What permits do you need to open a retail store in Allen?

Food Establishment Permit

Five flat bands by what the kitchen does: a grocery store is $450, heavy food preparation $400, light food preparation $300, no food preparation $200, and a grocery department $250. The grocery department line is the one to read twice — it is charged for a deli, bakery or similar counter inside a store, in addition to the store's own permit rather than instead of it, so a supermarket with two counters pays $950. Because the bands are flat rather than turnover- or area-based, a busy restaurant and a quiet one pay the same $400. An earlier state filing listed a $150 concession stand in this annual table; the city's current schedule has moved it to the temporary table, so $200 is now the floor for an annual permit.

Specific Use Permit

$700 plus $10 an acre where the use is part of a new development, or $450 flat for a minor or existing one. Add the $300 public hearing fee, which covers the notification mailings, the newspaper notice and the sign on site, because a specific use permit goes to a hearing. This is the approval an auto repair shop, a childcare centre or a drive-through most often needs before any building permit can be pulled, so it belongs at the start of a project timeline rather than the end — a straight rezoning is $750 and a site plan another $750.

Temporary Use and Special Event Permit

$100 for a temporary use permit and $100 again to renew it, with a special event permit at the same $100. A tree removal permit, which a car park or patio build can trigger, is also $100, with a thirty-day extension at $50. None of these is expensive, but they are separate applications rather than parts of one, so a sidewalk sale on a site that also needs a tree removed is two filings.

Contractor Registration

$50 a year for every contractor required to register, and the schedule is explicit that it is charged in addition to all other fees rather than instead of any of them. The practical consequence for an owner is that the trades you hire must each be registered before a permit can be pulled, so it is worth asking a prospective contractor for their Allen registration rather than discovering at submission that they do not hold one.

Flammable and Combustible Liquids and Storage Tank Permit

$50 to handle flammable or combustible liquids, and for storage tanks $150 for the first tank and $50 for each additional one. This is the fire permit most often overlooked by an auto repair shop, which will typically hold both — the liquids permit for parts washers, waste oil and solvent, and a tank permit for anything stored in bulk. LPG is $50 on the same table, as is a flow test, a gate or access control system, and an underground fire main.

Public and Semi-Public Swimming Pool, Spa and Water Feature Permit

$225 per facility for a swimming pool or spa, and $225 again for shared bodies of water; a public interactive water feature or fountain is $200 at each location, and a lagoon $400. The per-location wording on water features is the part that catches people out — a site with a splash pad at each of two entrances is charged twice. Note also that building a pool carries its own construction permit: $225 in-ground, $75 above-ground, $75 for a spa alone.

Shared with other businesses in Allen

• Temporary and Seasonal Food Permit — City of Allen Environmental Health, $100–$150 by duration, up to 14 days, or 14 days to 6 months for a concession stand. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Health Plan Review — City of Allen Environmental Health, $200 per review, per review. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Establishment Reinspection — City of Allen Environmental Health, $75 per reinspection, per inspection. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Farmers Market Permit — City of Allen Environmental Health, $250 per year, 1 year. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Commercial Kitchen Hood Extinguishing System Permit — City of Allen Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $50 per system, per permit. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.