective September 1, 2023. TABC's own course materials define the restaurant exemption as a permit holder that operates a permanent food service facility with commercial cooking equipment and prepares and offers multiple entrees for sale, and note that at least one person named on the permit must take the training.

Two details matter more than the course itself. TABC's is the only approved course that satisfies the requirement, so a commercial school's equivalent does not discharge it. And finishing is not the end of it: you certify completion by submitting the TABC Education Certification Form at the end of the course. It substitutes for nothing else — not seller/server certification, not food handler training.

Alcohol delivery drivers: TRAD is a different course

Alcohol delivery is its own regulatory lane. TABC runs Texas Responsible Alcohol Delivery Training (TRAD) specifically for drivers delivering alcoholic beverages directly to consumers, and its own schools list points delivery drivers there rather than to seller/server training. TRAD has an eligibility gate seller/server certification does not: trainees must be 21 or older at registration and hold a valid driver's license. Which course a delivery role actually needs depends on the permit and platform involved, so confirm it with the retailer and TABC before buying anything. For multi-state comparisons, compare alcohol seller/server certification options on our national hub.

How to verify an approved course before you pay

Approval is course-level, not brand-level. This is the Six-Step Course Match, the procedure behind every status in the table below and behind our broader guide on how to verify a course on the official list:

1. Identify the governing authority — DSHS for food handler training, TABC for seller/server. A bundle has two.
2. Open that authority's list, linked above.
3. Match the legal licensee name and the exact course name or license number on the list to what is in your cart. A close-but-different course name is a mismatch, and the trading name on the website is often not the licensee name on the list.
4. Match the delivery mode and use case — an online listing does not prove a classroom variant, and a food course match does not prove the TABC half of a package.
5. For bundles, repeat steps 2–4 for each component. Both must pass.
6. Record what you found and the date. For TABC courses, verify your own record later through Certificate Inquiry rather than assuming the provider's download equals the official record.

Who approves or accepts each credential

Why is one course "required" and another only "recommended"? Because different acceptance models are in play. The table names each, who controls it, and what ignoring it costs you.

Acceptance model	Who approves or accepts	What it changes for you
State training requirement with accredited-program recognition (food handler)	DSHS licenses and lists programs; ANSI/ANAB accreditation is recognized as DSHS describes	An unaccredited course leaves you untrained in the state's eyes despite a paid certificate
Agency-approved voluntary certification (TABC seller/server)	TABC approves schools; state law does not mandate the credential for individuals	A non-approved course will not produce a TABC record, so the certificate proves nothing to an employer checking Certificate Inquiry
Separate statutory annual course (opioid overdose)	TABC administers; required for defined permittees and specified employees	Free and required for the narrow group; TABC's course is the only one that satisfies it; substitutes for nothing else
Local requirement	City, county or public health district for the workplace address	Local orders can be at least as stringent as state rules; skipping the local check can add obligations you did not price in
Employer acceptance	The employer, by policy	An employer can require more than the law and can decline a course the law would accept; confirm before purchase
What none of these is	—	A food handler card is not an occupational license. TABC certification is not a state permit to serve and is not a food credential. Safe harbor is not immunity, is not automatic, and protects the license holder rather than the individual seller

Two terms carry most of the confusion. A Certified Food Manager holds a separate, exam-based credential that §228.31(d) excepts from food handler training; it says nothing about alcohol. Certificate Inquiry is TABC's official record lookup — a provider's PDF is proof of completing a course, and the Certificate Inquiry record is proof of certification. On this page, "accredited," "approved," "recognized," "required," and "accepted" are used only in the specific sense each authority gives them.

Verified options and current limitations

Official list status was checked August 9, 2026. Prices are dated snapshots, not quotes, and provider pages control their own current terms.

These rows are neutral, verified examples — not a ranking. Required Courses has no affiliate relationship with any provider named here, and inclusion turns on official-list verification, never commercial terms. Verified with limitation means the listing is confirmed but a consequential field remains open; Blocked means conflicting provider claims prevent any recommendation even though a listing exists.

Provider (legal licensee)	Official status and identifiers	Price snapshot	Certificate and access terms (provider-stated)	Not ideal for	Confirm before you pay	Editorial status
Full Schedule LLC — 99Centfoodhandler.com / FullSchedule.com	Food: DSHS internet list, TXDSHS 182. TABC: TABC schools list as Full Schedule LLC. Checked 2026-08-09	Food from $0.99; $3.00 and $8 TABC tiers marketed; no combined total published (2026-08-09)	Not published on the sampled pages	Anyone needing published certificate, refund or reporting terms before paying, or an ANAB-accredited course	1. Checkout total for each course? 2. When do you report TABC completions? 3. Anything recurring at checkout?	Verified with limitation: lowest verified price point; certificate, refund and reporting terms not located publicly
123 Premier Food Safety — Texas food handler course	Food: DSHS internet list, TXDSHS 51, linked by DSHS to this exact page. Not on the TABC schools list. Checked 2026-08-09	$7.95 (2026-08-09)	Instant card download on passing	Anyone who also needs TABC from the same vendor	1. Is this Texas course ANAB-accredited, or only the company? 2. Is $7.95 the checkout total? 3. Anything recurring at checkout?	Verified with limitation: provider states ANAB accreditation; confirm in the ANSI/ANAB directory if your employer requires it
Certified 2 Serve (Placette Services, LLC) — food handler, TABC or bundle	Food: DSHS internet list, TXDSHS 224, licensee Placette Services, LLC. TABC: schools list as "Certified2Serve – TABC and Texas Food Handler Online Certification"; provider states program 580-655, and TABC publishes no program numbers. Checked 2026-08-09	$9.95 food; $10.95 TABC; $18.95 bundle (2026-07-22)	Immediate printable food certificate; numbered TABC certificate stated within 24 hours; 60-day course access	Anyone needing a published refund policy or a confirmed all-in total before paying	1. Refund policy if I buy the wrong course? 2. Is $18.95 the checkout total with tax and any filing fee? 3. Which TABC program number appears on my certificate?	Verified with limitation: cleanest exact-course match on both lists; refund terms and checkout fees not located publicly
360training / Learn2Serve — Texas food handler + TABC package, a national ANAB package, and TABC alone	Food: DSHS internet list as 360Training.com–Learn2Serve.com, TXDSHS 9, licensee 360 Training.com, Inc. TABC: schools list, linking this exact course page. Checked 2026-08-09	Texas package $16.99; national ANAB package $17.99; TABC alone $9.99 — each plus a mandatory $3.25 state filing fee (2026-08-09)	4 hours across both courses; printable certificates; access expires 1 year after purchase; refund within 72 hours only if no exam attempted, no certificate issued and under 50% complete	Anyone whose employer or local authority requires ANAB for the food half — the Texas package's own page says that component is not ANSI/ANAB-accredited and points to the national package instead. Its page also names acceptance in only Austin, Tarrant County, San Antonio/Bexar and El Paso, narrower than the statewide recognition §438.046 gives any accredited program	1. Does my employer require ANAB, which decides between the two packages? 2. Is $3.25 the only addition at checkout? 3. Does my local authority accept the Texas component?	Verified with limitation: two packages differ in accreditation and price; no preferred placement while the food component's stated local acceptance is narrower than statewide recognition
StateFoodSafety / AboveTraining — Texas Safe Food Handling, Food Safety Essentials, Texas TABC	All three listed: DSHS maps TXDSHS 3 to Safe Food Handling and TXDSHS 106 to Food Safety Essentials — two separate programs. TABC lists AboveTraining, Inc., linking the TABC course page. Checked 2026-08-09	Food Safety Essentials $10.99 all-in ($10.00 course + $0.99 processing fee); TABC price not exposed on the sampled page (2026-08-09)	Print certificate at home; food card valid 2 years; one year of training access	Anyone relying on the provider's own page for the TABC requirement or for local fees — both currently conflict with the authorities	1. Which of TXDSHS 3 and TXDSHS 106 am I buying? 2. Does my employer accept that specific program? 3. Anything recurring at checkout?	Blocked for recommendation: its Texas TABC page states alcohol sellers are required to complete a TABC course, and its Texas food page tells readers to check whether their health department charges a registration fee — both against the authorities cited below

Options evaluated but not included

Two named options were checked against the inclusion gate and left out. The stated gate is the whole reason; nothing beyond it is implied.

• Certus (formerly American Safety Council) — its Texas food handler page gives the deadline as 60 days rather than the 30 days in TFER §228.31(d), as of 2026-08-09. It failed the figure gate, not the approval gate; the company appears on the TABC schools list as "American Safety Council (Certus)."
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (TXDSHS 6) — a DSHS-accredited state university extension program, listed below among government and institutional programs. Held out of the commercial comparison because it publishes no price through DSHS and its own food handler page carries the same 60-day figure, as of 2026-08-09.

Where to take it in person

Both authorities publish in-person options that online-only comparisons miss. The DSHS classroom list covers cities and counties across the state, from Grayson County on the Oklahoma line to Brownsville, many of its programs city- or county-run. TABC's schools list includes an in-person schools by region table covering Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, the Dallas–Fort Worth area, Farmers Branch, Houston, La Porte, Lubbock, McAllen, New Braunfels, Red Oak and San Antonio. Accredited programs are also published in Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, Pashto and Dari — language availability is a column on the DSHS lists, not something you have to ask about.

How this table is verified, and the 30-versus-60-day conflict

Every row must match an exact provider and course — licensee name, license number, delivery mode, jurisdiction and use case — on an official DSHS or TABC source before it appears here. A second gate applies: a provider whose own course page contradicts the governing rule on a consequential figure is held out of the comparison until the copy is corrected. Prices, durations, certificate claims and refund terms come only from provider documentation and carry the date they were checked. Official status is rechecked at least quarterly and prices monthly to quarterly; rows are updated individually, so a row's date reflects when that row was actually reviewed. One trigger is already on the calendar: DSHS is currently undergoing Sunset review, the periodic legislative examination of whether and how a Texas agency continues, so the food handler program's administration is worth rechecking sooner than the routine cadence would require.

The 60-day figure still circulating in this market is not only a provider error, and that is worth stating plainly. The current DSHS food handler FAQ and program licensing page state 30 days. But DSHS's own guidance page for new retail food establishments — and its downloadable version, publication 23-13105, last revised 05/27/2021 — still say 60 days, as does the food handler page of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, itself a DSHS-accredited program. All three were checked on August 9, 2026. The operative rule settles it: §228.31(d) says 30 days of employment. Thirty days governs; treat any 60-day claim, wherever it appears, as a page that has not been maintained. A polished page is not evidence, and neither is a government URL on its own; the verification is.

Choosing a course at a glance

Picks are segmented by situation — there is no universal best course — and they lead with the routes that cost you nothing when they apply.

• If you are in the narrow opioid-course group — certain Mixed Beverage and Private Club permittees and specified employees — take TABC's free annual opioid-overdose course first; it is required for that group, free, and substitutes for nothing else.
• Best first move for any new hire: ask whether your employer assigns and pays for a specific approved course. Your outlay may be $0 — though the course itself is not "free" — and buying independently first can mean paying twice.
• If you are searching for a free course: no general free public food handler or TABC seller/server course was located for Texas as of August 9, 2026. The nearest routes are an employer-funded course and the government-run programs below, which are accredited but not necessarily free.
• Best for a food-only worker: a program matched by exact license number on a DSHS list with a published all-in price — including your own city or county program, which often serves your exact jurisdiction.
• Best for an alcohol-only worker whose employer requires certification: a school on the TABC certification schools list, matched at course level, whose reporting practice your employer's timeline can live with.
• Best when you need both: two separately verified courses, or a bundle only after each component passes its own official-list match — never on the strength of the bundle name.

Your situation	Shortlist move	Confirm before you enroll or pay
New server at a restaurant with food and alcohol duties	Verify a DSHS-listed food course you can finish within your first 30 days; ask whether TABC certification is required and which schools the employer accepts	Exact food course on a DSHS list? Employer requires TABC and accepts this school? Full checkout total including any filing fee and taxes?
Bartender with no food duties	Get the employer's certification policy in writing; if required, shortlist TABC-listed schools only	School on the TABC list? How soon does the school report completions to TABC? Will the employer accept provider proof before the record appears in Certificate Inquiry?
Paying for it yourself and cost is the constraint	Work down the DSHS lists by license number, including your city or county program, rather than by advertised brand	Is the advertised price the checkout total? Any separate certificate or filing fee? Does your employer require ANAB accreditation specifically?
You need training in a language other than English	Filter the DSHS lists by the Other Languages column before comparing price; Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, Pashto and Dari all appear	Is the language available before purchase or only after? Does the certificate itself issue in that language? Will your employer accept it?
Moving to Texas holding a food handler card	Check whether the issuing program is ANSI-accredited before buying anything new	Does the card show ANSI or a state-specific program only? Will your employer accept it? Is it still inside its printed expiry?
Manager or HR lead onboarding mixed roles	Map each role to its credential, assign exact license numbers, and standardise record-keeping	Does each assigned course match its official list at course level? Are per-seat pricing, mandatory fees and record export documented? Do both 30-day clocks and both two-year expiries land in your tracking system?

For every provider you shortlist, run the same Six-Step Course Match — same fields, same official links, same as-of date for each candidate — rather than weighing one provider's marketing page against another's official record.

Total cost and the certificate timeline

The advertised course price is not the total required outlay. Use this model before checkout:

Total required outlay = course tuition + mandatory exam or proctoring fees + mandatory certificate, card or shipping fees + authority or filing fees + required materials + taxes.

Keep optional extras — expedited delivery, retakes sold separately, convenience upgrades — out of the required total. Six worked totals from the verified rows above:

Scenario	Worked total	What is in it	What is still open
Employer pays	$0 personal outlay	Employer assigns and funds an approved course	Get it in writing, and keep your own copy of the certificate
Food handler only, lowest	$0.99–$7.95 (2026-08-09)	Tuition only, from a DSHS-listed program	Checkout total, taxes, and any certificate fee not published on the sampled pages
Food handler only, all-in published	$10.99 (2026-08-09)	$10.00 course + $0.99 processing fee, published as a total	Nothing — this is the one food-only figure published as a checkout total
Both, cheapest published bundle	$18.95 (2026-07-22)	Single listed provider, both components matched separately	Checkout fees and taxes not confirmed
Both, Texas package plus filing fee	$20.24 (2026-08-09)	$16.99 package + $3.25 mandatory state filing fee	Whether your employer accepts a food component its own page says is not ANAB-accredited
Both, ANAB package plus filing fee	$21.24 (2026-08-09)	$17.99 national package + $3.25 mandatory state filing fee	Nothing on price; confirm the national course satisfies your local authority

Two things fall out of that table. Bundling is neither automatically cheapest nor automatically dearest — the bundle routes sit $2.29 apart, and buying one provider's two courses separately ($9.95 + $10.95 = $20.90) costs more than its own bundle. And where a fee is undisclosed, treat it as unknown, never as zero: let the checkout screen, not the marketing page, set your final number.

Timing has stages, and the slowest stage sets your real timeline. This is the Seven-Stage Acceptance Clock:

1. Enrollment. TABC schools require a Social Security number for state reporting.
2. Training and any required exam.
3. Provider proof. Many courses issue an immediate certificate or printable proof.
4. Provider reporting. For TABC courses, the school submits trainee information to TABC; the TABC certification FAQs give schools seven days to submit.
5. Authority visibility. The certification record may take up to 14 calendar days to appear in Certificate Inquiry.
6. Acceptance. Your employer or local authority accepts and stores the required proof — a step an instant download does not guarantee.
7. Renewal tracking. TABC certification is valid two years and renews by retaking the full course; a food handler card without a printed expiration defaults to two years.

An "instant certificate" is real at stage 3 and irrelevant at stages 4–6. When a stage fails, these are the routes:

• The TABC record has not appeared after 14 days. Contact TABC seller training at 512-206-3420. Do not assume the provider's download is the official record.
• You lost the certificate. For TABC, Certificate Inquiry prints official proof; for a duplicate of the original certificate, contact the school, and if you cannot remember which school, email seller.training@tabc.texas.gov with your full name, date of birth and roughly when you took it. For a food handler card, DSHS directs you back to the training provider.
• You already completed a non-accredited course. It does not satisfy §228.31(d), and single-entity in-house training covers only that employer. The 30-day clock does not pause while you sort it out.
• Your employer rejects an accredited card. An employer may require more than the law does. Ask which specific program or accreditation it requires, in writing, before buying a second course.

For how these stages work across course types generally, see certificate delivery and authority posting; the Texas-specific numbers above are what matter here.

Government-run courses and local rules

Texas food rules are enforced by whichever authority covers your workplace address — DSHS directly, or a city, county or public health district — and local orders can be at least as stringent as the state baseline. A number of those authorities run their own DSHS-accredited programs, the closest thing Texas has to an official route and easy to miss when you shop by brand.

The table below lists every city, county and public health district program appearing on the DSHS accredited internet or classroom lists as of August 9, 2026. It is complete for that class of program on those two lists. It does not cover private commercial programs, the state university and school-district programs noted beneath it, or the separate DSHS list of accredited private food handler training programs. DSHS does not publish prices, class schedules or eligibility for these programs, so cost and whether a program is open to non-residents must be confirmed with the program directly — do not assume "government-run" means free.

Jurisdiction	Program (licensee)	TXDSHS license	Format	Verified
Aransas County (Rockport)	Aransas County Environmental Health	124	Classroom	2026-08-09
Bell County (Temple)	Bell County Public Health District	95	Classroom	2026-08-09
Brazos County (Bryan)	Brazos County Health Department	113	Classroom	2026-08-09
Burleson	City of Burleson	222	Online	2026-08-09
Carrollton	City of Carrollton	209	Online and classroom	2026-08-09
Copperas Cove	City of Copperas Cove	121	Classroom	2026-08-09
Corpus Christi / Nueces County	Corpus Christi–Nueces County Public Health District	129	Classroom	2026-08-09
DeSoto	DeSoto Health Department	144	Classroom	2026-08-09
El Paso (city)	El Paso Health Department	96	Online and classroom	2026-08-09
El Paso County	El Paso County J.J.C.	141	Classroom	2026-08-09
Ennis	City of Ennis	98	Classroom	2026-08-09
Fort Worth	City of Fort Worth Code Compliance	91	Classroom	2026-08-09
Grand Prairie	City of Grand Prairie Food Handler Group	100	Classroom	2026-08-09
Grayson County (Denison)	Grayson County Health Department	8	Classroom	2026-08-09
Harris County	Harris County Public Health	90	Classroom	2026-08-09
Houston	Houston Health Department	147	Classroom	2026-08-09
Kingsville / Kleberg County	Kingsville Kleberg City-County Health Unit	102	Classroom	2026-08-09
Laredo	City of Laredo Health Department	183	Classroom	2026-08-09
Live Oak County (George West)	Live Oak County Food Handler Program	142	Classroom	2026-08-09
Mineral Wells	City of Mineral Wells	31	Classroom	2026-08-09
New Braunfels	City of New Braunfels Environmental Health	88	Classroom	2026-08-09
North Richland Hills	City of North Richland Hills Consumer Health	89	Online and classroom	2026-08-09
Plano	City of Plano Health Department	10	Classroom	2026-08-09
San Patricio County (Sinton)	San Patricio County Department of Public Health	123	Classroom	2026-08-09
Seagoville	City of Seagoville	221	Classroom	2026-08-09
Tyler	Northeast Texas Public Health District	99	Classroom	2026-08-09
Uvalde County	County of Uvalde Department of Health	97	Classroom	2026-08-09

Two entries sit outside that class. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (TXDSHS 6) is a state university extension program accredited for both online and classroom delivery and reaching counties statewide. Several school districts — Allen ISD (44), Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD (151), Marble Falls ISD (111) and Wylie ISD (157) — hold their own accreditations; whether a district program is open to anyone beyond its own nutrition staff is a question for the district.

If your city is not in the table. No city- or county-run accredited program appears on either DSHS list for Dallas, Austin or San Antonio as of August 9, 2026. That changes nothing about what you need: any accredited program on the DSHS lists produces a card recognized statewide, including in those cities. Every Texas address still has one authority that enforces the rules where you work, and DSHS publishes the tool that names it. Run this lookup:

1. Open the Texas Retail Food Establishments Jurisdiction Interactive Map and click your workplace's city or county boundary. The map returns the health department with jurisdiction there and its contact details; a user guide explains the controls. Where no local authority regulates, DSHS itself is the regulator, reachable at 512-834-6753 or foodestablishments@dshs.texas.gov.
2. Check that authority's order against the DSHS local ordinance and fee schedule registry for any rule specific to your role or a named course path.
3. Remember what locals cannot do: with proof from an accredited program, statewide recognition applies under Texas Health and Safety Code §438.046 and a new local card fee cannot be required.
4. Note the local source and the date you checked it — local orders change on their own schedule. Use the same call to test any provider claim that names a shorter list of accepting jurisdictions than §438.046 provides.

What we could not confirm. The government-run programs above publish no prices through DSHS, and certain checkout fees, taxes, refund terms and one provider's TABC price are labeled unconfirmed in the table above. Where this page says "not confirmed," that is the finding, stated deliberately. Unknown is not zero.

Frequently asked questions

Can one course cover both the food handler card and TABC certification?

No single credential covers both. Bundles package two separate courses under two separate authorities, and each component must independently match its official list — the food course on a DSHS list, the TABC course on the TABC school list. A bundle is a purchasing convenience, not a combined approval.

When does the 30-day food handler clock start, and what happens if I miss it?

The 30 days run from when employment begins — not from a first paycheck, a schedule change or the end of training — and they restart with new duties if your role expands. Missing the deadline is primarily the establishment's problem: §228.31(e) requires it to hold a completion certificate on premises for every food employee, so an untrained employee past day 30 is a documented gap at inspection. In practice it becomes your problem too, because most employers will not schedule an uncertified food employee.

Is an online food handler card valid everywhere in Texas, and will Texas accept an out-of-state card?

Yes to the first, if the program is accredited: a certificate from a DSHS-listed or ANSI-accredited program is recognized statewide under Texas Health and Safety Code §438.046, and a local jurisdiction cannot require a paid local card on top of it. The exception is single-entity in-house training, which covers one employer only. On the second, a card issued outside Texas receives reciprocity only where the issuing program is ANSI-accredited — check the card for an ANSI mark or a TXDSHS license number before assuming it travels.

How long are the credentials valid, and how do I renew?

TABC seller/server certification is valid for two years from issuance, and renewal means retaking the full course — TABC publishes no shorter recertification option. A Texas food handler card with a printed expiration date is valid until that date; a card without one defaults to two years from issuance under 25 TAC §229.178. Track both from the certificate, not from memory of the purchase.

Can a 16- or 17-year-old take these courses?

TABC does not publish a minimum age for attending a seller training course on its current certification pages; the 21-and-over rule it does publish applies to the trainers who teach the course, not to students. Because age and record can still affect who may lawfully sell or serve alcohol, and who an employer will hire, confirm both with the employer and with TABC seller training at 512-206-3420 before paying. TRAD is explicit by contrast: delivery drivers must be 21 or older at registration and hold a valid driver's license. For food handler training, the requirement attaches to the duties rather than the age.

I lost my card, or my TABC record is not showing — what now?

For TABC, print official proof from Certificate Inquiry using your Social Security number and date of birth; for a duplicate of the original certificate, contact the school that trained you, or email seller.training@tabc.texas.gov if you cannot remember which one. If the record has not appeared 14 calendar days after completion, call TABC seller training at 512-206-3420. For a food handler card, DSHS directs you back to the accredited program that issued it.

Employer onboarding checklist

For managers and HR leads running mixed food-and-alcohol teams, the durable version of everything above is a process, not a purchase:

• Map every role to its credential decision using the matrix on this page, including exemptions you intend to rely on.
• Assign exact courses by TXDSHS license number or TABC school listing, not brand name, and re-verify on your own calendar.
• Confirm total per-seat cost, including mandatory filing fees and any multi-seat pricing, before rollout.
• Verify TABC certifications in Certificate Inquiry rather than filing provider downloads alone, and hold food handler certificates on premises as §228.31(e) requires.
• Keep your written responsible-service policy current and documented as read; it is one of the six safe-harbor conditions, and reviewing the full set with qualified counsel is worth the hour.
• Re-check your local authority's order when you open a location or a local rule changes.

This checklist organizes compliance work; it does not itself create safe harbor or legal compliance.

Your next step

Start with the requirement, not the shopping cart. If your job touches unpackaged food, open the DSHS food handler FAQ and the accredited-program lists, check whether your city or county runs its own accredited course, and plan to finish within 30 days of starting work. If your job involves alcohol, get your employer's certification policy in writing, then use the TABC school list to choose — and Certificate Inquiry to confirm — any course you take. If your role includes both, run both checks separately, whatever the bundle promises. And before any purchase, confirm your local authority's rules and whether your employer already provides the course. For requirements beyond Texas food and alcohol roles, browse state-required courses to find what your state and job actually call for.

Sources and last verified date

Last verified: August 9, 2026

Next review: November 9, 2026

Governing law and rules

• Texas Food Establishment Rules, 25 TAC Chapter 228 (DSHS consolidated edition, August 2021) — Texas Department of State Health Services — §228.31(d) 30-day training requirement and its CFM and temporary-establishment exceptions; §228.31(c) prepackaged carve-out applying to subsection (b); §228.31(e) on-premises certificate duty.
• Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 438 — Texas Legislature — §438.046 statewide recognition of accredited food handler certificates.
• Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, Chapter 106 — Texas Legislature — §106.14(a), the statutory basis for TABC safe harbor.
• Laws and Regulations, Food Handlers — Texas Department of State Health Services — DSHS's own index to Chapter 438 and 25 TAC §229.178, the accreditation and card-validity rule.

Authority guidance and official lists

• Food Handler Program FAQ — Texas Department of State Health Services — food employee definition, exemptions and conditional exemptions, accreditation paths, certificate content requirements, out-of-state reciprocity, local fee prohibition under SB 1089, replacement cards, default two-year validity.
• Licensing of Food Handler Training Programs — Texas Department of State Health Services — current program summary confirming accredited training within 30 days of employment.
• Accredited Food Handler Internet (Online) Training Programs — Texas Department of State Health Services — official online program list, TXDSHS license numbers and legal licensee names used for provider verification.
• Accredited Food Handler Classroom Training Programs — Texas Department of State Health Services — official classroom list; source for every city, county and public health district program in the government-run table.
• Accredited Private Food Handler Training Programs — Texas Department of State Health Services — the separate DSHS list this page's tables do not cover.
• Food Handler Training Programs Accredited by ANSI — ANSI National Accreditation Board — the ANSI/ANAB directory DSHS links for the accreditation path it recognizes.
• Complaints and Enforcement, Food Handlers — Texas Department of State Health Services — route for reporting a food handler program.
• Texas Retail Food Establishments Jurisdiction Interactive Map — Texas Department of State Health Services — official lookup naming the health department with jurisdiction over any Texas address.
• Retail Food Establishments — How to File a Complaint — Texas Department of State Health Services — hosts the jurisdiction map and its user guide, and DSHS retail food contact details.
• Local Ordinance and Fee Schedule Registry (Model Orders) — Texas Department of State Health Services — local order lookup; local orders may be at least as stringent as state rules.
• Starting a New Retail Food Establishment — Texas Department of State Health Services — DSHS guidance page carrying the conflicting 60-day statement; cited as conflict evidence only, not as controlling guidance.
• TABC Certification overview — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — program description, approved schools, opioid course and delivery certification.
• TABC Certification FAQs — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — no general state-law requirement, two-year validity, the six safe-harbor criteria including certification within 30 days of hire and the private-club limitation, criminal penalties for service to minors and intoxicated persons, forged-certificate offences, seven-day school reporting, 14-day Certificate Inquiry timing, duplicate-certificate route.
• TABC Certification Schools — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — official school list used to verify the named providers, the in-person schools-by-region table, and the confirmation route for unlisted programs.
• Information for Trainers and Schools — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — the 21-and-over and background-check requirements that apply to trainers rather than students.
• Texas Responsible Alcohol Delivery Training (TRAD) — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — delivery-driver course scope and the 21-and-over, valid-license eligibility gate.
• TABC Education Center — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — free annual opioid-overdose course, the permittees and employees it covers, and its status as the only course satisfying the requirement.
• Opioid-Related Drug Overdose Course (course materials, PDF) — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — restaurant exemption definition, the named-on-permit rule and the completion certification form.
• TABC launches new Opioid-Related Drug Overdose training course — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — Senate Bill 998, 88th Legislature, effective September 1, 2023.
• TABC Certificate Inquiry — Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — official worker certification verification tool and what it requires.

Provider documentation (price, delivery and product terms only)

• 99Centfoodhandler.com / FullSchedule.com — Full Schedule LLC — advertised food handler and TABC price tiers for TXDSHS 182, the program name DSHS lists.
• Texas Food Handler Card — 123 Premier Food Safety — price, DSHS license reference and provider-stated ANAB accreditation for TXDSHS 51.
• Texas Food Handler Course — Certified2Serve — program TXDSHS 224, price, access period and immediate-certificate terms.
• TABC Seller-Server Training — Certified2Serve — price, access period, certificate timing, reporting and validity as provider-stated terms.
• Texas Food Handlers + TABC Certification Package — 360training — $16.99 package price, the mandatory $3.25 state filing fee, Lic.#9 food component, the page's own statement that this component is not ANSI/ANAB-accredited, the four named local acceptances, 4-hour duration and 1-year course access.
• TABC Certification + National Food Handler Package — 360training — $17.99 ANAB-accredited package price.
• TABC Certification Online — 360training — $9.99 stand-alone TABC price and the same mandatory filing fee.
• Refund Policy — 360training — 72-hour refund request window and its eligibility conditions.
• Texas Safe Food Handling Course — StateFoodSafety — the page DSHS maps to TXDSHS 3.
• Food Safety Essentials Course — StateFoodSafety — the page DSHS maps to TXDSHS 106; $10.00 course plus $0.99 processing fee, and the local-fee statement documented in the table.
• Texas TABC Course — StateFoodSafety — provider course terms and the conflicting seller-requirement language behind the row's Blocked status.
• Texas Food Handlers Certification — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service — the accredited state extension program's own page, cited for its conflicting 60-day statement.
• Texas Food Handlers License Course — Certus — cited only for the 60-day statement behind its exclusion from the comparison table.