Carrollton, TX Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Under the city's Farmers Market Regulations (Chapter 116, Subchapter IV), every farmers market food or concession vendor must first obtain a farmers market food vendor permit from the DCO, filed on a city application form with a non-refundable permit fee; operating without that permit is itself unlawful. Where a vendor offers, sells, samples or distributes food requiring time or temperature control for safety, the person in charge at that booth must show proof of successfully passing a Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) recognized certified food handler course.

Vendors who sell only prepackaged foods not requiring time or temperature control, plants, whole nuts in the shell, or raw fruits and vegetables meant to be hulled, peeled or washed by the consumer are exempt from the course requirement. Vendors must also comply with the Texas Food Establishment Rules and the city's Environmental Services food regulations, and cottage food production operations must separately comply with the Texas Health and Safety Code. The market operator must keep a vendor list, including each vendor's permits, for at least 180 days and produce it to code enforcement on 48 hours' notice.

The DCO can deny or revoke a permit for reasons including sanitation failures, false statements on the application, unpaid fees, or a prior revocation within the preceding 12 months, with appeal to the city's Property Standards Board.