Public Health Rules in Austin, TX (2026)
4 verified public health rules for Austin, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Restaurant Grade Cards
Austin Public Health scores every food service enterprise and retail food store inspection on a 100-point scale, subtracting weighted point values for each critical-requirement violation. A rating score under 70 points forces the person in charge to start fixing violations within 48 hours, and repeated violations can trigger permit suspension.
Austin Restaurant Inspection Scoring Rule
Some RestrictionsAustin City Code Sec. 10-3-153
(A)After inspecting a food service enterprise or a retail food store, the health authority shall state on the inspection report:(1)a weighted point value for each violation of a critical requirement;(2)the rating score of the enterprise, determined by subtracting from 100 the total of the weighted point values for all violations; and(3)that failure to correct the violations within the prescribe...
Rodent Control
Austin requires property owners to maintain premises free from rodent and insect infestations under the city's property maintenance standards. The Austin Code Department enforces violations related to conditions that attract pests, including tall weeds, accumulated trash, and standing water. Landlords are responsible for providing habitable rental units free of pest infestations under Texas Property Code Section 92.052.
Austin Pest Control and Rodent Abatement Requirements
Some RestrictionsAustin Public Health - Environmental Vector Control; City Ordinance Chapter 3-6 (Bee Colonies)
The Environmental Vector Control program provides education, information and ideas on techniques that can be used by individual property owners to mitigate or eradicate mosquitoes and rodents on their property. [...] Mosquitos - Mosquitoes may harbor several diseases that contribute to outbreaks of Zika, West Nile, dengue fever, encephalitis and canine heartworm. [...] Rodents - Rodents, partic...
Bed-Bug Rules
Austin's Property Maintenance Code requires every structure to be kept free of bed bugs, insects, scorpions, and rodents, and mandates immediate professional extermination when an infestation is found. Owners of multi-unit buildings must handle pest elimination in shared and exterior areas, while tenant-caused infestations shift responsibility to the occupant as well.
Austin Bed Bug Infestation Rules
Some RestrictionsAustin Property Maintenance Code § 309.1, § 309.4 (City Code Ch. 25-12, Art. 9)
309.1 Infestation. Structures shall be kept free from insect, scorpion, bed bug, and rodent infestation. Where insects, scorpions, bed bugs, and rodents are found, they shall be immediately exterminated by approved processes that will not be injurious to human health. After pest elimination, proper precautions shall be taken to eliminate insect, scorpion, bed bug, and rodent harborage and preve...
Food Handler Certification
The Texas Food Handler Education Act requires food employees to complete a state-approved food handler course within sixty days of hire. Austin City Code Chapter 10-3 requires every food establishment to employ at least one Certified Food Manager with credential posted on premises.
Texas Food Handler Education Act and Austin Manager Rule
Some RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 438.046
Sec. 438.046. LIST OF ACCREDITED PROGRAMS. (a) The department shall maintain a registry of course programs accredited under this subchapter. (b) A food service worker trained in a course for the employees of a single entity is considered to have met a local health jurisdiction's training, testing, and permitting requirements only as to food service performed for that entity. (b-1) A food servic...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Austin city rules.
Public Health Rules in Travis County →