Got food poisoning in Dallas? Who to report it to and when to call a lawyer

To report a restaurant in the City of Dallas, call the Consumer Health Division at (214) 670-8083. Dallas County Health and Human Services tracks cases of foodborne illness. Keep the packaging and write down what you ate. A food poisoning claim generally has to be filed within 2 years in Texas.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (37)

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Road map of Dallas showing Goforth Road in the northeast, where the city's Consumer Health Division has its office
Report a Dallas restaurant illness to Consumer Health: (214) 670-8083. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who do I call if I got food poisoning at a Dallas restaurant?

Call the City of Dallas Consumer Health Division at (214) 670-8083. Its office is at 7901 Goforth Road, Dallas, TX 75238. Dallas County Health and Human Services, at 214-819-2000, follows human cases of foodborne illness through the year and inspects food establishments where it has authority in the county.

Doctors and labs have their own duty. In Texas, providers and labs must report notifiable conditions to the health department. A report can help find an outbreak. If the food was meat or poultry, the USDA also runs a hotline.

Do Dallas restaurant inspection scores prove my case?

No. Dallas says a score gives a snapshot in time of the conditions during one inspection. A clean score last month does not clear a kitchen today, and a bad score does not prove it made you sick.

What links you to a place is the illness itself. Health staff may ask for receipts or leftovers. Some lab results go to PulseNet, which matches the DNA fingerprint of the same strain across cases.

How long after eating does food poisoning start?

GermUsual startWhy it matters
Staph30 minutes to 8 hoursPoints to a recent meal
Norovirus12 to 48 hoursLook back a day or two
Salmonella6 hours to 6 daysA wide window, so keep a diary
Campylobacter2 to 5 daysOften a meal days earlier
ListeriaUsually within 2 weeksSerious in pregnancy

That is why the last meal is usually not the cause. Go to a doctor for severe signs. E. coli can lead to a kidney problem called HUS, a medical emergency.

What proof should I keep after food poisoning in Dallas?

  1. Ask your provider for a stool or blood test. Lab results can take 1 to 3 days.
  2. List what you ate over the past week, in order.
  3. Keep the original packaging and any receipt.
  4. Report to the city or county, and ask for the date you reported.
  5. Save your records. Parkland's Release of Information office is at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., Suite 01-603, and wants a photo ID.

Leftover food that tests positive does not prove the case by itself. Contamination can happen at any step of the food chain.

Who is responsible when food makes someone sick in Dallas?

Under Texas law, a manufacturer includes producers and processors. A seller that did not make the product is usually not liable. A restaurant that cooks and serves the food is in a different position than a store that resold a sealed package, so the facts matter.

Oysters are listed as a known-risk product, though that rule does not cover a manufacturing defect. You cannot recover if your share of the fault is more than 50 percent.

How long do I have to sue over food poisoning in Dallas?

Generally 2 years in Texas. Dallas County reports pile up slowly. CDC says illnesses are usually reported 3 to 4 weeks after they start, so do not wait for a health letter to see a lawyer.

Questions

Can I call Dallas County instead of the city?

Yes. Dallas County Health and Human Services takes foodborne illness work at 214-819-2000. Restaurant complaints inside the city go to Consumer Health.

Do I need a test to have a claim?

A test helps. Your provider can test stool or blood. Rapid tests are common, and some details need a culture.

What if a child got sick?

Time as a minor does not count toward the Texas deadline.

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Sources (37)

  1. City of Dallas Consumer Health Division, checked 2026-11-09. “Contact the Consumer Health Division at (214) 670-8083 to report an allegation of a food-borne illness.”
  2. Dallas County Health and Human Services, checked 2026-11-09. “DCHHS performs year-round surveillance and public health follow-up of human cases of foodborne illnesses”
  3. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  4. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “The food that made you sick is usually not the last food you ate.”
  5. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Write down everything you remember eating in the week before you got sick.”
  6. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Store or freeze food with the original packaging or label.”
  7. City of Dallas Consumer Health Division, checked 2026-11-09. “Inspection scores provide a snapshot in time of a food establishment's operational and sanitation conditions during the inspection.”
  8. City of Dallas Consumer Health Division, checked 2026-11-09. “7901 Goforth Road”
  9. Dallas County Health and Human Services, checked 2026-11-09. “2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207 Telephone: 214-819-2000”
  10. Texas DSHS, checked 2026-11-09. “Health care providers, hospitals, laboratories, schools, and others are required to report patients who are suspected of having a notifiable condition”
  11. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Promptly reporting your illness helps your local or state health department identify foodborne outbreaks.”
  12. USDA FSIS, checked 2026-11-09. “Call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)”
  13. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “They may also ask for copies of receipts, your shopper card number, or leftover food for testing.”
  14. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Some test results (without information that identifies you) are sent to PulseNet.”
  15. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “PulseNet scientists look for groups of people sickened by bacteria with the same DNA fingerprint (strain).”
  16. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “diarrhea 30 minutes to 8 hours”
  17. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “body aches are also possible 12 to 48 hours”
  18. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after infection”
  19. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “fever, stomach cramps 2 to 5 days”
  20. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms of invasive illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.”
  21. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.”
  22. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Severe food poisoning can cause bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days, fever over 102°F, frequent vomiting, and dehydration.”
  23. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Call the doctor or go to the emergency room immediately.”
  24. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “They can take a sample of your poop or blood and test it.”
  25. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “the laboratory takes 1–3 days to run tests”
  26. Parkland Health, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “5200 Harry Hines Blvd, 1st floor, Suite 01-603”
  27. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “cannot by itself confirm that the food is the source of the outbreak”
  28. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Contamination can occur at any point along the chain”
  29. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.001, checked 2026-11-09. “a designer, formulator, constructor, rebuilder, fabricator, producer, compounder, processor, or assembler of any product”
  30. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.003, checked 2026-11-09. “A seller that did not manufacture a product is not liable for harm caused to the claimant by that product unless the claimant proves”
  31. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.004, checked 2026-11-09. “(B) an oyster.”
  32. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.004, checked 2026-11-09. “does not include an action based on manufacturing defect or breach of an express warranty”
  33. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent.”
  34. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “The reporting lag for a foodborne outbreak is usually 3–4 weeks.”
  35. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Many healthcare providers are now using rapid tests that give a result quickly”
  36. CDC, MMWR, checked 2026-11-09. “can only be obtained if a CIDT‐positive specimen is also cultured”
  37. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”

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