Texas Hemp Label QR Code Requirement: A Plain-English Guide

If you sell consumable hemp products in Texas, your label needs a URL linking directly to your certificate of analysis (COA) — that part isn't optional. A QR code is a natural way to make that URL scannable, but under the current rule it's an add-on, not a substitute for the URL itself. Here's exactly what the rule requires, straight from the code.

Read this first — updated August 17, 2026. Texas changed something bigger than labeling.

Effective July 31, 2026, DSHS reinstated controlled-substance definitions that place delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, THCP and other non-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinols — including THCA flower — in Schedule I in Texas. Hemp-derived delta-9 THC at or under 0.3% by dry weight is not part of that reclassification; edibles, drinks and tinctures within that limit are what the rest of this page is about.

This is a scheduling change, not a labeling change. Nothing on a label changes whether a product is a controlled substance. If you are working out which of your SKUs are on which side of that line, that is a conversation for a Texas attorney, not for a software vendor — we host lab reports and we are not qualified to tell you what is legal to sell.

And litigation continues — but the rules are in force while it does. The state-court challenge to the reclassification ended in mid-2026 (the Texas Supreme Court sided with DSHS, and reporting indicates no further appeal there). A separate federal suit filed in early August 2026 argues Texas cannot impose a stricter standard than the federal hemp definition — but in the second week of August the federal court denied an emergency request to pause the rules, so the reclassification stands and is enforceable while that case proceeds. The status could still move; a business planning around it should assume the rules apply today. We are not going to advise you either way, and anyone who does advise you on that without being your lawyer is worth ignoring.

Reporting and primary sources: Texas Tribune, July 30, 2026 · Texas Hemp Business Council · DSHS Consumable Hemp Program.

Status of the labeling rules themselves (last checked August 17, 2026): The March 2026 DSHS rules — labeling, the total-THC calculation, and the increased license fees — are the subject of ongoing litigation (Texas Hemp Business Council v. DSHS, Travis County, No. D-1-GN-26-002511). A temporary injunction was granted in May 2026; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals declined to keep it in place in early June 2026, so the rules are back in effect while the appeal proceeds. DSHS said at the time it was "still determining how to proceed given that there is not a final disposition yet"; since the July 31 reclassification took effect — and a federal court declined to pause it in August — enforcement should be assumed active. A final trial in Travis County had been set for July 27, 2026; it did not go ahead as a merits trial — the date was treated as a placeholder and the appeal overtook it. What is settled: DSHS still publishes the URL-to-COA labeling requirement below as current. What is contested: essentially everything about how and whether these rules get enforced. Confirm the live status on the DSHS Consumable Hemp Program labeling page before any print run. This is general information, not legal advice.

The actual rule

Texas's requirement lives in 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 300.402 (Packaging and Labeling Requirements), part of the state's Consumable Hemp Program — amended effective March 31, 2026. In its response to public comment on the adopted rule, DSHS put it plainly: "a firm has the option to also incorporate a QR code, but the URL is required." Under subsection (a), every consumable hemp product label must include:

The batch number
The batch date
The product name
The name of the product's manufacturer or processor
The manufacturer or processor's telephone number and email address
A URL, conspicuously marked, that links directly to a page where the certificate of analysis can be found in three steps or fewer, showing the required cannabinoid and THC data (a QR code encoding that URL is optional, but recommended)
The recommended serving size in milligrams and the number of servings per container

The certificate of analysis itself has to carry the THC numbers — and under the March 2026 package the number Texas measures against is not delta-9 alone. 25 Tex. Admin. Code § 300.101 defines the "acceptable hemp THC level" as a total delta-9 THC concentration that, reported with the lab's measurement of uncertainty, comes in at 0.3% or less, and defines Total THC as (0.877 × THCA) + delta-9 THC. A COA that reports delta-9 only is not reporting the figure the rule is written around. § 300.301(d) separately lists what the document must contain, including the batch or lot identification number, the sample and analysis dates, the lab's name and address, delta-9 THC, total delta-9 THC and total THC — and a QR code verifying the lab results.

Two honest caveats on that last item. First, that QR code requirement sits on the certificate and is the testing laboratory's to produce — a hosting link is not a substitute for whatever your lab puts on the document, and we can't tell you whether any particular arrangement satisfies § 300.301(d). Second, the total-THC calculation is one of the provisions in active litigation described above. Ask your lab what it is reporting, and ask a Texas attorney what that means for you.

The QR code isn't the legal requirement — the URL is. A QR code is just an easy way to make a printed URL scannable, and it's genuinely useful on a small product label. But if you only put a QR code on the label with no accompanying URL text, you haven't actually met the rule; the URL is the mandatory piece.

Also required: warning statements (a separate part of the rule)

Separately from the URL/COA requirement, subsection (b) of the same rule requires every label to carry these warning statements, verbatim in substance:

Keep out of reach of children
This product may contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and can cause a user to fail a drug test
All THCs have psychoactive properties
Pregnant or nursing women should consult a healthcare provider before use
This product has not been evaluated by the FDA

Note that the third warning is a flat statement about all THCs, with no carve-out — the adopted rule text is the plain five-word statement above.

What actually has to be on the other end of that link

Scanning the code or visiting the URL needs to land on the real, current certificate of analysis for that specific batch — not a generic "our products are tested" page, and not last year's results for a similar product. It needs to tie to the batch number printed right next to it on the label.

The part that trips people up

A lot of small hemp brands handle this by uploading a PDF somewhere convenient — a Google Drive link, a page buried on their website — and printing that URL on the label. The problem: those links move. A website gets redesigned, a file gets reorganized into a different folder, a Drive link expires. Once thousands of units are already printed and on shelves, a broken link means the label no longer does the thing the rule describes — and there's no way to fix it without a full relabel.

The fix is having one URL, generated once per batch, that's built to never change — regardless of what happens to the rest of your website.

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Fill in your batch info and lab report, get a permanent page + printable QR code in seconds. Your first 2 are free, no card needed.

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What changed in the March 2026 amendment

If you built your labels around the older version of this rule, here's exactly what's different as of March 31, 2026:

QR code → URL. The rule used to accept a QR code or a URL as equivalent options. The amendment made the URL the actual requirement; a QR code is now explicitly optional (DSHS's words: "a firm has the option to also incorporate a QR code, but the URL is required").
"Three steps or fewer" made explicit. The URL must land on the COA in three clicks/steps or fewer — not buried behind a login, a product search, or a multi-page PDF library.
Serving size added to the label list. Recommended serving size in milligrams and servings per container is now an explicit subsection (a) requirement.
The warning statements were restated. Subsection (b) now carries the five required warnings listed above; check your current label text against the adopted rule word for word.

Rules in this space move fast — always check the Texas DSHS Consumable Hemp Program page directly for the current version before finalizing a print run. This page reflects the rule as adopted and effective March 31, 2026, and we'll update it again if it changes.

Source: Texas Register — 25 TAC §300.402 adopted rule, effective March 31, 2026 · Texas DSHS — Consumable Hemp Program Labeling