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Travis County

Travis County Fire Marshal's Office

In short

Travis County Fire Marshal's Office issues 8 permits we publish for Travis County, last verified 2026-09-28. 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
Building PermitTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeValued under $200,000: flat $790.00. $200,000 to under $1,000,000: $790.00 for the first $200,000 plus $1.75 per $1,000 over $200,000. $1,000,000 to under $5,000,000: $2,800.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $1.00 per $1,000 over $1,000,000. $5,000,000 and up: $10,900.00 for the first $5,000,000 plus $0.50 per $1,000 over $5,000,000. Valuation feeding these tiers is computed from TCFMO's Building Valuation Table (2018 IBC occupancy groups by construction type, dollars per square foot) — for example, a Group A-2 restaurant/bar ranges from $143.33/sq ft (Type VB construction) to $190.96/sq ft (Type IA construction).one-time per project/permit2026-09-28
Special Event / Mass Gathering Permitonly if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeSet through TCFMO's event-permit process based on event size, duration and required staffing; contact the Travis County Fire Marshal's Office, or see the event-permit page, to confirm the current amount for a specific event.per event2026-09-28
Veterinary Clinic License — State Board License Applies (Travis County)only if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Mobile Food Vendor Fire-Safety Inspection/PermitTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeSet under TCFMO's Operational Permits fee schedule and billed per unit; contact the Travis County Fire Marshal's Office to confirm the current amount for a mobile food vendor fire-safety inspection.annual, tied to TCFMO's operational-permit cadence; not itemized as a separate renewal interval specific to mobile food vendors in the published fee schedule2026-09-28
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler / Suppression System Construction Permitsonly if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's Office$325–$360 flat per system type, unincorporated Travis County: fire alarm system permit $360.00, sprinkler system permit $360.00, fire suppression system permit $325.00one-time per project, issued alongside or separately from the Building Permit above2026-09-28
Fire Code Operational Permit (hazard-specific)only if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeFees are set per hazard category on TCFMO's Operational Permits fee schedule (for example LP-gas storage/use, tents and temporary membrane structures, fireworks displays, and other Fire Code §105.5-style hazard categories) and billed per permit type; contact the Travis County Fire Marshal's Office to confirm the current amount for a specific hazard category.annual; the published Operational Permits fee schedule does not itemize a distinct renewal cadence beyond 'annual' for each hazard category2026-09-28
Salon / Cosmetology Establishment License — State License Applies (Travis County)only if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Fitness Studio / Gym License — Travis County Positiononly if it applies to youTravis County Fire Marshal's OfficeNo feenot applicable2026-09-28

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

Building Permit

TCFMO functions as the county's de facto building department for unincorporated commercial construction, exactly as in Harris and Bexar Counties: a Building Permit is required before constructing, substantially altering, enlarging, repairing, moving, demolishing or converting the use of a commercial, public or multi-family structure in unincorporated Travis County. IMPORTANT CORRECTION: an earlier figure of roughly $120 per structure described a different, narrower credential — TCFMO's 'Express Permit,' for adding a small structure to a site that already holds an active permit — not this Building Permit, whose actual minimum is $790.00, scaling through the valuation tiers above. Fire alarm, sprinkler and suppression-system construction permits are separate, smaller flat fees recorded in the next requirement. Inside Austin or any other incorporated city, that city's own building department applies instead, out of scope here.

Special Event / Mass Gathering Permit

A business hosting a qualifying special event or mass gathering — above the occupancy or attendance thresholds TCFMO sets — in unincorporated Travis County needs this permit, which comes with a crowd-manager staffing ratio of 1 crowd manager per 250 attendees above a 1,000-attendee threshold. This reaches routine restaurant, food-truck, retail, or fitness-studio operations only in the uncommon case where the business itself is hosting a qualifying large event on its unincorporated-county site, not ordinary day-to-day operation. Inside Austin or another incorporated city, that city's own special-event process applies instead.

Veterinary Clinic License — State Board License Applies (Travis County)

No fee applies at the county level. The Travis County Code index page lists no veterinary-clinic licensing chapter; licensing for a veterinary practice is handled by the state Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which issues the statewide DVM license under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 801. The only county-level touchpoints for a veterinary clinic sited in unincorporated Travis County are the generic project-level requirements recorded as separate entries — the Fire Marshal Building Permit and, if applicable, a TNR Development Services permit — not a license on the clinic or the business itself. A clinic inside Austin or another incorporated city falls under that city's building and fire code instead.

Mobile Food Vendor Fire-Safety Inspection/Permit

A mobile food vendor operating in unincorporated Travis County still needs a Travis County Fire Marshal's Office fire-and-life-safety inspection and permit for the vending unit itself, entirely separate from the food-safety credential that moved to Texas DSHS in Part B above. This fire-safety layer continues under the county's own Fire Code authority, unaffected by the state's food-safety-only preemption — Travis County's site has not needed to newly restate this as an HB-2844-aware carve-out because the two permits were always issued under different legal frameworks. A statutory anti-duplication rule bars requiring an additional fire inspection of a unit that already passed a state or local fire inspection within the preceding 12 months, so a vendor should carry proof of a recent passed inspection when operating across jurisdictions.

Fire Alarm / Sprinkler / Suppression System Construction Permits

Installing or altering a fire alarm system, automatic sprinkler system, or a kitchen or special-hazard fire suppression system in a commercial building in unincorporated Travis County needs its own construction-system permit from TCFMO, priced separately from the general Building Permit: $360.00 for a fire alarm system, $360.00 for a sprinkler system, and $325.00 for a suppression system (the line item most relevant to a commercial kitchen hood). These fees are flat regardless of project valuation, unlike the tiered Building Permit fee. A restaurant, coffee shop, or other food business installing a hood suppression system for new construction or a remodel in the unincorporated area should budget for this fee in addition to the Building Permit itself.

Fire Code Operational Permit (hazard-specific)

Beyond the general Building Permit, TCFMO issues hazard-specific Operational Permits for particular activities or equipment at a business site in unincorporated Travis County — LP-gas storage or use, tents and temporary membrane structures, fireworks displays, and other Fire Code hazard categories among them. Not every business in the industries listed needs every category; the trigger is the specific hazard or activity, not general operation. A restaurant using LP-gas patio heaters, a retail store setting up a temporary tent for a sale, or a food truck storing LP-gas would each check with TCFMO about which category applies to their specific equipment or event before assuming none is required.

Salon / Cosmetology Establishment License — State License Applies (Travis County)

No fee applies at the county level. The Travis County Code index page lists no hair, nail or skin salon licensing chapter (its only personal-service chapter is Chapter 251, Regulations of Massage Parlors); cosmetology and barbering establishment licensing is a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation function, applied statewide under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603 (Regulation of Barbering and Cosmetology). Only the generic unincorporated-area Building Permit and, if applicable, TNR Development Services permits recorded as separate entries would apply if a salon is sited in unincorporated Travis County; a salon inside Austin or another incorporated city falls under that city's own building and fire code instead.

Fitness Studio / Gym License — Travis County Position

No fee applies at the county level. The Travis County Code index page lists no fitness-studio- or gym-specific license or permit chapter. Only the generic unincorporated-area Building Permit, and the Chapter 247 pool/spa permit recorded separately if the studio has a pool, spa or hot tub, would apply if the studio is sited in unincorporated Travis County; a studio inside Austin or another incorporated city falls under that city's own requirements instead.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Travis County
Phone
Not verified — use the website

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. About Us — Travis County Fire Marshal's OfficeTravis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. Barbering and Cosmetology (statewide salon/cosmetology establishment licensing)Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  3. Event Permit (Special Event / Mass Gathering permit process)Travis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  4. Licensing Requirements (statewide veterinary licensing)Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  5. Mobile Food Vendors — TCFMO's fire-safety inspection requirement for mobile food units in unincorporated Travis CountyTravis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  6. Permits & Plan Reviews (permit types, and links to the Building Permit and Operational Permit fee schedules)Travis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  7. TCFMO Permit Fees — Building Permits (full valuation-tiered fee schedule, plus fire alarm, sprinkler and suppression-system construction-permit fees)Travis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  8. TCFMO Permit Fees — Operational Permits (hazard-category fee schedule)Travis County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  9. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437B, Mobile Food Vendors (added by HB 2844, 89th Legislature, effective July 1, 2026)Texas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  10. Travis County Code Chapter 201, Fire Code, applicable within the unincorporated areas of Travis County (current edition reflects the 2021 Fire Code adoption)Travis County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  11. Travis County Code index — by Title, Subtitle, and Chapter (Title 2 Ordinances & Regulations: Subtitles 11 Fire & Emergency, 13 Health & Safety, 15 Environment and 19 Land Development)Travis County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29

Other offices serving Travis County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Texas jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.