Summer is right around the corner, and parents hoping to send their kids to camp may want to check whether those camps are properly licensed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, only nine camps in Texas appeared with active licenses in an online search from the Department of State Health Services. Those camps include:
Hidden Falls Ranch (Wayside, Texas)
Camp Buckner (Burnet, Texas)
Camp Sweeney (Whitesboro, Texas)
Frontier Camp (Grapeland, Texas)
Ceta Canyon Methodist Camp and Retreat (Happy, Texas)
Pine Springs Baptist Camp (Laneville, Texas)
Camp Thurman (Pantego, Texas)
Camp Fern Legacy, Inc. (Marshall, Texas)
Camp OTX (Bandera, Texas)
The available records list a total of 330 camps across Texas, with more than 240 showing applications pending. Dozens of others are weeks-or even days-away from their licenses expiring.
According to the DSHS website, applications for the 2026 camp season were due between Feb. 2 and March 31. Submitting after that window can delay license approvals.
“You may not operate a youth camp without a license in Texas,” the DSHS’ website says explicitly.
The delay comes as camps navigate a wave of strict new safety laws after Camp Mystic announced it is withdrawing its application for a 2026 summer camp license, with officials saying they don’t believe operations should move forward while families continue mourning 27 campers and counselors lost in the Fourth of July floods last year.
Under the new rules, camps must meet significantly tougher standards before they can open. Requirements now include installing emergency warning and public address systems, providing mandatory safety training for campers, distributing detailed emergency plans to families and, in some cases, relocating or rebuilding cabins outside federally designated flood zones.
On top of that, all camps must pass a pre-licensing inspection verifying compliance with detailed health and safety regulations-from water systems and food service to staffing, sanitation and emergency preparedness.
To check a camp’s license status, visit the DSHS Youth Camp Program page and click “Find a Licensee.” From there, users can download the “Active youth camps roster” or search for a specific camp by name. No login is required.
To check a camp’s license status, visit the DSHS Youth Camp Program page and click “Find a Licensee.” (Screenshot from Department of State Health Services website)
For a more specific search, you can also click the hyperlink that says “Begin your license search here.” You do not need a login to access this, but you do need to be specific in your searches, but once you’ve found the camp you can see their current license status.
For a more specific search, you can also click the hyperlink that says “Begin your license search here.” (Screenshot from Department of State Health Services website)
“All new and existing youth camps will be required to complete a pre-licensing inspection prior to a youth camp license being issued,” the DSHS’ pre-licensing inspection explains. ” Inspection of a youth camp is required to verify that the operation meets applicable health and safety regulations, rules and standards.”
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This article originally published at Less than 10 Texas camps show active licenses weeks before summer.