Texas Summer Camps Scramble for Licenses Under New Flood Safety Rules

Camp operators and state officials are navigating license approvals for summer camps across the state, including Austin, amid new regulatory laws passed after the deadly July 4 floods.

The legislation, which received approval after 27 girls died at Camp Mystic last year during catastrophic flooding, establishes requirements for a slew of safety measures. The requirements include installing emergency warning and public address systems, providing mandatory safety training to campers and distributing emergency protocols to families.

Some camps will have to build new cabins and move existing ones out of certain floodplains indicated on Federal Emergency Management Agency maps.

Camps are also required to outline safety and compliance details in their emergency plans and submit those plans to the Texas Department of State Health Services for licensing approval.

Given the brief window — roughly three weeks — before camp season begins, Lara Anton, a spokesperson for Texas DSHS, told the Dallas Morning News that the agency would begin conducting preliminary onsite inspections while camps work to comply.

When asked if the agency plans to have the camps licensed in time, Anton said it would depend "on camps bringing their emergency plans into compliance quickly."

Notably, Camp Mystic officials revoked their request for a license last week after emotionally charged hearings with state leaders and controversy over the camp's plan to reopen in a separate area.

State Rep. Wes Virdell, R-Brady, said on social media that he was hearing daily from camps struggling to obtain licenses. Virdell urged Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address what Virdell described as flaws in the legislation.

"We all want camps to be safe," Virdell wrote on X, "but we as legislators must ensure that the requirements are reasonable and achievable."

I sent a request to @GovHotWheels_TX today asking for a special session to fix the camp safety legislation that was recently passed and causing massive problems for camps across Texas.

We are short on time to fix the bill before summer, and I am receiving calls from camps on a… pic.twitter.com/3K3GFUubfD

— Wes Virdell, TX State Rep (@wesvirdelltx) April 30, 2026

Tuesday evening, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a joint statement that acknowledged they had received reports of some camps not being able to meet requirements of the law regarding redundant internet access and fiber-optic internet infrastructure.

“We, the leadership of the Texas Senate and Texas House, support allowing camps to qualify for licensure through the Department of State Health Services to operate for the summer 2026 season if they have submitted a sufficient emergency action plan, meet all other safety requirements, and maintain a reliable communication system capable of operating during an emergency," the statement read. "The upcoming 90th Legislative Session will provide an opportunity to further strengthen camp safety standards while ensuring camps operating in good faith under these new requirements can continue to serve Texas children and families.”

The searchable table below shows camps across Texas that are still awaiting license approval or renewal, according to state records.

Austin-area camps still waiting for approval

• Austin YMBL Sunshine Camps-Zilker: license renewal application pending
• Big Chief's Kid Camp: license expires in June
• Bright Horizons Children's Centers LLC: license expires late May
• Bright Horizons Children's Centers LLC: license renewal application pending
• Camp Balcones: license expires mid-May
• Camp Barton Creek: license expires late May
• Camp Great Hills: license expires mid-May
• Camp Half-Blood & Camp Victory: license renewal application pending
• East Communities YMCA: license renewal application pending
• Greater Austin YMCAs: license renewal applications pending
• Kidventure Camps: license renewal applications pending
• Kidventure Camp - Rough life: license renewal application pending
• Kidventure Camp - Blue House at Westlake: license renewal application pending
• Kidventure Camp Steiner: license renewal application pending
• Spicewood Country Camp: license renewal application pending
• Steve and Kate Camp: license renewal application pending
• THETHERAPYXPLORIMENT PLLC: license expires August 12