Camp owners across Texas are sounding the alarm over new safety rules that could force many of them to shut down by next summer. The calls came during a meeting Friday where the Texas Department of State Health Services unveiled a drastic change in camp licensing fees and safety regulations.
The changes come after two major bills passed this year in response to the tragic flooding at Camp Mystic on July 4, where 27 campers and counselors lost their lives. These bills aim to make camps safer but at a steep price.
One big upset for camp owners is the huge jump in licensing fees. The initial fee for large overnight camps would skyrocket from $750 to $11,000. Day camps would also see fees soar from $250 per year up to $3,200, depending on how many kids they serve. The state says this new fee structure helps cover the $2 million budget approved to enforce the new rules.
But many camp owners say these fees are too much, especially for small camps. Ryan Neuhaus, who directs Camp Lone Star near La Grange, urged the state to reconsider what counts as a “large” camp. He says camps with over 500 kids aren’t necessarily big, and bigger camps like his should pay more while smaller ones get some relief.
Another costly requirement is for camps to have two separate broadband internet connections. This is meant to improve emergency communications, but it hits rural camps hard. Many are too far from internet providers and could face bills over $100,000 just to install the service. Gary Sirkel from Lake Lavon Camp said many camps operate on tight budgets and can’t afford this.
Other new rules say camps must move overnight cabins out of floodplains, keep close watch on weather reports with radios and alert systems, train staff on emergency plans, and be ready to evacuate kids to higher ground if needed. Some camp leaders worry these rules don’t take into account how different each camp’s location and history are.
For example, Glen Lake Camps sits on a floodplain but has never flooded in its 86 years. Daran Miller, the camp’s executive director, called for rules that consider each camp’s unique situation, rather than one-size-fits-all regulations.
There’s also been pushback on safety features like ladders to cabin roofs. Rhonda Roberts from Heart of Texas Camp argued that the roofs should stay off-limits to kids since it might be more dangerous to have ladders there.
Meanwhile, parents of Camp Mystic victims are standing firm. They say safety must come before cost or convenience. Michael McCown, whose daughter died in the flood, said the new laws were created to protect children and families, not to make life easy for camp owners. He called out what he described as arrogance from some camps that ignored known dangers.
The state plans to finalize these new regulations by January 1, giving camps 45 days to fix any licensing issues. All camps wanting to operate in 2026 must comply with the new rules.
Camp leaders also want a seat at the table on a new safety committee forming next year. It will include state fire marshals, parks and wildlife experts, and emergency management officials. The camp owners want a voice in this group, while some parents suggest at least one parent representative join too.
In the end, everyone agrees the goal is safer camps. The debate now is how to make that happen without shutting down the camps that serve thousands of Texas kids every summer.