Event Rental Resources • Safety and Standards
How to Verify a Party Rental Company Is Licensed and Insured in Texas
By Cameron R. Torkay, Torkay Event Services
Published August 5, 2026 • Last updated August 20, 2026
The TDI database lookup, insurance requirements under Texas law, what a COI actually covers, the 8 questions to ask before any deposit changes hands, and the red flags that identify unregistered operators in the Greater Houston market. This takes five minutes and protects your guests.
The 30-Second Check
Go to tdi.texas.gov and search the Amusement Ride operator database for the company name. If they are in the database, they have passed annual inspection and carry the required insurance. If they are not in the database, they are not operating legally as a commercial inflatable rental company in Texas — regardless of how professional their website looks or how many Facebook reviews they have.
Why This Check Matters More Than Reviews or Price
Most people booking a bounce house or inflatable rental look at three things: price, photos, and reviews. None of those tell you whether the company is legally operating in Texas. A company can have a polished website, five-star Google reviews, and low prices while operating without the required state registration, annual inspection, or liability insurance coverage. From the outside, a compliant and non-compliant operator can look identical.
That distinction matters the moment something goes wrong. If a child is injured on an inflatable from an unregistered operator at your home, there may be no commercial liability coverage to pay medical costs. Your homeowner's insurance may dispute coverage for injuries involving commercial rental equipment on residential property. The legal and financial risk lands on you as the host.
The TDI database check takes under two minutes and is the single most important thing you can do before any deposit changes hands. This guide walks you through the check, explains what Texas law actually requires, and gives you the questions to ask any rental company before booking.
Torkay Event Services is TDI registered and fully insured. Call (281) 972-5110 to request a Certificate of Insurance for your event. We produce it immediately at no charge.
What Texas Law Actually Requires
Under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2151 — the Amusement Ride Safety Inspection and Insurance Act.
Every commercial inflatable and amusement ride must pass an annual safety inspection conducted by the operator's insurance company or a TDI-approved inspector. The inspection produces a Form AR-100 certificate. TDI does not conduct the inspections itself — the insurance company does, which creates a direct financial alignment between coverage and equipment condition.
Texas law sets minimum insurance requirements by ride class:
- Class A rides (for children 12 and under): $150,000 per occurrence minimum
- Class B rides (all other rides, including standard inflatables): $1,000,000 per occurrence minimum
- Non-inflatable Class B rides: $1,500,000 combined single limit
Once the inspection and insurance filing are complete, TDI issues a compliance sticker valid for one year. The sticker must be visibly affixed to each ride at every event. If you are at an event and the bounce house does not have a TDI compliance sticker visible on the unit, that is a clear warning sign. Law enforcement officers can enter a ride area without notice at any time to check sticker compliance.
Operators pay a $40 per-ride filing fee to TDI and submit the inspection certificate and insurance documentation. Each individual ride in the fleet must be registered separately. This is why the TDI database lists specific rides — a company registered for five inflatables should show all five units in the database, each with its own compliance record.
Registered operators must submit quarterly injury reports (Form AR-800) to TDI for any injury that requires medical treatment beyond first aid. This creates a public record of safety incidents by operator. TDI publishes submitted injury reports — this data is available and searchable. An operator with repeat injury filings on the same equipment warrants additional scrutiny.
Operating a commercial inflatable without meeting TDI requirements is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas. Law enforcement officers can immediately prohibit the operation of a ride found to be non-compliant at an event. TDI accepts reports of non-compliant operators by email at Amusements@tdi.texas.gov and by phone at 512-676-6750.
What "fully insured" actually means in the context of Texas law
When a rental company tells you they are "fully insured," that phrase needs verification, not assumption. Under Texas law, compliance means carrying at minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence for standard inflatables (Class B rides), passing annual inspection, and filing with TDI. A company can hold a general business liability policy that does not specifically cover amusement rides and still describe themselves as "insured." The TDI database is the only public verification tool that confirms amusement ride-specific coverage. Ask for the Certificate of Insurance and confirm it lists amusement rides specifically.
How to Run the TDI Lookup — Step by Step
This takes under two minutes. Do it before any deposit changes hands.
Navigate to tdi.texas.gov/commercial/lcamuseinfo.html — this is the Texas Department of Insurance's official Amusement Ride operator information page. From here you can access the current compliance sticker list and operator database.
Click the link for the current list of amusement ride operators with valid compliance stickers at tdi.texas.gov/commercial/lcamcurrentsticker.html. This is updated monthly and shows every currently registered operator with valid stickers.
Use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac) to search for the company's registered business name in the list. Try the primary business name, the owner's name, and any DBA (doing business as) name the company uses. Some operators are registered under a personal name rather than a business name.
If the company appears, note which specific rides are listed. Each ride is registered individually with its own compliance record. If a company is registered for five bounce houses but wants to bring a sixth unit that is not in the database, that unit is not in compliance. The specific unit coming to your event should be in the database.
If the company does not appear, try different name variations before concluding they are not registered. If you have tried multiple variations and still find no listing, contact TDI directly at Amusements@tdi.texas.gov or 512-676-6750 to ask about the specific operator. A company genuinely in compliance can have TDI confirm their registration immediately.
Note on the lookup tool: TDI updates the compliance sticker list monthly. If a company's sticker recently expired and they have not filed for renewal, they may not appear even if they were previously compliant. Always verify with a current search close to your event date, not months in advance.
8 Questions to Ask Before Any Deposit Changes Hands
A legitimate company answers all of these immediately and without hesitation. Hesitation, deflection, or inability to produce documentation are red flags.
The answer should be yes, and they should be able to tell you their business name as it appears in the TDI database so you can verify it yourself. If they say they are exempt, ask them to explain which exemption applies — the TDI FAQ lists specific exemptions and commercial inflatable rentals are not among them.
A COI is a summary document showing the company's insurance coverage, policy limits, and expiration date. It should show at minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence for amusement rides. You can be named as an additional insured on the COI — many venues, HOAs, parks, and schools require this. A legitimate company produces this same day at no charge.
TDI registration is per unit, not per company. A company can be registered for three units and own five. Ask specifically which unit is scheduled for your event and confirm that specific unit is in the TDI database. On delivery day, the compliance sticker should be visible on the unit. If it is missing, ask about it before letting anyone use the equipment.
A professional company uses a written contract that specifies the equipment, rental period, delivery terms, pricing, deposit and payment terms, safety rules, damage and liability terms, and cancellation policy. A verbal agreement or a Facebook message confirmation is not a contract. If a company does not have a written contract, that is a significant red flag for professionalism and accountability.
Professional commercial operators set up and take down the equipment themselves. This ensures proper anchoring, blower connection, and safety inspection on-site before the unit is used. A company that drops off an inflatable and drives away without setting it up is transferring the setup liability to you. If something goes wrong with an improperly anchored or connected unit, the setup decision matters for liability.
Inflatables must be deflated when sustained winds exceed 15 to 20 mph. A professional operator has a clear policy for weather-related cancellations or early takedowns. They should also walk you through the wind shutdown procedure at setup. If a company has no weather policy, ask how they handled a previous event that was rained out or faced high winds — how they answer tells you about their experience level.
Length of operation is not a guarantee of quality, but an established company with years of local history has a track record you can investigate. They have reviews from real local events, a verifiable business presence, and relationships with their insurance carrier and TDI over time. A company that launched six months ago and has 12 five-star Google reviews from unverifiable sources deserves additional scrutiny.
For larger or more complex events — corporate events, HOA gatherings, school events — ask for references from similar engagements. Any established company with real event history has customers willing to vouch for them. Online reviews help, but a direct conversation with a previous customer who booked a similar event size and type gives you far more useful information.
Red Flags That Identify Unregistered or Under-Qualified Operators
These are patterns from the Greater Houston party rental market. None are conclusive on their own, but multiple red flags in combination warrant serious caution.
Legitimate commercial operators maintain a website, a booking system, and a business presence beyond social media posts. Facebook Marketplace is disproportionately used by operators trying to avoid the overhead of TDI registration and insurance. That is not always the case, but it is a pattern worth noting.
TDI registration, annual inspection, and $1,000,000 liability insurance coverage cost real money. Operators who skip those costs can price below compliant competitors. When a price seems too good to be true for the Houston market, the TDI lookup becomes even more important.
Any company carrying the required commercial liability insurance can produce a Certificate of Insurance immediately from their insurance agent. "I'll have to get that to you" is acceptable. "We don't do that" or no response to the request are red flags.
A company doing business on a handshake, a text message, or a Venmo payment request has no accountability trail. If something goes wrong, you have no documentation of what was agreed, what was delivered, or what the safety terms were.
The sticker is required to be visible on the unit at every event. If it is not present on delivery, ask about it before the unit is inflated. An operator who cannot produce documentation of the sticker on the day of the event is giving you important information.
Commercial rental inflatables are built to different specifications than the bounce houses sold at Costco or Amazon. Residential-grade units are not designed or rated for commercial rental use with multiple rental cycles and varied users. Commercial units are heavier, have reinforced stitching, and are inspected specifically for the stresses of commercial rental operation.
What Torkay Event Services Provides — and What You Can Verify
We include this section not to sell you something, but because this guide is about verification — and you should be able to verify us the same way you would verify any other company. Here is what you can check.
Search for Torkay Event Services at tdi.texas.gov. We are registered and our inflatable units carry current compliance stickers.
Call (281) 972-5110 or email us and request a Certificate of Insurance. We produce it same day at no charge and can name your venue, school, HOA, or park as additional insured.
Every Torkay Event Services booking generates a written contract through our online booking system. You have documentation of every agreement before any equipment arrives.
Our crew sets up and takes down all equipment. Nothing is dropped off and left for you to figure out. Setup includes proper anchoring for your surface type and a walkthrough of safety rules.
Torkay Event Services has been in business since 1992 — over 30 years of verifiable operation in the Greater Houston area. Search us on Google, Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and the Texas Secretary of State business search.
Inflatables are one part of what Torkay Event Services provides. Tents, tables, chairs, staging, lighting, catering, staffing, and DJ services are all available from the same company. Browse the full event rental catalog.
Texas Party Rental Verification Questions
Does TDI registration apply to all rental equipment or only inflatables?
TDI's Amusement Ride Safety Inspection and Insurance Act specifically covers amusement rides as defined under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2151. This includes bounce houses, inflatable slides, mechanical bulls, go-karts, zip lines, trackless trains, and similar rides. It does not cover non-mechanical rental equipment like tents, tables, chairs, or staging — those categories are covered by the company's general commercial liability insurance rather than TDI registration. When booking a full-service event company like Torkay Event Services, ask for a COI that covers both categories. See the full event rental FAQ for more.
What happens if someone is injured on an uninsured rental at my home?
If a child or guest is injured on a commercial inflatable rental from an unregistered, uninsured operator at your residential property, there may be no commercial liability coverage to pay medical costs. Your homeowner's insurance policy may be disputed — many policies characterize commercial rental equipment differently from personal property, and coverage disputes are common in those situations. In that scenario, the injured party may have recourse against you as the host who hired the uninsured operator. This is the legal and financial risk that TDI registration and the COI requirement are designed to address. Call (281) 972-5110 if you have specific questions about how our insurance applies to your event.
Is a company that sells bounce houses and also rents them required to register with TDI?
Yes, if they are renting inflatables commercially. The TDI requirement applies to commercial rental operation — charging money to use an amusement ride — regardless of whether the operator also sells units. A neighbor who owns an inflatable and rents it to you informally is in a gray area, but a business renting inflatables for commercial purposes is subject to Chapter 2151 requirements. Contact TDI at Amusements@tdi.texas.gov if you need a ruling on a specific situation.
My venue requires a COI — can Torkay Event Services provide one?
Yes. Torkay Event Services can provide a Certificate of Insurance naming your venue, HOA, school, church, park, or corporate facility as an additional insured. This is standard practice and there is no additional charge. Call (281) 972-5110 or email info@torkayevents.com with the venue's legal name and address. We produce the COI the same day in most cases. Browse the event rental resources library for more planning guides.
Book with Confidence
Torkay Event Services — TDI Registered, Fully Insured, in Business Since 1992
Search Torkay Event Services in the TDI database. Request our COI before any deposit. Read our Google reviews from 30-plus years of real Houston-area events. We welcome the verification process — it is exactly what you should do before booking any rental company in Texas.
Prices shown are base rates. Pricing may vary for peak dates, delivery distance, or setup requirements. Taxes not included.
(281) 972-5110