SECTION 17.71. Issuance of Certificate

(a) The commissioner shall certify farmers markets in accordance with this subchapter. Upon certification of a farmers market, the commissioner shall issue a farmers market certificate. Certified farmers markets agree to comply with local municipal, county and state health and safety regulations, and general requirements of the department.

(b) An annual certification fee will be assessed to all markets with their application. The fee will be based on the number of weeks per year the market operates. The number of weeks is calculated on a seven-day (Sunday-Saturday) basis. For any single or multiple days of operation that fall within a week, the week shall count toward the number of weeks of operation. Fees will be as follows:

(1) 1-26 weeks per year - $50, for markets that are not members of the department's GO TEXAN program, set out in Subchapter C of this chapter (relating to GO TEXAN Certification Mark), and $25 for markets that are members of the department's GO TEXAN program;

(2) 27-52 weeks per year - $100, for markets that are not members of the department's GO TEXAN program and $50 for markets that are current members of the department's GO TEXAN program.

(c) Farmers markets who are not members of the department's GO TEXAN program, with multiple locations, will be assessed a certification fee of $25 per additional location over and above the fee associated with the initial certified location. If a farmers market is a member of the GO TEXAN program, the fee for each additional location is $12.50. The fee for each additional location is not dependent on the number of weeks of operation.

Source Note: The provisions of this §17.71 adopted to be effective April 3, 1989, 14 TexReg 1457; amended to be effective March 21, 1996, 21 TexReg 2072; amended to be effective September 1, 2011, 36 TexReg 5353; amended to be effective February 2, 2023, 48 TexReg 347