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Laredo

City of Laredo Public Health Department

In short

City of Laredo Public Health 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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Establishment License (Retail Food Operation Permit)City of Laredo Public Health Department$129–$386.50 per year, by gross annual food sales1 year, expiring 15 August (section 13-40(b))2026-10-09
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Laredo Public Health Department$52 per food booth or unit14 consecutive days2026-10-09
Public Health Safety (Environmental) Inspection — Child CareCity of Laredo Public Health DepartmentAssessed under Laredo Code section 13-39(c). Section 13-39(c), the Health Department's fee schedule and the inspection-request section of its Permits and Fees page state one amount, and a separate sentence on the same Permits and Fees page states a different amount for day care and foster homes, so no figure is shown.per inspection (City Code § 13-39(c))2026-10-09
Street Vendor's Permit (public streets, outside the Central Business District)only if it applies to youCity of Laredo Public Health Department$100 per year, plus $20.00 vendor picture ID1 year (section 28-106(b))2026-10-09
Food Handler CertificateCity of Laredo Public Health Department$25 per certificate2 years (section 13-58(b))2026-10-09
Public or Semipublic Swimming Pool Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Laredo Public Health Department$200 per pool, per year1 year from issuance (section 15-140(a))2026-10-09
Tire Business Registrationonly if it applies to youCity of Laredo Public Health Department$200 per tire business per year; $200.00 per mobile road-service unit1 year, due by June 1 each year (section 15-64(a))2026-10-09
On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit — Non-Residentialonly if it applies to youCity of Laredo Public Health Department$400 per application, plus $10.00 to TCEQapplication expires 1 year from filing (section 31-81(b))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

Food Establishment License (Retail Food Operation Permit)

Under Laredo Code section 13-34, no food products establishment may operate in the city without a retail food operation permit from the Public Health Department unless it holds a Texas DSHS permit or is a licensed food manufacturer. The fee is tiered by gross annual food sales. Section 13-39(a) (Ord. No. 2025-O-141) and the Health Department's Permits and Fees page agree on $129.00 for sales under $50,000 and $386.50 for sales of $150,000 or more. For the middle band ($50,000 to $149,999.99) the code prints one amount and the Health Department page, which dates the tier structure from September 1, 2025, prints another, so no middle-band figure is given. Section 13-39 adds a $100.00 late fee for a renewal filed after expiry and $20.00 to replace a license, and both Health Department pages list a one-time $100.00 application (processing) fee. The license expires on 15 August; a license for part of a year is charged pro rata but never less than half the annual fee (section 13-40), and it must be posted in the establishment (section 13-42). The Health Department's list of businesses needing its permit includes commercial adult and child day care facilities. State law caps the total: under Health and Safety Code section 437.0126 a city may not charge more a year, processing fees included, than DSHS charges for two years, which the DSHS permits page sets at $258, $515 and $773 for the same sales bands.

Temporary Food Establishment Permit

$52.00 for each food booth or unit, valid for fourteen consecutive days from its effective date, under Laredo Code section 13-39(d); the Health Department's fee schedule and its Permits and Fees page give the same $52.00 and fourteen days. The Permits and Fees page says this temporary license covers plate sales and special events, is valid for the same location and event, that food may not be prepared at home, and that food must be prepared on site or obtained from a licensed establishment, with receipts or a donation letter brought in as proof.

Public Health Safety (Environmental) Inspection — Child Care

Laredo Code section 13-39(c) assesses a public health safety fee to foster homes, registered family homes, daycares and adult daycares (and to game rooms and department stores) to provide and ensure a safe and sanitary environment, the fee reflecting the cost of the inspection. The Health Department's Permits and Fees page lists daycares, home daycares and foster homes among the facilities for which it takes environmental inspection requests, and lists commercial adult and child day care facilities among the businesses that must obtain a Health Department permit. The amount is not shown because the City's sources give two different figures (see the fee line). A child-care centre that prepares food also falls under the food establishment license, and the Fire Department's daycare inspection is a separate charge.

Street Vendor's Permit (public streets, outside the Central Business District)

Under Laredo Code section 28-106(b), a vendor selling from a cart or motor vehicle on public streets outside the Central Business District must obtain a street vendor's permit at the Health Department for $100.00, valid one year and not transferable; the Health Department fee schedule lists the same $100.00 street vendor permit (raspa) and $20.00 street vendor permit ID. Section 28-104 requires every street vendor to wear a yearly Health Department picture ID ($20.00, issued on a complete criminal background record), to hold Health Department food permits when handling food, and not to sell within 600 feet of a school; section 28-106 limits each stop to ten minutes before moving at least 250 feet. A vendor selling from a food vending vehicle also needs a Texas DSHS mobile food vendor license from July 1, 2026 under Health and Safety Code section 437B.051 (H.B. 2844). This is separate from the private-premises vending permit.

Food Handler Certificate

Laredo Code section 13-56(a) makes it unlawful to employ anyone in a food establishment unless that person holds a valid food handler's certificate, and section 13-58 sets $25.00 for a certificate from the Health Department's course and $5.00 for a duplicate, each certificate running two years. The Health Department's fee schedule and Permits and Fees page list the same $25.00 and $5.00; the course runs Tuesdays at 2:00 pm and Fridays at 9:00 am, and the Permits and Fees page also lists online food handler courses run by other providers. For training at the business's own site, section 13-58(f) and the Permits and Fees page describe the charge differently, so no on-site figure is given. Health and Safety Code section 437.0045 limits a city to the certifications DSHS would require of the same employee.

Public or Semipublic Swimming Pool Permit

Under Laredo Code section 15-136, every public and semipublic swimming pool must hold a permit from the health director, and each pool counts as a separate permit. Section 15-139(a) sets $200.00 per pool, issued after application and a satisfactory inspection, with $10.00 for a duplicate; the permit expires one year after issuance (section 15-140) and is renewed by annual application (section 15-141). The Health Department's fee schedule and Permits and Fees page list the same $200.00. A fitness studio without a pool or spa has no pool permit.

Tire Business Registration

Under Laredo Code section 15-60, every tire business and mobile tire repair road-service unit with a permanent establishment in the city must hold an annual permit from the Health Department. Section 15-64 sets $200.00 a year whatever the number of employees, $200.00 for each mobile road-service unit and $10.00 to replace a registration, due by June 1 each year. The registration and inspection report must be posted at the premises, and tire disposal manifests kept for three years (section 15-62). The Health Department's Permits and Fees page lists the same $200.00 fees and says tire shops must be signed off by the building and zoning officials. An auto-repair shop that does not sell or service tyres is outside this registration.

On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit — Non-Residential

Laredo Code section 31-81(a) sets the on-site sewage facility application fee at $400.00 for any system other than a single-family dwelling ($200.00), payable to the City through the Health Department on application, non-refundable, with the application expiring a year after filing. Section 15-90 adds $10.00 for each permit to the credit of the TCEQ water resources management account. The Health Department's Permits and Fees page lists $400.00 payable to the City at application and $10.00 payable by check only to TCEQ for all non-residential systems. A business connected to the city sewer has no septic permit.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Laredo
Phone
(956) 795-4900

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. City of Laredo Public Health Department — Environmental Health Permits and FeesCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  2. City of Laredo Public Health Department — New Fee ScheduleCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  3. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 13-39, Fees (food establishment licences; Ord. No. 2025-O-141, 4 August 2025)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 13-40, Scope; term; pro rata feesCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 13-58, Issuance of food handler's certificatesCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 15-139, Permit fees for public, semipublic, and private swimming pool/spaCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  7. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 15-64, Fees (tire business registration program)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  8. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 15-90, Fees and collection of fees (on-site sewage facilities)City of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  9. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 28-106, Vending under street vendor's permit outside of the Central Business DistrictCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  10. Laredo Code of Ordinances section 31-81, On-site sewage facilities feesCity of Laredo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  11. Texas DSHS Retail Food Establishment permit fees — the rates Amarillo Municipal Code section 8-5-15(b)(1) adopts by referenceTexas Department of State Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
  12. Texas H.B. 2844, 89th Legislature (2025), enrolled text — adds Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B, Mobile Food Vendors (effective July 1, 2026)Texas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  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

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