Many occupations require a license or certification from a state agency or board. In many cases, a person with a certain criminal convictions may not be able to get or renew an occupational license.
Section 53.021 of the Texas Occupations Code allows a licensing authority to to deny, revoke, or suspend a license if the person was convicted of:
A licensing authority can be:
There are also many employment-related restrictions for specific professions in the Texas statutes. We've listed many of these in the boxes below.
Note This page is not a complete list of restrictions. If you need help researching restrictions for a specific occupation, please ask a librarian.
Check with the state agency, board, or commission that regulates the occupation.
The Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) regulates certain occupations. Other occupations may instead be regulated by different agencies or commissions, like the Texas Board of Nursing or the Texas Real Estate Commission.
In some cases, you can information about criminal history restrictions on the agency's website.
You can also request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority. The authority will review the person's criminal history as if an actual license application had been filed.
These restrictions may apply to certain types of businesses or to the business organization process.
These restrictions may apply to employees and volunteers in public and private schools, charter schools, and similar entities.
These restrictions apply to specific positions in financial institutions like banks or credit unions.
These restrictions apply to specific positions in the medical field, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and more.
These restrictions apply to employees of care facilities, including child care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc.
These restrictions apply to specific positions in law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical services, like police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel.
These restrictions apply to specific positions in the legal field, including attorneys and court reporters.
These restrictions apply to insurance professionals, including insurance agents and adjusters.