5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Harris County, Texas.
Verified from official government sources
Harris County Public Health inspects food establishments in unincorporated areas under Texas Food Establishment Rules. Scores are numerical, not letter grades. Reports are posted online. Houston, Pasadena, and other cities run their own inspection programs separately.
Harris County Public Health Mosquito and Vector Control monitors rodents and mosquitoes countywide. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 343 lets the county abate rodent harborage as a public nuisance in unincorporated areas after notice.
Texas Health & Safety Code Sec. 343.011 (Public Nuisance)
Sec. 343.011. PUBLIC NUISANCE. (a) This section applies only to the unincorporated area of a county.(b) A person may not cause, permit, or allow a public nuisance under this section.(c) A public nuisance is:(1) keeping, storing, or accumulating refuse on premises in a neighborhood unless the refuse is entirely contained in a closed receptacle;(2) keeping, storing, or accumulating rubbish, inclu...
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 728 governs disposal of household sharps. Harris County Public Health operates a SHARP collection partnership offering residents free drop-off of properly contained used syringes and lancets at participating sites.
Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 481.125 (Possession or Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia — Including Hypodermic Syringes)
Sec. 481.125. OFFENSE: POSSESSION OR DELIVERY OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA. (a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally uses or possesses with intent to use drug paraphernalia to plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture, compound, convert, produce, process, prepare, test, analyze, pack, repack, store, contain, or conceal a controlled substance in violation o...
Federal regulation 21 CFR 101.11 requires chain restaurants with twenty or more locations to post calorie counts. Harris County does not add local rules; HCPH may flag missing disclosures during food inspections in unincorporated areas and contract cities.
FDA — Menu Labeling Final Rule, 21 CFR 101.11 (Food Labeling; Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments)
Menu Labeling Requirements. [...] May 7, 2018 is the compliance date for the menu labeling final rule. On this date, consumers will have access to calorie and nutrition information in certain chain establishments covered by the rule. The menu labeling requirements apply to restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations. In addition, they mu...
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 438 requires food handlers to complete an accredited course within sixty days of hire. HCPH verifies cards and Certified Food Manager credentials during inspections in unincorporated Harris County and contract cities.
Texas Health & Safety Code Sec. 438.046 (Food Handler Training)
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 service ...
1 cities in Harris County have their own public health rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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