32 published records
Business licenses and permits in Arlington, Texas
Tarrant County. Arlington runs its own Health Services division, so food, hotel, pool and child care permits are city permits rather than Tarrant County Public Health permits. Almost every fee on this page comes from one adopted resolution — Exhibit A to Resolution No. 25-258 — which makes Arlington one of the easier Texas cities to cost a project in, because construction, fire, occupancy and health fees were all set at the same time.
What are you opening in Arlington?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Arlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | 35% of the building permit fee | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $150 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $325 up to $2,000 of declared valuation, then banded: $325 + $9 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $532 + $8.50 to $50,000; $744.50 + $7.50 to $100,000; $1,119.50 + $6.50 to $500,000; $3,719.50 + $5 to $1,000,000; $6,219.50 + $4.25 to $2,500,000; $12,594.50 + $4 to $5,000,000; $22,594.50 + $3 above that | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Demolition Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $200 per building | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — New Structure | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $100 per certificate | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use, tenant or owner | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — Existing Structure | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $100 per certificate | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use, tenant or owner | 2026-08-24 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $85–$750 by sign type and area | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Arlington?
Commercial Plan Review Fee
Non-refundable, and it decides when your clock starts: the schedule states that a building permit application is not considered received until the plan review fee has been paid. Budget it as 35% on top of the permit fee for every commercial and multi-family application. It is assessed at submittal, so it is spent whether or not the project proceeds.
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
$150, and extending it costs the same $150 again. Worth pricing in on a fit-out that is opening to a date: the extension is charged at the full rate rather than a reduced one, so two extensions cost as much as the original certificate three times over.
Commercial Building Permit
Arlington prices commercial construction on declared valuation, and the schedule is explicit about what the declared valuation must include: the fair market value of the proposed improvements together with architectural, structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical work, paving, parking, drive approach and the contractor's profit. The Building Official may require the applicant to verify the declared value, so understating it is not a saving. New construction, additions, alterations, remodels and repairs are all computed the same way, and so are foundation repair, reroofing, parking lots, retaining walls and public or semi-public swimming pools. A parking lot permitted with the project building permit carries no separate charge. Working without a permit adds a penalty equal to the permit fee itself. Two charges only apply on large projects: a phased permit request above $20M of valuation is $5,000, and reviewing a building permit before the final plat is fully approved is $2,000.
Demolition Permit
$200 per building to demolish, wreck, raze or dismantle a structure in the city. Where the building is historic, Landmark Preservation Committee review of the demolition permit is a further $200 — ask early whether the address is affected, because the review sits ahead of the permit rather than alongside it.
Certificate of Occupancy — New Structure
$100 whether the building is built to suit for a specific occupant, is a speculative shell for future tenants (issued as a Certificate of Completion, and including meters for parking lot and house lights), or is any other new-structure certificate. A mobile food establishment operating as an accessory use needs its own certificate at $75, new or revised. Where a fire code inspection applies it is collected with the building inspection fee.
Certificate of Occupancy — Existing Structure
$100, and the trigger list is wider than most operators expect: a new tenant, an existing business under a new owner, or the same owner trading under a new business name each need one. Apartments and mini-warehouses changing name or ownership are charged $8 per building instead, with a $100 minimum and a $300 maximum for the project. Clean and Show — temporary utility service so a space can be cleaned or shown to prospective tenants, with no occupancy permitted — is a separate $100. Food businesses should read this alongside the health permit: Arlington's food programme page states there is no separate retail food application, and that a certificate of occupancy must be issued before a health permit can be granted.
Sign Permit
Priced by what the sign is, not what it costs. A wall sign, menu board, awning sign, pole sign or ground sign of 50 sq ft or less is $150; the same pole or ground sign above 50 sq ft is $275. Multi-tenant ground signs are $200 and $325 at those two sizes, and $400 once an electronic message centre is fitted. Directory and directional signs are $85, on-site and off-site development signs $110, temporary advertising signs $110, supergraphics $700 and non-digital billboards $750. Two charges recur annually rather than once: electronic message centre signs are inspected each year at $175, and digital billboards at $300 — a digital billboard also carries a $2,000 initial fee. Any sign not otherwise defined is $150.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule — Exhibit A to Resolution No. 25-258, effective 1 October 2025City of Arlington (via Texas DSHS Local Ordinance and Fee Schedule Registry) · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
Who issues business permits in Arlington?
Permitting in Arlington is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Arlington issuing agencies
- City of Arlington Planning and Development ServicesBuilding permits · Commercial plan review · Certificates of occupancy · Business registration · Sign permits · Zoning changes and specific use permits · Platting and site plan review17 permits
- City of Arlington Health ServicesFood establishment permits · Temporary and seasonal food permits · Child care centre inspections · Hotel sanitation inspections · Public and semi-public pool permits · Boarding home facility permits · On-site sewage systems14 permits
- Arlington Fire Department, Fire PreventionFire permits · Fire code review · Fire code inspection at occupancy1 permit
Other Texas jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.