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Hidalgo County

Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division

In short

Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division issues 3 permits we publish for Hidalgo County, last verified 2026-09-29. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Authorizationonly if it applies to youHidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health DivisionNo feeone-time per installation2026-09-29
Food Establishment PermitHidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division$200–$250 a year, county fee only, by employee count: $200 for 1-10 employees, $225 for 11-20, $250 for '20+' (labels as posted); schedule effective 2026-02-09annual; the June 2026 Rules provide that permits expire annually unless the Commissioners Court establishes otherwise2026-09-29
Food Establishment Inspection, Late, Amendment, Replacement and School Feesonly if it applies to youHidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health DivisionInspection $100; re-inspection $100; late fee $50; permit amendment $100; replacement of permit $25; educational institution/school inspections $200 a year including two inspections. County fees, schedule effective 2026-02-09.per occurrence; school inspections annual2026-09-29

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Authorization

A business on a septic system in unincorporated Hidalgo County needs approval from the county's Environmental Health On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF) Division; TCEQ's 2024 authorized-agent report lists Hidalgo County (AR 620100) with 1,333 authorizations to construct. Commissioners Court Order PP.1 makes OSSF approval part of the permit sequence, and a lot under one-half acre without sanitary sewer needs an engineer's design. There is no county septic fee published in any public source, so the record carries no fee figure; contact the county Environmental Health Division at 956-383-0111 for the current amount. TCEQ's same report lists the cities of Donna, McAllen, Mercedes, Mission, Palmhurst and San Juan as separate authorized agents in the county, so a site inside one of them goes to that city.

Food Establishment Permit

A restaurant, coffee shop, retail store that sells food, or childcare centre with a kitchen needs this permit from the Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department, Environmental Health Division, 1304 S. 25th Ave, Edinburg, 956-383-0111. It covers unincorporated Hidalgo County, including the extraterritorial jurisdiction, and municipalities that do not run their own health department. The county food permit does NOT apply inside McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr and Weslaco, which run their own health departments and permit food establishments themselves; the status of the county's other 17 municipalities is not published. The county fee is $200 a year for 1-10 employees, $225 for 11-20 and $250 for '20+', effective 2026-02-09. The county release says the schedule applies to day care centers; the fee page has no separate day-care line. New and remodelled establishments go through plan review and inspection, and the applicant remains responsible for zoning, fire, building and planning approvals.

Food Establishment Inspection, Late, Amendment, Replacement and School Fees

These are the county's other food-establishment fees on the schedule effective 2026-02-09, approved by the Commissioners Court on 2025-12-10: $100 for an inspection, $100 for a re-inspection, $50 for a late fee, $100 to amend a permit, $25 to replace a permit, and $200 a year for educational institution/school inspections, which includes two inspections. They apply on top of the annual food establishment permit fee and only where the county permit applies: unincorporated Hidalgo County and municipalities without their own health department. They do not apply inside McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr and Weslaco, which run their own health departments; the status of the county's other 17 municipalities is not published.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Hidalgo County
Phone
956-383-0111

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Commissioners Court Order PP.1, Permitting Procedures (authorized 02/23/2010)Hidalgo County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. County news release on the food establishment fee schedule (Commissioners Court approval 2025-12-10)Hidalgo County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  3. Enforcement Authority (links the current Food Establishment Rules)Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  4. Food Establishment Fee Schedule (effective 2026-02-09)Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  5. Food Regulation (permit office, hours and scope)Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  6. Food Regulation FAQs (county permits unincorporated areas; city-limit establishments may be regulated locally)Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  7. Health Department (inspects retail and food establishments)City of Mission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  8. Health Division (City of Edinburg health permits)City of Edinburg · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  9. Health, Health Permit ApplicationsCity of Weslaco · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  10. Hidalgo County Food Establishment Rules & Regulations, June 2026Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  11. McAllen Code, Article II Food Establishments, section 54-42 (application; inspection by health department; issuance; fee)City of McAllen · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  12. Public Health, Health InspectionsCity of Pharr · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  13. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437, Regulation of Food Service Establishments, Retail Food Stores, Mobile Food Units, and Roadside Food VendorsTexas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  14. Types of Systems Installed by Time Period, authorized-agent report, calendar 2024 (lists Hidalgo County, AR 620100)Texas Commission on Environmental Quality · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29

Other offices serving Hidalgo County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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