Texas AED requirements at a glance
Here is what Texas law asks of an AED program, row by row, with the statute behind each answer.
| Requirement | Required? | What the law says |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect and maintain AEDs | Yes | Anyone who owns or leases an AED must maintain and test it per the manufacturer's guidelines and inspect it monthly to confirm it is in its spot, looks ready and looks undamaged (Health & Safety Code § 779.003). |
| Train expected users | Limited | No general rule since S.B. 199 repealed § 779.002 in 2021. |
| Notify agencies of AEDs | Yes | Through AED placement reporting: see that row. |
| Register the program | No | Not in state law. |
| Report AED locations | Yes | When a person or entity acquires an AED, it must tell the local EMS provider that the AED exists, where it is and what type it is (Health & Safety Code § 779.005). The law names no form or deadline. |
| Physician medical direction | No | No physician oversight duty. An AED not cleared for over-the-counter sale must come from a licensed practitioner or on a prescription, which is only the purchase rule (Health & Safety Code § 779.007). S.B. 199 (2021) removed the old physician-involvement wording. |
| Report each AED use | No | No separate use report to a physician or agency. The duty to promptly notify local EMS after using an AED is listed under EMS activation (Health & Safety Code § 779.004). |
| Written plan or records | No | No general written plan or records duty for AED owners. School districts' written cardiac emergency response plans are covered in the school plan row (Educ. Code § 38.018). |
| Call 911 when an AED is used | Yes | A person or entity that uses an AED on someone in cardiac arrest must promptly notify the local EMS provider (Health & Safety Code § 779.004). |
| School cardiac emergency plan | Yes | Every school district, and any private school that got an AED or AED funds from TEA, must adopt a cardiac emergency response plan with a response team, activation steps, CPR/AED training, yearly drills and yearly review (Educ. Code § 38.018). |
| Other requirements | Limited | Nursing facilities must use an AED in a way that is consistent with the resident's advance directive (Health & Safety Code § 242.159(c)). |
| AEDs required at specific sites | Yes | Schools, school sports, nursing homes or assisted living and public pools. See the list below. |
Compare nearby states: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, or see every state on the AED laws by state table.
Is medical direction required in Texas?
No. Texas law doesn’t require a physician to oversee an AED program.
No physician oversight duty. An AED not cleared for over-the-counter sale must come from a licensed practitioner or on a prescription, which is only the purchase rule (Health & Safety Code § 779.007). S.B. 199 (2021) removed the old physician-involvement wording.
Some programs choose a medical director anyway, for example to write the response protocol or review each use. If you want one, AED Log’s Medical Direction add-on is $65 per AED per year.
Training requirements
Only in certain settings. Texas doesn’t require training for AED owners in general, but the law names some settings that must train people.
No general rule since S.B. 199 repealed § 779.002 in 2021.
School nurses, coaches, PE and band staff need CPR/AED certification (Educ. Code § 22.902(c))
A trained employee must be on hand at required school AED sites when many students are present (§ 38.017(d))
Nursing facilities must employ one AED-trained person (Health & Safety Code § 242.159(e)).
Training still matters: an AED talks the rescuer through each step, but people who have practiced start CPR sooner and hesitate less. Keep each responder’s card current, since most CPR and AED cards last two years. See how long CPR and AED certification lasts.
Inspection and maintenance
Yes. Texas law requires AED owners to keep each AED maintained and tested.
Anyone who owns or leases an AED must maintain and test it per the manufacturer's guidelines and inspect it monthly to confirm it is in its spot, looks ready and looks undamaged (Health & Safety Code § 779.003)
School districts must maintain campus AEDs to ch. 779 standards (Educ. Code § 38.017(e)).
In practice, that means check the status indicator, the pads’ and battery’s expiration dates and the cabinet on a regular schedule, replace anything used or expired, and keep a dated record of each check. Our AED inspection requirements guide covers the routine, and the free AED inspection checklist is a printable version.
EMS notification, registration and placement reporting
Yes. Texas requires AED owners to tell EMS, or another agency the law names, that they have an AED and where it is.
Placement reporting: When a person or entity acquires an AED, it must tell the local EMS provider that the AED exists, where it is and what type it is (Health & Safety Code § 779.005). The law names no form or deadline.
Keep the confirmation with your program records, and update it when an AED moves or is replaced. AED Log’s document library keeps registrations, letters and notices with the AEDs they cover.
Notification after an AED is used
Yes. Texas law requires the person who uses an AED to call 911 or notify EMS.
Calling 911: A person or entity that uses an AED on someone in cardiac arrest must promptly notify the local EMS provider (Health & Safety Code § 779.004).
After any use, replace the pads, check the AED and its rescue kit, and write down what happened while it’s fresh. AED Log’s incident reports record whether a shock was advised, how many were delivered, whether CPR was given and when EMS arrived.
AEDs required at specific locations in Texas
Yes. Texas law requires AEDs at six kinds of sites.
- Every campus in every Texas school district (at least one AED) Tex. Educ. Code § 38.017
- University Interscholastic League (UIL) athletic competitions on a district campus (the campus AED must be readily available during the event) Tex. Educ. Code § 38.017
- Private schools that received an AED, or money for one, from the Texas Education Agency (only if the school received an AED or AED funding from the state) Tex. Educ. Code § 38.017
- Convalescent and nursing facilities licensed under Health & Safety Code ch. 242 Tex. Health & Safety Code § 242.159
- Public swimming pools (where lifeguards are required or provided) 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 265.191 (public swimming pools and spas, lifeguard standards)
- Artificial swimming lagoons (where lifeguards are required) 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 265.170 (artificial swimming lagoons)
School cardiac emergency plans: Every school district, and any private school that got an AED or AED funds from TEA, must adopt a cardiac emergency response plan with a response team, activation steps, CPR/AED training, yearly drills and yearly review (Educ. Code § 38.018). Applies from 2025-26; plans must be in place by the first instructional day of 2027-28 (S.B. 865).
See AEDs in schools by state to compare, and our cardiac emergency response plan template for a starting point.
Other Texas AED rules
Nursing facilities must use an AED in a way that is consistent with the resident's advance directive (Health & Safety Code § 242.159(c))
When choosing where to store a campus AED, the principal must consider where students mainly do athletics (Educ. Code § 38.017(a)).
Does Texas's Good Samaritan law protect AED users?
Yes. Under Texas law, anyone using an AED in good faith is protected, and so is the AED’s owner, with only the usual exceptions.
What the Texas (TX) Good Samaritan law covers: Anyone who gives emergency care in good faith can’t be held liable for civil damages unless the act was wilfully or wantonly negligent, and the statute names AED use. It does not cover care given for pay or in expectation of pay, someone at the scene to solicit business, or a person whose own negligence caused the emergency.
AED-specific protection: A person who uses an AED in good faith is protected from civil damages unless wilfully or wantonly negligent, and training is not required. The AED's owner and whoever controls the site are protected on the same standard, with no compliance condition since 2021.
Statutes and sources
Every answer on this page comes from these laws, read on Texas’s official legislature or code website.
- Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 779 (§§ 779.001-779.008): Automated External Defibrillators
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.151: Liability for Emergency Care
- Tex. Educ. Code § 38.017: Availability of Automated External Defibrillator
- Tex. Educ. Code § 38.018 (as amended by S.B. 865, 89th Leg., 2025): Cardiac Emergency Response Plan
- Tex. S.B. 865, 89th Leg., R.S. (2025) (Landon Payton Act), enrolled: CPR/AED instruction and school cardiac emergency response plans
- Tex. Educ. Code § 22.902: Instruction Related to CPR and Use of Automated External Defibrillator
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 242.159: Automated External Defibrillators (convalescent and nursing facilities)
- Tex. S.B. 199, 87th Leg., R.S. (2021), enrolled: Relating to automated external defibrillators
- 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 265.191 (public swimming pools and spas, lifeguard standards): Lifeguard Personnel Requirements and Standards at Pools
- 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 265.170 (artificial swimming lagoons): Lifeguard Requirements
Last reviewed against each statute on the state’s official website. This is a plain-language summary for general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so read the statute or ask a lawyer before you rely on it.
Managing a compliant AED program in Texas
AED Log keeps the records Texas law asks for, and reminds you before anything lapses.
- Monthly AED inspections on a phone, with a dated record of every check (inspection tracking)
- Pad and battery expiration dates, with a warning before each one (expiration tracking)
- Responders’ CPR and AED cards, with an alert before each expires (certification tracking)
- A report for every AED use, so the details are on record (incident reporting)
- Registrations, EMS notices and your written plan, filed with the AEDs they cover (document management)
Plans start at $114 a year for one AED, with unlimited users and locations. Start a free trial (no credit card) or talk to us.
Texas AED laws FAQ
Are businesses required to have an AED in Texas?
Only certain kinds. Texas law requires AEDs at nursing homes or assisted living, public swimming pools and artificial swimming lagoons. Other businesses aren’t required to have one by Texas law, and federal OSHA has no AED standard.
Where does Texas law require an AED?
Texas law requires AEDs in schools, school sports, nursing homes or assisted living, public swimming pools and artificial swimming lagoons. See the full list, with each statute, on this page.
Do you need medical direction for an AED in Texas?
No. Texas law doesn’t require a physician to oversee an AED program. You can still choose one: AED Log’s Medical Direction add-on is $65 per AED per year.
Is AED training required in Texas?
Only in certain settings. No general rule since S.B. 199 repealed § 779.002 in 2021. School nurses, coaches, PE and band staff need CPR/AED certification (Educ. Code § 22.902(c)). A trained employee must be on hand at required school AED sites when many students are present (§ 38.017(d)).
Does Texas law require AED inspections?
Yes. Anyone who owns or leases an AED must maintain and test it per the manufacturer's guidelines and inspect it monthly to confirm it is in its spot, looks ready and looks undamaged. School districts must maintain campus AEDs to ch. 779 standards.
Do you have to register an AED in Texas?
There’s no formal registration, but you must report the AED. When a person or entity acquires an AED, it must tell the local EMS provider that the AED exists, where it is and what type it is (Health & Safety Code § 779.005). The law names no form or deadline.
What does Texas law require after an AED is used?
A person or entity that uses an AED on someone in cardiac arrest must promptly notify the local EMS provider (Health & Safety Code § 779.004).
Are AEDs required in Texas schools?
Texas law requires AEDs at every campus in every Texas school district (at least one AED); University Interscholastic League (UIL) athletic competitions on a district campus; and private schools that received an AED, or money for one, from the Texas Education Agency.
Do Texas schools need a cardiac emergency response plan?
Yes. Every school district, and any private school that got an AED or AED funds from TEA, must adopt a cardiac emergency response plan with a response team, activation steps, CPR/AED training, yearly drills and yearly review (Educ. Code § 38.018).
Do gyms in Texas need an AED?
No. Texas law doesn’t require health clubs or gyms to have an AED.
Are AEDs required in nursing homes in Texas?
Texas law requires AEDs at convalescent and nursing facilities licensed under Health & Safety Code ch. 242.
Do swimming pools in Texas need an AED?
Texas law requires AEDs at public swimming pools (where lifeguards are required or provided) and artificial swimming lagoons (where lifeguards are required).
What does the Texas Good Samaritan law cover?
Anyone who gives emergency care in good faith can’t be held liable for civil damages unless the act was wilfully or wantonly negligent, and the statute names AED use.
Does the Texas Good Samaritan law protect someone who uses an AED?
Yes. Anyone who uses an AED in good faith is protected, as are the AED's owner and site, unless wilfully or wantonly negligent, trained or not (CPRC § 74.151; HSC § 779.006).