Retail Food Establishments – How to File a Complaint

To file a complaint against a Retail Food Establishment in Texas, please use the Texas Retail Food Establishments Jurisdiction Interactive Map to contact the appropriate health department. Instructions for using the map are located at the bottom of this page.

Ensure that you know which department has jurisdiction over the Retail Food Establishment before filing a complaint.  

For complaints about establishments under Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) jurisdiction, please email or mail us your complaint using our contact information in the sidebar on this page.  

If you have a complaint about a Food Establishment that is under a local jurisdiction, please contact the local jurisdiction directly - List of Local Health Departments. 

The map below is an online resource that enables visitors to quickly search health departments within the State of Texas.  

Texas allows “home-rule” charter government in the state. Charters are documents that establish the governmental structure and determine the distribution of powers and duties among its branches.  

Home rule charters allow cities and counties to do anything that qualifies as a "public purpose" and is not contrary to the constitution or laws of the state. Cities or counties with active charters have regulatory authority in those areas. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) provides the minimum standards for food safety in the state with the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER). However, cities and counties with active charters may enforce more stringent rules and regulations. 

For questions about the map, please see the step-by-step instructions below or contact the Retail Food Establishments Program. 

Instructions 

Please follow these instructions to use the interactive map: 

1. Navigate to the Texas Retail Food Establishments Jurisdiction Interactive Map. 

2. Click the + button on the toolbar to zoom in 

3. Click on different zones on the map to view information about each geographic location. 

4. Click the star or triangle symbols to view DSHS Public Health Region office information. 

5. Click a city or county boundary to view jurisdiction contact information for the location. 

For more detailed instructions, please see the full User Guide for the Texas Retail Food Establishments Jurisdiction Interactive Map.