Laredo
City of Laredo Building Development Services Department
In short
City of Laredo Building Development Services Department issues 8 permits we publish for Laredo, last verified 2026-10-09. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amusement Ride Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | $25 per ride, per year | 1 year | 2026-08-25 |
| New Business Registration | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | Three City of Laredo documents state different amounts for this application, so no single figure is given. Laredo Code section 18-23 (Ord. No. 2012-O-154), as codified on Municode through Ord. No. 2026-O-92, reads $50.00, and $50.00 for a change of name. Ordinance 2024-O-107, posted on the City's website, rewrites section 18-23 as $100.00 for a business under 2,000 square feet or $200.00 for one over 2,001 square feet, $50.00 for a change of name, $200.00 for a temporary certificate of occupancy and $20.00 for each copy of a certificate. The Building Development Services Business Application form (updated 01/2026) and the department's Permit Applications page list a $200.00 Building Inspection Division fee and a $150.00 technology fee, citing Ordinance 2024-O-127, with the Fire Department inspection fee shown as to be determined. | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Mobile Vendor License | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | $50 per application | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Vending Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | $100–$500 per permit, by whose property | 6 weeks, one renewal | 2026-08-25 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | Under Laredo Code section 28-50, a review fee per application of $20.00 (general, attached or banner), $30.00 (freestanding), $50.00 (animated) or $10.00 (reface), plus a permit fee of $0.55 per square foot (general) or $0.75 per square foot (animated sign or electronic message display), or a flat $30.00 to reface. Feather banners are $20.00 per location a year, and a special-event sign fee is $75.00 per event, per location. | per application; the validity period is not stated in City Code § 28-50 | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit and Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | By total valuation under Laredo Code section 7-2 (IBC section 109.2 as amended): $1,000.00 and less, no fee unless an inspection is required, then $50.00 per inspection; $1,001.00 to $50,000.00, $50.00 for the first $1,000.00 plus $4.00 for each additional thousand or fraction; $50,001.00 to $100,000.00, $260.00 for the first $50,000.00 plus $3.00 per additional thousand; $100,001.00 to $500,000.00, $360.00 for the first $100,000.00 plus $2.00 per additional thousand; $500,001.00 to $1,000,000.00, $1,160.00 for the first $500,000.00 plus $1.00 per additional thousand; over $1,000,000.00, $1,660.00 for the first $1,000,000.00 plus $0.50 per additional thousand. A plan-checking fee of one-half of the building permit fee is paid when plans are submitted; a new workflow instance is $200.00, $300.00 or $400.00 by original valuation; the third resubmittal is $200.00 and the fourth $300.00; expedited review is $1,250.00. | per project; the validity period is not stated in City Code § 7-2 | 2026-10-09 |
| General Contractor and Subcontractor Registration | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | $60 per year | 1 year, renewed on or before the anniversary date (section 7-25) | 2026-10-09 |
| BYOB Venue Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Laredo Building Development Services Department | $150 per location, per year | 1 year (section 5-18(a)) | 2026-10-09 |
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
Amusement Ride Permit
$25 a year for each ride, non-refundable, renewed annually — so the cost scales with the number of rides rather than the size of the operation. Filed with the building services department together with the ride's most recent inspection certificate. A separate provision licenses amusement redemption machines at $1,050 per machine per year, with a further $1,050 to release each machine sealed for operating unlicensed; that is a different regime from rides and far more expensive per unit.
New Business Registration
Laredo Code section 18-23, the City's posted Ordinance 2024-O-107 and the City's 2026 Business Application form each give a different fee for this application (the fee line sets out what each says), so no amount is shown. The process itself is consistent across them: under section 18-22 every new business must be reviewed and approved by the building development services department's zoning, building and right-of-way divisions, by the environmental engineer, by the planning department's historic preservation division, by the health department and by the fire department for fire code compliance, and only after all of them have signed off does a certificate of occupancy issue. The Building Development Services Permit Applications page says the Business Application is for move-in-ready locations only and is not for construction, alterations or remodelling, which go through a building permit.
Mobile Vendor License
$50 to apply. The application itself is the substantial part: vehicle registration and VIN, proof of vehicle insurance, proof of commercial general liability insurance, a signed indemnity holding the city harmless, and a fire inspection report where the fire marshal deems one applicable. Under City Code § 18-34 this license covers mobile vendors of goods other than food; food sales from a vehicle fall under the Health Department's rules and, since 1 July 2026, the state's mobile food unit permit. Adopted in 2021, the most recent of the Chapter 18 provisions recorded here.
Vending Permit
$100 if you vend on your own property, $500 if you vend on someone else's — a five-fold premium, and the sharpest own-property discount in this dataset. A permit runs a maximum of six weeks and may be renewed once, for a further six weeks, at $15. A seasonal alternative costs $200 a year or $50 per event for up to four events, and covers the week before and including Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Veteran's Day, All Saints Day and Christmas; seasonal permits are excused the parking requirement on lots not adjacent to an arterial or collector. A permit is non-renewable while a citation is pending. Adopted in 2004 and unchanged through every supplement since, which for a permit priced in 2004 dollars makes it one of the better bargains in this dataset.
Sign Permit
Laredo Code section 28-22 requires a permit or written authorization from the building official before any sign other than an exempt one is erected, altered or refaced, including temporary signs and feather banners, and the official decides within fifteen business days. A sign permit is issued only to a person licensed and insured in the city (section 28-22(c)), so the installer, not the business, normally applies. Fees are from section 28-50 (Ord. No. 2017-O-044); the Building Development Services Permit Applications page repeats the $30 freestanding and $20 attached review fees and the $0.55 per square foot permit fee and says an active registration is required.
Commercial Building Permit and Plan Review
Laredo Code section 7-27 makes it unlawful to construct or alter any building without a permit from Building Development Services, and section 7-21 requires the contractor doing the work to hold a City registration. The valuation fee and plan-checking fees are from section 7-2 as last codified (Ord. No. 2025-O-149). Ordinance 2026-O-188, on the 21 September 2026 council agenda and posted in the City's Municode ordinance bank, amends other parts of section 7-2 and restates the commercial valuation table with the same figures. The Building Development Services Permit Applications page says projects needing two or more simultaneous department reviews go through the Avolve electronic plan review system, that an active general contractor registration is required for permit issuance, and that the Business Application is not used for construction or remodelling. Separate mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits are pulled by the licensed trades.
General Contractor and Subcontractor Registration
Under Laredo Code section 7-21, every general building contractor and subcontractor, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, framing, concrete, masonry and roofing trades, must have an approved registration on file with Building Development Services before doing construction, alteration or remodelling work in the city. Section 7-28 sets an annual administrative fee of $60.00, from which licensed electricians and plumbers are exempt. The application must include a criminal history background check from the Laredo Police Department, which carries its own fee, and section 7-29 requires commercial general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence and $300,000 general aggregate. Registration runs one year (section 7-25).
BYOB Venue Permit
Under Laredo Code sections 5-11 and 5-12, an establishment that is not licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and lets patrons bring their own alcohol onto the premises, or dispenses alcohol free of charge after 10:00 p.m., needs a BYOB venue permit from Building Development Services for each location; restaurants, private clubs, theatres and residences are excluded. Section 5-14 sets a $150.00 non-refundable fee and requires a criminal background check on owners and managers, a security plan meeting the Police Chief's minimum standards, scale drawings showing where alcohol may be consumed, and commercial general liability insurance of $500,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate. The permit runs one year, and a renewal filed outside the 90-to-45-day window is treated as a new application (section 5-18).
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Laredo
- Phone
- Not verified — use the website
- Website
- www.cityoflaredo.com/
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.
- City of Laredo Building Development Services — Business Application Form (form updated 01/2026)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Laredo Building Development Services — Permit Applications/RequirementsCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Laredo Ordinance 2024-O-107, amending Chapter 18, Article V (Certificates of Occupancy) and section 18-23 feesCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- City of Laredo Ordinance 2026-O-188 (21 September 2026 council agenda), building, trade and zoning fee amendments — Municode ordinance bankCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Laredo Code of Ordinances Chapter 18, Licenses, Permits and Miscellaneous Business RegulationsCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
- Laredo Code of Ordinances Chapter 18, Licenses, Permits and Miscellaneous Business Regulations — Article V, Regulation for New Business Registration (Ord. No. 2012-O-154, 17 September 2012)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
- Laredo Code of Ordinances Chapter 7, Article II, Registration of General Contractors and SubcontractorsCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Laredo Code of Ordinances section 28-50, Permit fees (signs; Ord. No. 2017-O-044)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Laredo Code of Ordinances section 5-14, Permit application (BYOB venues; Ord. No. 2022-O-121, 1 August 2022)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Laredo Code of Ordinances section 7-2, Building code amendments — schedule of permit fees (Ord. No. 2025-O-149, 2 September 2025)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
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