What Parents Need to Know About New Texas Camp Safety Laws

When parents send their children to summer camp, they trust their little ones will be cared for, supervised and protected. But for many parents, that trust was shaken last summer.

On July 4, 2025, flash flooding in Kerr County swept through Camp Mystic and claimed the lives of 25 young campers and two counselors—a heartbreaking loss now remembered as Heaven’s 27. Lila Bonner, Hadley Hanna, Janie Hunt, Virginia “Wynne” Naylor, Eloise “Lulu” Peck, and twins Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence were from DFW.

In the following months, families of Heaven’s 27 channeled their grief into action, founding the Campaign for Camp Safety and testifying before the Texas Legislature. They urged lawmakers to take a hard look at camp safety standards.

Their advocacy led to two new pieces of legislation designed to strengthen safety and emergency preparedness at youth camps across the state: Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act (Senate Bill 1); and the Youth Camp Alert, Mitigation, Preparedness, and Emergency Response (Youth CAMPER) Act (House Bill 1). Both bills were passed and subsequently signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on September 5, 2025.

While no law can undo the tragedy or eliminate every risk, these measures represent a significant shift in how Texas oversees and licenses youth camps.

These new laws set statewide standards and requirements for emergency planning, staff and camper training, and oversight at licensed camps. On January 21, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), which regulates youth camps, adopted the Texas Youth Camps Safety and Health and Youth Camp Advisory Committee rule text, which were published in the Texas Register and effective as of February 2.

Here’s what families can now expect:

New Safety Standards for Texas Camps

Stricter licensing requirements

All DSHS-qualifying youth camps are now required to have a license to operate. The new legislation updated the department’s definition of a youth camp to reduce previous exemptions for religious or long-standing camps.

In some instances, DSHS may grant a waiver to a program that is sponsored by a religious organization, has been in operation for at least 30 years, has no more than 80 campers, is staffed by adult volunteers who all receive background checks and required training, operates for no more than seven days in any year and is in a county with a population between 4,000–4,350.

All other camps must submit their applications for new or renewed licenses between January 1 and March 31 of each calendar year. Camp operators must also apply for a renewal within 30 days of altering the boundaries, building one or more new cabins on-site or renovating existing cabins. Camps can expect to hear about their application within 45 days of receipt.

More transparency about youth camp safety

Youth camps are required to develop comprehensive, written emergency plans covering procedures for lost campers, fires, natural disasters such as floods and severe weather, intruders, epidemics and other emergencies. These plans must be submitted to DSHS every year as part of the camp’s licensing application. DSHS will create a digital database of emergency plans that’s shared with the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Camps must share the most recent version of their emergency plan with parents or guardians of enrolled campers. Though, these plans won’t be published to the general public, so sensitive security details stay protected.

Clearer flood-risk disclosure

Under the new laws, most sleepaway camps with cabins in a floodplain will not be eligible for a state license. A floodplain is the land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwater from any source, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Limited exceptions may apply, such as cabins near still or isolated bodies of water (like ponds or damned lakes) or located at least 1,000 feet from floodways—the waterway containing the fastest-moving water during a flood. Cabins located within a floodplain must have emergency ladders, providing access to the cabin’s roof, installed.

Camps must disclose in writing whether any part of the property is located within a floodplain. Parents will be asked to acknowledge they received that information before or during enrollment.

Stronger on-site emergency preparedness

Camps are required to post clear evacuation routes in every cabin, designate emergency gathering areas, monitor safety alerts issued by the National Weather Services and local authorities, and maintain emergency alert systems that function without an internet connection. A backup internet connection must be in place in case one system fails.

Mandatory emergency training for staff and campers

All camp staff and volunteers must complete documented emergency training each year. Campers must receive age-appropriate safety orientation within the first 48 hours of their camp session that informs them of the camp’s boundaries and hazards, as well as expected behavior and procedures to follow during an emergency.

Improved supervision at overnight camps

The state established minimum camper-to-counselor ratios for sleepaway camps and overnight stays. One counselor is required for every five campers ages 4–5, six campers ages 6–8, eight campers ages 9–14, and 10 campers ages 15–17.

A clearer path to report concerns

Youth camps are required to post a prominent link on their website to DSHS’s complaint website, where parents, guardians, campers, staff and volunteers can report safety concerns or noncompliance issues. DSHS will investigate each complaint filed, including an on-site inspection.

Easier license verification 

DSHS will post and maintain an online registry of all state-licensed youth camps, allowing parents to confirm a camp’s licensing status before enrolling their child.

Learn more at dshs.texas.gov/youth-camp-program.

The Bottom Line

• Texas now has clearer, statewide safety standards for licensed youth camps.
• Parents have more access to emergency plans, flood-risk disclosures and license verification.
• While no law can remove all risk, oversight and preparedness requirements are stronger than before.