Texas Food Manager Certification: How to Get Your CFM Certificate
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Quick answer: Every Texas food establishment needs a Certified Food Manager (CFM) present during all hours of operation, with the original certificate posted where customers can see it. You get certified by passing either an ANSI-accredited manager exam, like ServSafe, or a Texas-only exam approved by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). A course is optional. The certificate lasts 5 years, DSHS charges nothing, and no Texas city can make you register it or pay a local fee.
This is general information, not legal advice. When in doubt, check with DSHS, your local health department, or your employer.
Who Needs a Certified Food Manager
The Texas Food Establishment Rules require a certified food protection manager to be present at the food establishment during all hours of operation, and the original certificate must be posted in a spot that's conspicuous to customers. In practice, that means every shift needs a certified manager on site, so larger restaurants certify several shift leads.
Places the health department considers minimal risk are exempt from the all-hours rule, including:
- establishments that handle only prepackaged food and don't package food themselves;
- establishments that don't prepare or handle exposed time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food; and
- temporary food establishments.
State law also exempts child care facilities. A certified food manager doesn't need a separate food handler card: the handler rule covers every food employee except the certified manager. Everyone else on staff needs one within 30 days; see our Texas Food Handler Card: How to Get Certified Step by Step.
Two Ways to Get Certified
Texas is unusual: it accepts two kinds of manager exams, and they aren't equally portable.
- An ANSI-accredited exam, like ServSafe, NRFSP, 360training (Learn2Serve), StateFoodSafety, EduClasses, or Always Food Safe. It's proctored, at a test site or online by webcam, and it counts in Texas and nationally.
- A DSHS-approved internet exam, a Texas-only exam from a DSHS-licensed provider such as StateFoodSafety, Learn2Serve, American Safety Council, or the Texas Restaurant Association. There's no proctor; instead you answer personal identity questions during the exam. It counts in Texas only.
Both give you a certificate that counts anywhere in Texas, and every city and county health department must accept a certificate from a DSHS-approved exam. The difference is portability: DSHS says certificates from ANSI providers get national reciprocity, while its own internet-exam certificates get statewide reciprocity only. StateFoodSafety, which sells both, says its Texas exam isn't ANAB-accredited or nationally recognized. If there's any chance you'll manage a kitchen in another state within five years, take the ANSI exam.
Is a course required?
No. Texas law lets you get and renew a certificate just by passing an approved exam, and DSHS says training completion documentation isn't required. DSHS-licensed training programs run about 14 hours and are aimed at people new to the food industry. If you've worked in kitchens for years, exam-only is fine; if HACCP and cooling logs are new to you, a course is worth it.
What score do you need?
Texas doesn't set one; each exam provider does. ServSafe requires 70% (56 of the 80 scored questions), NRFSP a scaled score of 75, and Learn2Serve's national exam 75%. StateFoodSafety's Texas exam requires 70%. Our free Food Manager Practice Test is a good way to see where you stand: aim for 75% or better before you book.
Where to Take the Exam
These providers all offer an ANSI-accredited manager exam that counts in Texas. Prices are from each provider's website as of September 27, 2026; confirm at checkout.
| Provider | Exam, online proctored | Course + exam |
|---|---|---|
| EduClasses (paid link) | $65 | $120 |
| 360training (Learn2Serve) | $69.99 | $121.00 |
| StateFoodSafety | $76.00 | $134.00 |
| NRFSP | $81.99 | Course sold separately |
| ServSafe | $99.00 | $179.00 |
We may earn a commission if you buy through some of these links, at no extra cost to you; they're marked “(paid link)”. Our How Much Does Food Manager Certification Cost? Exam and Course Prices Compared has the details behind each price, including proctor fees and cheaper in-person options.
Allergen Rules
Under the Sergio Lopez Food Allergy Awareness Act (SB 812), every food manager exam for a certificate issued or renewed on or after September 1, 2024 must test food allergen awareness: the major allergens, the symptoms of a reaction, how to prevent one, and how to respond. There's no separate allergen certificate for managers in Texas; it's part of the exam. Establishments also have to display a food allergen awareness poster where employees see it regularly, and cities can't add allergen rules of their own.
How Long It Lasts and How to Renew
A Texas food manager certificate is valid for 5 years. To renew, pass an approved exam again before it expires; a recertification class is optional. DSHS doesn't keep certificates or training records, so keep a copy yourself and go back to your exam provider if you lose it.
Moving to Texas with a certificate from another state? DSHS's rules accept ANSI-accredited exams and describe their certificates as nationally reciprocal, so a current ANSI certificate such as ServSafe should work. DSHS doesn't address out-of-state certificates directly, so confirm with your local health department if you're unsure. It doesn't work the other way: a Texas-only DSHS certificate won't transfer out.
No State or City Fees
DSHS doesn't sell certificates or charge individuals anything; its page warns people not to send it money to register for a CFM exam or course. You pay only the exam provider. And since September 2023, state law has barred local health jurisdictions from requiring a certified food manager to hold or pay for a local food manager card, license, permit, certification, or any other credential or paperwork.
That law ended a lot of local paperwork. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin all used to require a city certificate or registration; see our guides for Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. One caution: DSHS's own CFM FAQ still quotes the 2015 version of the rules, which is why it says cities may require a manager on site at all times and may charge fees. The current rules already require all-hours presence statewide, and the fee ban now applies.
How to Study
The manager exam goes deeper than the food handler test: HACCP, cooling, employee health, receiving, and pest control. Our Food Manager Certification: How to Pass the Exam walks through each topic, and our free Food Manager Practice Test has manager-level questions with explanations.
Prefer to study by ear? "ServSafe Manager Audio Cram," our own audio review from Kanti Press, covers the manager-level material from the 2022 FDA Food Code so you can study on a commute or between shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a food manager certificate in Texas?
If you're the person in charge of a shift at most Texas restaurants, yes. The establishment must have a certified food manager present during all hours of operation, unless it's a low-risk operation such as one selling only prepackaged food.
Is ServSafe accepted in Texas?
Yes. ServSafe's manager exam is ANSI-accredited, and DSHS accepts ANSI-accredited exams. So do NRFSP, 360training (Learn2Serve), StateFoodSafety, and the other accredited providers.
How long is a Texas food manager certificate good for?
5 years. You renew by passing an approved exam again before it expires.
Can I take the Texas food manager exam online?
Yes. ANSI-accredited exams can be taken online with a webcam proctor, and DSHS-approved Texas internet exams are taken online without a proctor. The Texas-only exam counts only in Texas.
Do I have to register my food manager certificate with my city?
No. Since September 2023, Texas law bars cities and counties from requiring a certified food manager to hold a local card or pay a local fee. Post the original certificate at the restaurant.
Running the shift as person in charge? Certification is the start. The person in charge also makes sure the kitchen's food safety procedures are followed, and the FDA's 2026 Food Code, which states adopt over time, asks for more of them in writing. Our free guides cover each one:
- Employee illness policy: what has to be written down, with a sample policy
- Vomit and diarrhea clean-up procedure: the steps and what goes in the clean-up kit
- Food safety management system: the written procedures, training plans, and records
- Free food safety log templates: fridge, holding, cooling, receiving, sanitizer, and calibration logs
- Restaurant health inspection checklist: walk the kitchen the way an inspector does
Want it done for you? The Food Safety Plan Kit ($29) has editable versions of all of these.
Bottom Line
In Texas, pass an ANSI-accredited manager exam (or the Texas-only DSHS exam if you're staying put), post the original certificate, make sure a certified manager is on every shift, and retest every 5 years. Nothing goes to DSHS or your city. Start with our free Food Manager Practice Test.
Sources
- 25 Texas Administrative Code §228.31 (certified food manager present during all hours; posting; exemptions; food handler rule excludes the CFM) — Texas Secretary of State.
- 25 Texas Administrative Code §229.176 (certification of food managers: exam routes, internet exams, recertification) — Texas Secretary of State.
- 25 Texas Administrative Code §228.33 (food allergen awareness poster) — Texas Secretary of State.
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 438 (§438.103, exam-only certification and allergen content; §438.1055, no local food manager card or fee) — statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 (§437.0076, child care and prepackaged-only exemptions) — statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
- Texas DSHS, Licensing of Certified Food Manager Training Programs (5-year validity; national vs. statewide reciprocity; no fees to DSHS) — dshs.texas.gov.
- Texas DSHS, CFM Examination Providers (licensed test sites and internet exam providers) — dshs.texas.gov.
- Texas DSHS, CFM Training Programs (training documentation not required) — dshs.texas.gov.
- Texas DSHS, Certified Food Manager Program FAQ (local health departments must accept DSHS-approved exams) — dshs.texas.gov.
- Senate Bill 812 (2023), Sergio Lopez Food Allergy Awareness Act, enrolled text — capitol.texas.gov.
- Exam providers' passing scores and Texas exam details: ServSafe FAQs — servsafe.com; NRFSP FAQs — nrfsp.com; Learn2Serve food manager training and exam — 360training.com; StateFoodSafety Texas food manager — statefoodsafety.com.
Last reviewed September 30, 2026. ServSafe is a trademark of the National Restaurant Association; FoodHandlerGear is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. This is general information, not legal advice.
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