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Food Service Permits & Inspections
Article 6.07 of the University Park Code of Ordinances requires that all food service establishments operating within the confines of University Park be permitted by the City Secretary. The City contracts with the Dallas County Environmental Health Division to provide two mandatory inspections of all food service establishments annually.
Application Procedures for New Food Service Establishments
- Contact Dallas County Environmental Health Division at 214-819-2115 to schedule an inspection. The inspector will provide the applicant a report with "OKAY TO PERMIT" written on it.
- Complete an Application for a New Food Service Establishment (PDF).
- Bring the completed application, the inspector authorization to permit report and a $285 permit fee to the City Secretary's office at City Hall. The fee is payable by cash, check or credit card.
Procedure for Annual Permit Renewal
- Complete a Renewal Application for an Existing Food Service Establishment (PDF).
- Bring a completed application and $285 permit fee to the City Secretary's office at City Hall. The fee is payable by cash, check or credit card.
- Annual renewals will be valid from the date of previous expiration, regardless of when paid. If renewal is over 45 days past due, a new permit and inspection will be required.
Application Procedure for a Temporary Health Permit
- Contact Dallas County Environmental Health Division at 214-819-2115 to schedule an inspection. The inspector will provide an inspection report with "OKAY TO PERMIT" written on it.
- Complete an Application for a Temporary Food Service Establishment (PDF).
- Bring a completed application, inspector report and $100 permit fee plus $10 for each additional day, up to 14 consecutive days, to the City Secretary's office at City Hall. The fee is payable by cash, check or credit card.
House Bill 2878 was passed by the Texas State Legislature and is effective on September 1, 2023. Mobile Food Unit (MFU) operators will no longer be required to be permitted in each individual city within Dallas County. MFUs must obtain a permit from Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) Environmental Health. DCHHS will begin permitting mobile food units (MFUs) by appointment only. Any vendor seeking a permit must schedule an appointment.
A MFU permit issued by Dallas County is for Health and Safety inspection only. MFUs must comply with the Fire and Safety inspection requirements for the cities they plan to operate. MFUs must provide proof of completed Fire and Safety Inspection(s) at the time of inspection.
A MFU permit issued by Dallas County does not exempt MFUs from local municipal laws. All MFUs must comply with any applicable municipal zoning, parking, and/or other ordinances.
More information, including the application packet and fee schedule, is available here on the DCHHS Environmental Health website.
Mobile food trucks are not permitted to vend from public rights-of-way. Vehicles must pull onto private property when making a sale.
Mobile food trucks who vend from private property must have written permission from the owner, have access to hand-washing and restroom facilities, be located in an area zoned for retail sales, and not be located within the public right-of-way. Written permission from the property owner must be available for inspection while at the site. Areas zones for retail sales are GR, RC, SC, and C. Concessionaires may also vend on the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus with prior SMU approval. Approved areas for retail sales are shown on the City's Zoning Map (PDF).
On-site inspections are conducted by the Environmental Health Division of the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department.
The score will be entered numerically from 0 to 30 or above. It is important to remember when looking at the overall score to keep in mind the type of operation being conducted at that facility. A full-service restaurant, for example, that prepares meals from scratch is involved in more complex operations and processing than a convenience store that sells only prepackaged food items. Also, any inspection is a "snapshot" of the day and time of the inspection.
Depending on when the inspection occurs, a food establishment could have more or less violations than noted at the time and date the inspection was made and may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment. It is also important to remember that at the time of the inspection, violations are recorded on the inspection form, but are often corrected on-the-spot prior to the health inspector leaving the establishment.
Grading Criteria
Grading criteria inspections are scored 100 and below. The lower the score, the fewer violations at the time of inspection. The grading criteria are:
- Excellent: 0 to 3
- Good: 4 to 10
- Satisfactory: 11 to 19
- Poor: 20 to 29
- Fail: 30 or More
View Inspection Reports
You can view the most recent Retail Food Inspection Report for any restaurant or food service outlet in University Park by visiting our Inspection Reports database.