Disinfection protocols are TDLR's required procedures for cleaning and disinfecting tools, implements, and surfaces between clients — and the core of the mandatory sanitation hour in your CE.
The current rules in 16 TAC Chapter 83 require EPA-registered disinfectants that are bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal, with bleach-solution concentrations defined by use: low-level (100–200 ppm, 10-minute soak), high-level (1,000 ppm, 20 minutes), and 5,000 ppm for blood and body-fluid cleanup. TDLR updated its protocols in the September 2023 rule changes, moving away from alcohol-based products.
Enforcement is concrete. Recent administrative orders include a $2,000 penalty against an Amarillo barbershop in part for failing to clean and disinfect implements with a hospital-grade EPA-registered disinfectant after each client, and a $3,000 penalty against a Richmond nail salon over wax pot disinfection, sterilizer procedures, and foot spa cleaning records.
Per-service standards in the rules run from foot spa logs to single-use items to blood and body-fluid procedures — the sanitation hour of your CE walks through what changed and what inspectors actually check.
What it means for your renewal
If your disinfection habits date to an older rule set — alcohol-based products on the back bar — the sanitation hour is where you catch up. The current standard is an EPA-registered, hospital-grade product used per its instructions, and the penalties for getting it wrong run into the thousands per order.
Authority: 16 TAC §83.101