14 permits · verified 2026-08-25
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Amarillo?
In short
A retail store in Amarillo, TX has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Amarillo Building Safety Department charges $114 per permit for the sign permit. 3 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-25 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Amarillo
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flammable Liquids Tank and Pump Installation Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $76 per permit | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department | $258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales | 1 year from the date of application | 2026-08-25 |
| Fats, Oils and Grease Permit | Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department | $145 per establishment, per year | 1 year | 2026-08-25 |
| On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Permitonly if it applies to you | Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department | $900 per commercial facility | 1 year from the date of issuance | 2026-08-25 |
| Commercial Swimming Pool, Spa and Water Feature Permit | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $437 per permit | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Wrecking and Moving Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $114 per permit | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Amarillo
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Plan Review | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | Varies — formula on the Amarillo page | plan review expires 180 days after the last correction notice | 2026-08-25 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $114 per permit | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | Varies — formula on the Amarillo page | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
| Re-inspection Feeonly if it applies to you | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $70 per re-inspection | per inspection | 2026-08-25 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Amarillo Building Safety Department | $151 per review and inspection | not stated in the codified schedule | 2026-08-25 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TX registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $300 one-time filing | no expiry | 2026-08-20 |
| Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $25 one-time filing | up to ten years, renewable | 2026-08-21 |
| Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts | No fee — there is no fee for this permit | no expiry while actively engaged in business | 2026-08-21 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Amarillo?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a retail store in Amarillo, TX, 7 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 7 that always apply, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $733.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 0 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Food Establishment Permit: $258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Amarillo permits page and the TX state page.
Is Amarillo expensive for a retail store?
Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Amarillo sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Amarillo charges $151. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 17 charge less and 4 charge more.
Sign Permit: Amarillo charges $114. Across 5 jurisdictions it runs from $75 in Lubbock to $114 here, with a median of $88. Nowhere else covered here charges more.
Read the spread rather than the rank. Certificate of Occupancy varies by $375 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.
Which offices issue these permits in Amarillo?
Permits for a retail store in Amarillo, TX come from 4 separate offices: City of Amarillo Building Safety Department, Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department, Texas Secretary of State, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Amarillo Building Safety DepartmentIssues 8 permits on this page, including Commercial Plan Review, Sign Permit, Flammable Liquids Tank and Pump Installation Permit808 S Buchanan Street, Amarillo, TX 79101www.amarillo.gov/departments/community-services/building-safety
- Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health DepartmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Food Establishment Permit, Fats, Oils and Grease Permit, On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Permit1000 Martin Road, Amarillo, TX 79107www.amarillo.gov/departments/community-services/public-health
- Texas Secretary of StateIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Formation, Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)www.sos.state.tx.us
- Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsIssues 1 permit on this page: Texas Sales and Use Tax Permitcomptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit
What does a retail store need in Amarillo that other businesses do not?
Commercial Swimming Pool, Spa and Water Feature Permit
$437 for the permit, plus $81 for the plan review, on a public or semi-public pool, spa or interactive water feature. A residential pool is $312, so the commercial premium is about forty per cent. Note this is a construction permit from Building Safety, not an annual operating permit of the kind Garland ($300 a year) and Brazos County ($250 a year) charge — different thing, different department, and a hotel or gym may well need both a construction permit here and an operating permit elsewhere. Section 4-1-3(h) escalates every fee in this chapter annually by 3 per cent or CPI, whichever is greater, rounded up to a whole dollar, so treat this figure as a floor rather than a fixed price.
Wrecking and Moving Permit
$114 to wreck or move a structure. Cheap against Dallas and Arlington, and the figure covers both operations — demolishing a building and relocating one are the same line in Amarillo's schedule. Section 4-1-3(h) escalates every fee in this chapter annually by 3 per cent or CPI, whichever is greater, rounded up to a whole dollar, so treat this figure as a floor rather than a fixed price.
Shared with other businesses in Amarillo
- Flammable Liquids Tank and Pump Installation Permit — City of Amarillo Building Safety Department, $76 per permit, not stated in the codified schedule. Also required for auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
- Food Establishment Permit — Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department, $258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales, 1 year from the date of application. Also required for coffee shops and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Fats, Oils and Grease Permit — Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department, $145 per establishment, per year, 1 year. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Permit — Amarillo Area Public Health District, Environmental Health Department, $900 per commercial facility, 1 year from the date of issuance. Also required for restaurants and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Amarillo, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Amarillo permits page. The 3 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TX and are covered on the TX state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Amarillo?
The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 4 of these permits. A retail store also needs Flammable Liquids Tank and Pump Installation Permit and Commercial Swimming Pool, Spa and Water Feature Permit. A restaurant needs Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the auto repair shops page, coffee shops page, restaurants page and contractors and trades page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Amarillo permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Amarillo Municipal Code Chapter 4-1, Fees, Permits and Contractor Registrations, as amended by Ordinance No. 8218, 16 September 2025City of Amarillo · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.