Guidelines for viewing/searching the Texas Administrative Code
The Texas Administrative Code is available in two formats for your convenience. The TAC Viewer allows you to view the complete Texas Administrative Code as it is in effect today. This format is arranged by title, part and chapter in an easily readable format. The searchable database allows you to view individual sections of the Texas Administrative Code, and to search for those sections in several ways.
General Information for the Searchable Database Format
- To search for a particular agency, enter the name of the agency in the agency name field. You may use the % sign as a wildcard character in this field. For example, to search for the Department of State Health Services, you could enter %Health% in the agency name field. This would bring up a list of all agency names with the word "Health" in the name. A wildcard character is used as a symbol that stands for one or more unspecified characters. Do not use abbreviations such as "DSHS" in this field. Consult our list of common abbreviations for information on corresponding agency names.
- To see a list of all the titles in the Texas Administrative Code,
click on the "List Titles" option. To see all sections in
a Title, enter the title number only and click FIND. To see all agencies
within a title, enter the title number and click on "List Agencies
within Selected Title".
To see all sections for a single agency, enter the title number and part number only or the agency name and click FIND.
To see all sections for a single chapter, enter the title number and chapter number only and click FIND. - Be as specific as possible when entering your search criteria. If you
are interested in results from a particular title, part, or chapter only,
include that information in your search criteria. This will return results
that are more specific to your needs and will speed up the search.
- Entering a value in only one field (other than the Title Number field) and clicking FIND will bring up any information meeting that search criteria for the entire administrative code. For instance, entering 105 in the Chapter Number field would bring up sections from Chapter 105 of all 16 titles of the TAC.
- Choosing the FIND option at the bottom of the screen will search for information based on the criteria you selected. Choosing the CLEAR option will remove any information you entered in the search options.
Search Rule Text
- Use this option to search for keyword(s) in the text of rules included in the Texas Administrative Code. You may use the % sign as a wildcard character. You can use the % sign to search for parts of words as well. A wildcard character is used as a symbol that stands for one or more unspecified characters.
Rule Number
- You may enter information in these fields in two different ways. If you enter a number in the first field only, it will bring up all rules starting with the rule number you entered in the rule range field that meet your other search criteria. For instance, entering "91" in the first rule number field will bring up all rule number 91's or larger that match all of your other search criteria.
- You do not need to enter values in both dialog boxes for the rule number query. Enter rule numbers in both dialog boxes if you wish to view a specific range of rules.
Show rule as in effect on this date
- Leave this field blank if you wish to view current information for the TAC. If you enter a date in this field, the system will find the information meeting your search criteria in effect on the date you selected. If no information existed for your search criteria on the date you indicated, you will receive the message "No records returned".
- Be sure to enter information in the TAC Date field in the MM/DD/YYYY format. (Use two digits for the month and date and four digits for the year).
- Information in the system includes all rules in effect starting on January 1, 1999.
Search Results
- After choosing the keyword(s) and search options you desire, click FIND. The system will then return a list of sections in the TAC that match your search results. To see the text of the rule, click on the Chapter.Rule number. Keywords matching the search criteria will be highlighted in the text of the section.
- You may navigate through the search results by using the options at the bottom of the page. To display the next ten search results, choose "Next". To view the final page of search results, choose "Last". Choosing "Last" will show you the total number of results returned for your search. To return to the first page of search results after you have viewed another page, chose "First". To view the previous page of search results, choose "Previous". Choose "Query" to return to the query criteria page and initiate another search.
