Official Texas State Holidays

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State offices are scheduled to be open on partial staffing holidays and optional holidays. Please call ahead to confirm hours.

Offices will not be closed on another day when designated holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

An employee is entitled to observe optional holidays in lieu of any partial staffing holiday on which state offices are required to be open to conduct public business.

January

• 1 - New Years Day
  Listed in Article 2835 of the 1879 Revised Statutes as a legal holiday.
   
• 19 - Confederate Heroes Day (partial staffing holiday)
  House Bill 126, 42nd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 8. Approved and Effective January 30, 1931 as Robert E. Lee's Birthday.
  
  Senate Bill 60, 63rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 221. Approved June 1, 1973 and Effective August 27, 1973 as Confederate Heroes Day. This bill deleted June 3rd as a holiday for Jefferson Davis' birthday and combined the two into Confederate Heroes Day.
  
   
• 3rd Monday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  Senate Bill 485, 70th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 159. Approved May 25, 1987 and Effective August 31, 1987 as an optional holiday.
  
  Senate Bill 134, 72nd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 445. Approved and Effective on June 11, 1991 as an official state holiday.
   

February

• 3rd Monday - Presidents' Day
  Listed "February 22" in Article 2835 of the Revised Statutes of 1879 as a legal holiday in honor of Washington's Birthday.
  
  House Bill 112, 61st Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 205. Approved May 14, 1969 and Effective January 1, 1971 as President's Day and changed to the 3rd Monday.
   

March

• 2 - Texas Independence Day (partial staffing holiday)
  Joint Resolution 7, 14th Legislature, 1874. Section 1.
   
• 31 - Cesar Chavez Day (Optional Holiday)
  Senate Bill 107, 76th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 521 Approved June 18, 1999 and Effective September 1, 1999 as an optional holiday.
   

April

• Good Friday (Optional Holiday)
  Senate Bill 1 (Appropriations Bill) 70th Legislature 2nd Called Session. Chapter 78.
  Approved and Effective August 6, 1987 as an optional holiday.
   
• 21 - San Jacinto Day (partial staffing holiday)
  Joint Resolution 7, 14th Legislature, 1874. Section 1.
   

May

• Last Monday - Memorial Day
  House Bill 255, 60th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 416. Approved June 12, 1967 and Effective August 28, 1967 for the 30th of May.
  
  House Bill 112, 61st Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 205. Approved May 14, 1969 and Effective January 1, 1971 to change the date to the last Monday in May.
   

June

• 19 - Emancipation Day In Texas (partial staffing holiday)
  House Bill 1016, 66th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 481. Approved June 7, 1979 and Effective January 1, 1980 in honor of the emancipation of the slaves in Texas in 1865.
   

July

• 4 - Independence Day
  Listed in Article 2835 of the 1879 Revised Statutes as a legal holiday.
   

August

• 27 - Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (partial staffing holiday)
  Senate Bill 60, 63rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 221. Approved June 1, 1973 and Effective August 27, 1973 in observance of the birthday of Lyndon Baines Johnson.
   

September

• 1st Monday - Labor Day
  Senate Bill 74, 23rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 7. Approved and effective February 11, 1893.
   
• Rosh Hashanah (Optional Holiday) House Concurrent Resolution 136, 68th Legislature, 1983. (not listed in the session laws)
  Senate Bill 179 (Appropriations Bill), 68th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 1095. Approved June 19, 1983 and Effective August 29, 1983.
   

October

• Yom Kippur see Rosh Hashanah (above)
   

November

• 11 - Veteran's Day
  Senate Bill 163, 37th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 48. Approved March 21, 1921 and Effective 90 days after March 12, 1921 the date of adjournment in honor of "Victory Day".
  
  Senate Bill 250, 54th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 27. Approved March 21, 1955 and Effective 90 days after June 7, 1955 the date of adjournment to change the name to Veteran's Day.
  
  House Bill 112, 61st Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 205. Approved May 14, 1969 and Effective January 1, 1971 to change the date of Veteran's Day to the 4th Monday in October.
  
  Senate Bill 11, 64th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 11. Approved March 6, 1975 and Effective September 1, 1975 to change the date of Veteran's Day back to November 11.
   
• 4th Thursday - Thanksgiving Day
  House Bill 384, 52nd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 163. Approved May 10, 1951 and Effective January 1, 1952 for the last Thursday in November.
  
  Senate Bill 89, 55th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 205. Approved May 10, 1957 and Effective January 1, 1958 to change the date to the 4th Thursday in November.
   
• Friday after Thanksgiving
  House Bill 656 (Appropriations Bill), 67th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 875. Approved and effective June 18, 1981.
   

December

• 24, 26 - Days before and after Christmas
  House Bill 656 (Appropriations Bill), 67th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 875.
  Approved and Effective June 18, 1981.
   
• 25 - Christmas
  Listed in Article 2835 of the 1879 Revised Statutes as a legal holiday.