Each new hire takes a food handler course within 30 days. A certified food protection manager is there every hour you're open. Pick a machine, follow the pictures. Every walk-in reading is saved with a name.
Why it is hard
You want to sell food. Every machine has to be clean, and nobody showed you how.
Why does it matter?
The machines
The walk-in, the grinder, the sink, the toilet: each one has a rule, like 41°F for the walk-in (Food Code 3-501.16). Texas adopts that code in the Texas Food Establishment Rules, and your city can add its own. The binder gets lost.
The guessing
Your inspector can be the city, the county or the state, and each one scores its own way. You can't watch every shift. Did anyone take the walk-in temperature today? You don't know.
The point
You opened to feed people, not to chase clipboards.
Open the espresso machine's steps on a sample cafe.
Out of something?
One tap, and it is on Amazon.
The right cleaner for your exact machine. The strips that match your sanitizer. Nothing to look up.
What does each guide give you?
Every guide starts with What you'll need, each thing as a picture. Each step shows the one supply it uses.
Not on the shelf? Tap Not here? Find it on Amazon. It opens in a new tab, and you keep your place in the steps.
Tell the app your espresso machine's brand, and the guide names the cleaner the maker says to use, in the maker's own words.
Tap I'm out and it goes on the order list under your supplier. You send the list from your own phone. We never place an order.
Have a supplier you like? Save your own link once. The app keeps it as you typed it, and never adds a price.
Signs count too. Texas wants the employee illness sign by every handwashing sink (25 TAC 228.32). Staff also need a food allergen awareness poster (HSC 437.027). The app lists the signs your place needs.
Take one walk-in reading on a sample cafe and see how little it takes.
Why not lose a few points?
In Texas, your city's score can be public.
A few points off will not close you. But many Texas cities post each score online, and anyone can ask for your latest report. The reason is still tomorrow morning.
What does that look like on a shift?
Your opener sees one next thing, each machine's cleaning steps have pictures, and a missing supply is one tap away. Less scramble at open and close.
Your team's name is on good work: every reading, every Caught early. Not policing. On inspection day, you hand over one PDF.
Texas has no statewide grade. Your latest inspection report is available to anyone who asks (Food Code 8-304.11). Cities and counties score their own way: Austin and Dallas out of 100, Fort Worth and Frisco by demerits, a few by letter. In Austin, a score under 70 means you start fixing the violations within 48 hours (City Code 10-3-153).
An inspection is a snapshot. Your records show every day, with times and names, and the binder is one PDF with its own fingerprint. Proof you can show, not a promise. Your health department inspects; we don't.
Pick your kind of place. Here is Texas's rule for it.
Each card is the first rule Texas sets for that kind of place.
Show all 6
RestaurantsThe food establishment permit before you open, from your city or county health department, or DSHS where there is none (HSC 437).
Coffee shopsThe same permit as a restaurant. Only packaged food, no open food? Your inspector may not require a certified manager (25 TAC 228.31).
Food trucksSince July 1, 2026, DSHS licenses every food truck in Texas, not your city or county (HSC Chapter 437B).
Event boothsOne event, up to 14 days in a row: a temporary permit from your local health department, or DSHS where there is none.
Selling from homeCottage food needs no permit, up to 150,000 dollars a year, adjusted for inflation (HSC 437.0192). Texas has no home kitchen meals permit.
ManagersA certified food protection manager there every hour you're open, with the original certificate posted where customers see it (25 TAC 228.31).
Not sure which? The sample cafe shows every screen.
Who inspects you
Which office do I call?
It depends on where your kitchen is. Texas writes one set of rules, the Texas Food Establishment Rules. A city with its own program inspects inside its limits. Elsewhere it is your county or district health department, or DSHS where there is none.
What does that look like on a shift?
A city with its own program: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and 22 more we read, each under its own ordinance. A city may add rules. DSHS says they must be at least as stringent as the state's.
A county or district health department in 68 counties. Harris County Public Health is one; Austin Public Health covers Travis County. A county or district enforces the state's rules and can't write its own (HSC 437.002).
No local health department? The Texas Department of State Health Services, DSHS, permits and inspects you from 8 regional offices. That is 185 of Texas's 254 counties. The statewide line is 512-834-6753.
The same everywhere: no city or county can make you buy its own food handler or manager card (HSC 438.046, 438.1055). DSHS licenses every food truck (HSC Chapter 437B).
Not sure which one is yours? DSHS's jurisdiction map finds your health department. Or find your county or city on our list of all 280 Texas places, with each office's phone.
Inspection results: 9 Texas health departments
Andrews Countyon Andrews County Health Department's site
San Antonioon San Antonio Metropolitan Health District's site
Smith Countyon Northeast Texas Public Health District, Environmental Health Department's site
Williamson Countyon Williamson County and Cities Health District's site
This is not an official ranking or grade. Austin and Travis County results are Austin Public Health's own data, each with its inspection date and a link to the department's record. The others open the department's own results page. Every Texas results page. Who inspects every county and city, and how we checked: every Texas county, checked.
Texas follows the 2017 FDA Food Code, adopted by the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER). Your city's or county's health department, or DSHS where there is none, permits and inspects; a city may be stricter, a county may not add its own standards. TFER text from DSHS's consolidated copy (effective 2021-08-08); confirm the current text. We read each section in Texas's own text, October 3, 2026.
Texas's rule beside the FDA Food Code, section by section
The rule
Texas's section
How it compares
A certified food protection manager FDA Food Code 2-102.12
25 TAC 228.33
A certified manager present during all hours of operation.
Cooling cooked food FDA Food Code 3-501.14
TFER (Food Code 2017 3-501.14)
Same as the FDA Food Code.
Holding food hot or cold FDA Food Code 3-501.16
TFER (Food Code 2017 3-501.16)
Same as the FDA Food Code: 41°F or less; 135°F or above.
Dating food you keep FDA Food Code 3-501.17
TFER (Food Code 2017 3-501.17)
Same as the FDA Food Code.
Cards and certificates
What your staff need, and where your county adds its own.
Texas's rule first, then each office that writes its own on top. The app shows your county's rule under the rule itself.
What does that look like on a shift?
Food handlers in Texas: Every food employee (except the certified manager) completes an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting work; the certificate lasts 2 years unless it shows another date.
The person in charge: A certified food protection manager is there during all hours you're open (minimal-risk places and temporary booths are exempt).
Look up your own place first. Your customers can see it too.
Your guide
Fix health code violations before the inspector finds them.
Every rule your inspector checks, turned into short daily steps your team does. Texas's rules are the Texas Food Establishment Rules (25 TAC 228). They adopt the 2017 FDA Food Code, from handwashing (2-301.12) to cold holding (3-501.16), and your city can add its own. Each rule below names its source. CleanCleaver keeps the proof.
(b) The department adopts by reference the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code 2017 (Food Code) and the Supplement to the 2017 Food Code. (c) The department does not adopt by reference the following sections, paragraphs, and subparagraph of the FDA Food Code, 3-202.13, 3-202.14(C), 3-202.18(A), 5- 102.11, 5-102.13, 5-102.14, 5-104.11(B)(1), 6-101.11(B), 6-202.18, 8-201.11, 8- 202.10, 8-203.10, 8-302.11–14, 8-303.10–30, 8-304.10, 8-304.20, 8-401.10, 8- 401.20, 8-402.10, 8-402.20-40, 8-403.40, and 8-501.10-40, and the definitions for “accredited program,” “drinking water,” “food establishment,” “game animal,” “general use pesticide,” “public water system,” “regulatory …
DSHS, Recommended Safe Food Temperatures (the Texas Food Establishment Rules)
RECOMMENDED Safe Food Temperatures Using a food thermometer is the ONLY reliable way to ensure food safety. 165° F … Poultry, ground poultry Stuffing with poultry, meat & fish Digital Thermometer Microwave cooking & reheating Reheating leftovers 155° F … Ground meat & fish Injected meat (i.e. tenderized) 145° F … Meat, fish & raw shell eggs 135° F … Hot holding of foods Dial Thermometer 41° F … Cold holding of foods Meat = beef, pork & lamb Poultry = chicken, turkey, duck & goose These are the minimum safe food temperatures required by the Texas Food Establishment Rules. www.dshs.texas.gov/foodestablishments Public Sanitation and Retail Food Safety Unit Pub # 3-12786 (Rev. 03/19/2018)
HSC 437.002, Enforcement of state law by a county or public health district
Sec. 437.002. ENFORCEMENT OF STATE LAW BY COUNTY OR PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT. (a) A county or public health district may enforce state law and rules adopted under state law concerning food service establishments, retail food stores, mobile food units, and roadside food vendors. (b) This chapter does not authorize a county or public health district to adopt orders establishing standards for the operation of food service establishments, retail food stores, mobile food units, or roadside food vendors. Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Sec. 437.003. COUNTY AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE PERMIT. Subject to Section 437.0045, to enforce state law and rules adopted under state law, the …
§228.31. Certified Food Protection Manager and Food Handler Requirements. (a) The original food manager certificate shall be posted in the food establishment in a location that is conspicuous to consumers. (b) Except as specified in subsection (c) of this section, a certified food protection manager shall be present at the food establishment during all hours of operation as required in Food Code, §2-101.11 and §2-102.12. (c) Food establishments deemed by the regulatory authority to pose minimal risk of causing, or contributing to, foodborne illness based on the nature of the operation and extent of food preparation, such as but not limited to: (A) establishments that handle only prepackaged …
25 TAC 228.32, Reporting symptoms and diagnosis signage
§228.32. Reporting Symptoms and Diagnosis Signage. A food establishment shall post a sign or poster, clearly visible to food employees, by all handwashing sinks. The sign or poster shall notify food employees to report symptoms and diagnosis information about their health as it relates to diseases that are transmissible through food. 7 TITLE 25 HEALTH SERVICES PART 1 DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES CHAPTER 228 RETAIL FOOD SUBCHAPTER C FOOD §228.63. Buffet Notification. A card, sign, or other effective means of notification shall be displayed to notify consumers that clean tableware is to be used upon return to self-service areas, such as salad bars and buffets as specified in Food Code, …
(c) A local health jurisdiction may not charge a fee or require or issue a local food handler card for a certificate issued to a food service worker who provides proof of completion of an accredited course described by Subsection (b-1). Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 539, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 822, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 843 (S.B. 582 ), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2015. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 728 (S.B. 1089 ), Sec. 1, eff. June 12, 2017. Sec. 438.102. CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) The executive commissioner shall establish a certification …
Sec. 437.027. FOOD ALLERGEN AWARENESS POSTER. (a) A food service establishment shall display a poster relating to food allergen awareness in an area of the establishment regularly accessible to the establishment's food service employees. The department shall: (1) collaborate with individuals with expertise and knowledge regarding food allergies to determine the form and content of the poster; (2) post a sample poster on the department's Internet website; and (3) update the poster as necessary to ensure the poster contains current information about food allergens and remains consistent with standards promulgated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. (b) The poster must include …
According to CleanCleaver.com (https://cleancleaver.com/texas/)
A food handler course within 30 days
Every food employee except the certified manager finishes an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting (25 TAC 228.31). It lasts 2 years, unless it prints another date.
Each food employee finishes an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting.
The certificate lasts 2 years, unless it prints another date. Keep a copy at the shop.
Your city or county can't make you buy its own card (HSC 438.046).
CleanCleaver: The app counts down each hire's 30 days on the person's page and keeps each certificate with its expiry date.
According to CleanCleaver.com (https://cleancleaver.com/texas/)
A certified food protection manager, every hour you're open
A certified food protection manager is there during all hours you're open. The original certificate is posted where customers can see it (25 TAC 228.31).
A certified food protection manager is there during all hours you're open.
Post the original certificate where customers can see it.
Only packaged food, or a temporary booth? Your inspector may not require one.
CleanCleaver: The app keeps the certificate on file, and the binder lists it.
So each rule becomes a daily tap: walk-in, strip, check-in.
The plan
Your food safety logs, in three steps.
Set up once. Your team takes the temperatures and taps them in on their phones.
How does this work?
Pick your kind of place and what you serve. Nothing extra is listed. No phone? Use the shop tablet and a 4-digit PIN. Your team's health answers stay private. A fixed record is crossed out, never deleted. Cancel in the 25 free days and you pay nothing. Real screens, sample data. How it works
Today shows the one thing that needs you now, the walk-in before the dusting, and folds the rest away.
How does this work?
A sample day. During the rush, only what is urgent shows. The rest waits under When you have a minute. Most places do about five quick taps a day: the thermometer, the walk-in, the sanitizer and the restroom at opening, and the walk-in at close.
The pastry case reads 45°F. The limit is 41°F (Food Code 3-501.16, adopted by the Texas Food Establishment Rules). Press Warmer until it reads 45, then write what you did.
The screen asks what you did before it saves the reading. A reading counts the same whether it passes or not. The person who wrote 45°F gets credit for catching it.
The person in charge sees only what to do, like No food work today.
How does this work?
The arrival log keeps only "at the shop" or not, never where anyone is. Your records are kept apart from every other business. Changes to records, people and permissions are written down with who and when. The answers are stored; manager screens show only what to do. A food employee who is sick reports it to the person in charge right away, and doesn't work while carrying a disease that spreads through food (DSHS employee illness sign (TFER)). Team check-in
Your team did the work. The record shows it, reading by reading, with the time, the name and the rule. When someone asks, you open the binder.
When would you need these records?
A health inspection, routine or surprise. One PDF, problems first, every record with its time and name.
A customer says they got sick. You open that day, hour by hour: who was cleared to work, every reading, each fix.
A walk-in fails overnight. The readings before and after, with their times, for your insurer.
A re-inspection after a violation. What was fixed, by whom and when. A fixed record is crossed out, never deleted. In Austin, a score under 70 means you start fixing the violations within 48 hours (City Code 10-3-153).
A permit renewal, or the day you sell. The last 90 days in one PDF, and the audit trail as a spreadsheet.
A brand audit across locations. One binder per location, each download fingerprinted.
Record-keeping, not legal advice: it shows what you did and when. Your health department decides.
You opened to greet the regulars, nail the menu and train a new hire with pride. The temperature still gets taken, by a person, with a thermometer. It is one tap. The rule, the record and the reminder are already done.
Show all 12
Gone, we do itThe binder fills itselfEvery reading, strip test and check-in lands in the inspection PDF with its time and name. Inspection tomorrow? The binder is already done.
Easy, one tapOne next thingToday shows the one thing that needs you now and folds the rest under When you have a minute. During the rush, only what is urgent shows.
Even a little funCaught earlyA warm reading you wrote down is marked Caught early, not a mark against you. The person who caught it gets the credit, by name.
Gone, we do itWhich rule applies hereThe state rule, then your county's difference, shows under the rule itself. You never look up who decides.
Easy, one tapA temperature is a tapType the number. A warm one asks what you did before it saves, so the fix is on record with the reading.
Even a little funPoints that only go upAn on-time check earns points, a late one still earns some, and nothing ever takes points away. A reading scores the same whether it passes or not.
Gone, we do itCards and certificates, trackedEach new hire has 30 days to finish a food handler course (25 TAC 228.31). Your city or county can't make them buy a local card (HSC 438.046). The person's page shows the days left.
Easy, one tapPaper still worksPrint our log sheets, fill them in by hand, snap a photo. It becomes records. What the app is not sure it read goes to a person to check.
Even a little funKudos, in privateA manager sends kudos with one tap. The receiver sees it, with a small celebration; nobody is ranked, and nobody is shown at zero.
Gone, we do itInspection day, readyProblems first, then the temperatures, checklists, corrections and permits, the way an inspector reads them. A fixed record is crossed out, never deleted.
Easy, one tapHand it to a teammateAsk Susan, or whoever closes. They see Dana asked you; anyone on shift can tap I'll do it. Late is Needs a hand, never a name on a list.
Easy, one tapWho to callThe office for your county, one tap to call. For a sick customer, a sick worker, a permit question: the right number, never a search.
Open a sample cafe and do one shift's taps yourself.
Not ready to start?
What does my shop need to open legally?
Opening in Texas? The order comes from the law. Plans go in before you build, if your health department asks. The permit comes before you open (HSC 437). Each hire takes a food handler course within 30 days (25 TAC 228.31). Your city may add its own rules. Ask it about zoning, building and fire.
What are the steps to open, in order?
1
Send plans if your health department asks
Your health department may ask for plans before you build, convert or remodel. TFER text from DSHS's consolidated copy (2021-08-08); confirm the current text. (TFER (plan review))
2
Get your food establishment permit before you open
Texas law: a food service establishment needs a permit from its local health department, or from DSHS where there is none. DSHS's fee depends on your yearly food sales. (HSC 437; DSHS Permits)
3
A certified food protection manager on site whenever you're open
Texas: a certified food protection manager is there during all hours you're open (minimal-risk places and temporary booths excepted). Post the original certificate where customers can see it. (25 TAC 228.33)
4
Put up the required signs
Texas: your permit, the certified manager's certificate where customers see it, the employee illness sign at every hand sink, and the food allergen awareness poster for staff. (TFER; 25 TAC 228.33; HSC 437.027)
The app lists the same steps for your place on day one, and ticks them off as you go.
How we keep up, so you don't have to
Every Texas county, checked.
In Texas a city may add its own food rules. A county or health district enforces the state's (HSC 437.002). You shouldn't need a law degree to sell coffee. So we read Texas's law, then each office's own pages: 254 counties and 26 city programs, 96 local health departments and DSHS regional offices.
How do we know your county's rule?
Who inspects you in each of the 254 counties and 26 city programs, with its grade or placard and its card rule. The office's phone where its page prints one: 272 of 279 confirmed places.
28 sourced rules and facts for Texas, 24 of them with the source's own words, each dated. Last read October 3, 2026. The next full re-check is due January 1, 2027, with 4 changes on watch until then.
What we could not confirm says so, never a guess. 185 Texas counties have no local health department: a DSHS regional office issues the permit, and the state rule applies as written.
The rule for your county shows in the app under the rule itself, with both citations when the county differs from the state.
See every Texas county, who inspects it and how we check.
Pricing
One price for your team size. Not per check-in.
Move the slider to your staff list and see your plan.
How does this work?
Prices are per location. Churches and community kitchens pay per building. Invited people count once they join. Adding someone within your size costs nothing, and you never pay per check-in, so nobody has a reason to skip one. Want the app to read your food photos? That is $6 per person a month, and it is optional. 25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Monthly price per location, by people on your staff list
Size
People on staff
Per month
Solo
1–2
$8
Small
3–6
$24
Team
7–12
$40
Kitchen
13 or more
$69
Church or community kitchen
Unlimited volunteers
$19
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Not a real TV ad
A spoof ad, for fun.
Three made-up spots in the style of 1985. Tap play. Sound on.
"Inspection-ready. Every. Morning!"Only the cold brew should sit out overnight. CleanCleaver lines up the rest.
"It's not nagging if it's food safety!"
"Your binder fills itself!"Fill in the paper form and snap a photo, or tap it in the app. Your team will follow the rules better than drivers at a four-way stop. Which isn't saying much. Right, Jane? “That's right, ambiguous TV ad narrator!”
Your team logs it. Your binder shows it.
Questions owners ask
Before you start.
Do Texas restaurants get a letter grade?
Not from the state. Texas has no statewide grade, and your latest inspection report is available to anyone who asks (Food Code 8-304.11). Cities and counties score their own way: Austin and Dallas out of 100, Fort Worth and Frisco by demerits, a few by letter. CleanCleaver keeps your records the way an inspector reads them, problems first. Your health department decides.
Who inspects my restaurant in Texas?
If your city runs its own program, like Houston, Dallas, San Antonio or Fort Worth, the city does. Otherwise your county or district health department. Where there is none, DSHS does, from 8 regional offices: that is 185 of Texas's 254 counties. DSHS's jurisdiction map finds yours, and our list names the office for every county and city.
Do my staff need food handler training in Texas?
Yes. Every food employee except the certified manager completes an accredited food handler course within 30 days of starting (25 TAC 228.31). The certificate lasts 2 years unless it prints another date; keep a copy at the shop. Your city or county can't require its own card or charge a fee for it (HSC 438.046). The app counts down the 30 days and keeps each certificate on file.
Do I need a certified food protection manager?
Yes, for most places. A certified food protection manager is there during all hours you're open. Post the original certificate where customers can see it (25 TAC 228.31). Your inspector may exempt a place that sells only packaged food, and temporary booths are exempt. Your city or county can't require its own manager card (HSC 438.1055). The app keeps the certificate on file.
Which FDA Food Code does Texas use?
The 2017 FDA Food Code and its Supplement, adopted by the Texas Food Establishment Rules (25 TAC 228.1). The cold and hot limits are 41°F and 135°F (3-501.16). We read DSHS's consolidated copy of the rules, in effect from August 8, 2021. Ask DSHS for the current text.
What signs go on the wall in Texas?
Your food establishment permit, posted (Food Code 8-304.11). The certified manager's original certificate, where customers can see it (25 TAC 228.31). The employee illness sign by every handwashing sink (25 TAC 228.32). A food allergen awareness poster where food employees can see it (HSC 437.027). Serving alcohol on site? The pregnancy warning on each restroom door (Alcoholic Beverage Code 11.042). The app lists the signs your place needs.
A worker is sick. Who do I tell?
The worker tells the person in charge right away; the illness sign by every hand sink says so (25 TAC 228.32). Workers with vomiting or diarrhea stay away from food work. A food employee has jaundice, or a diagnosed illness that spreads through food? The person in charge tells your health department (Food Code 2017 2-201.11). The app's check-in asks each person the health questions before the shift, and you see only OK to work or No food work today.
A worker got hurt. Who do I call?
Texas has no state OSHA plan, so it is federal OSHA. A death: report within 8 hours. A hospital stay, an amputation or the loss of an eye: within 24 hours (29 CFR 1904.39). The OSHA 24-hour line is 1-800-321-6742. The app's injury steps show the same number.
Can I sell food I make at home in Texas?
Cottage food, yes. No city or county can require a permit for it (HSC 437.0192), up to 150,000 dollars a year in sales, adjusted for inflation (HSC 437.001). Meals from a home kitchen, no: Texas has no permit for that, and a private home can't be used for a food establishment.
Who licenses my food truck in Texas?
DSHS, since July 1, 2026, for every food truck in the state (HSC Chapter 437B). A city or county page that still lists a food truck permit or fee may be out of date. DSHS's mobile food vendor line is 512-406-2644.
What does it cost after the 25 free days?
It depends on how many people are on your staff list: Solo (1–2) is $8, Small (3–6) is $24, Team (7–12) is $40 and Kitchen (13 or more) is $69 a month, per location. Churches and community kitchens pay $19 a month per building. Cancel anytime.
Do I need a card to start?
Yes, to start the 25 free days. You add a card on Stripe's own page, and CleanCleaver never sees the number. Cancel before the 25 days end and you pay nothing. Check-ins, sick reports and food-safety steps work with or without a card.
Do my staff need to install an app?
No. Each person gets a text link and uses CleanCleaver in their phone's web browser. People without a phone check in on a shop tablet with a 4-digit PIN.
Can a manager see my health answers?
No. The manager sees only what to do today, like "No food work today". Your symptoms stay private.
Still want a person?
Rather talk it through?
Call or text. Some owners want a voice first, and that is fine.
Picture the next surprise visit. The team checked in. The walk-in temperature is written down. The binder is one tap away. You hand it over and go back to the food.
CleanCleaver is guidance and record-keeping, not legal advice. Your city or county health department, or DSHS where there is none, has the final word. Texas's rules were read on October 3, 2026.
For Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso and every Texas kitchen
