What do these permits involve in Bexar County?

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Assumed Name Certificate (DBA) Filing

A sole proprietorship or partnership operating in Bexar County under a name other than the owner's own legal name files an Assumed Name Certificate (DBA) with the Bexar County Clerk, countywide, including inside San Antonio; a corporation or LLC files its assumed name with the Texas Secretary of State instead. The Clerk's own filing fee is $13.00 for the first owner named plus $0.50 for each additional owner, with a $2.00 plain copy, a $7.00 certified copy, and a $1.00 notarization/acknowledgment fee by a deputy clerk. The Clerk's own page states plainly that these filings 'are not business licenses' and directs business-license questions to the City of San Antonio; this filing exists purely to put the public on notice of who owns a business operating under a trade name.

Annual Fire/Life-Safety Inspection

Every commercial occupancy in unincorporated Bexar County is subject to an ongoing fire/life-safety inspection program, billed hourly rather than through a flat annual permit fee: $100.00 an hour with a half-hour minimum for a standard inspection, $150.00 an hour with a two-hour minimum after hours, $65.00 for a reinspection, and a flat $100.00 for a State Licensed Facility Inspection. The Fire Marshal's own published rationale is that these services are funded through incorporated-city tax revenue where a city exists, but unincorporated Bexar County has no equivalent tax base for fire services, so the cost is recovered through inspection fees instead. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's fire department performs the inspection and sets its own fee.

Fire Marshal Building/Construction Permit

The Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office, working with Public Works, acts as the county's building department for any new commercial or public-access construction, pre-built building placement, or substantial improvement of an existing commercial building in unincorporated Bexar County. The permit expressly does not apply to single-family, duplex, or triplex residential buildings — the county's own Public Works Permit Verification Guidance names all three as exempt, up to three dwelling units. A project under $6,250 of construction valuation is charged a flat $400.00; higher-valuation projects move onto a valuation-tiered schedule. Additional line items include a $200.00 final inspection/certificate of occupancy, a $150.00-plus-30% renewal, a $550.00 temporary certificate of occupancy, and separate fees for temporary structures, modular/mobile installations, and foundation permits, all carrying a 4.5% Technology Improvement Surcharge. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's own building department and permit apply instead.

Knox Box / Access-Control Device Registration

Where the Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office requires rapid-entry fire-department access to a commercial building in unincorporated Bexar County — a Knox Box, a Knox Padlock, or a siren-operated electric security gate — the business registers the device for a flat $30.00 fee. This applies only when a Knox Box or equivalent access device is fire-code-required for the specific building or gate; it is not a requirement that reaches every commercial occupancy automatically. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's fire department administers the equivalent registration instead.

Change of Occupancy Permit/Inspection

Whenever a new business or tenant occupies an existing commercial building in unincorporated Bexar County, the Fire Marshal's Office requires a Change of Occupancy inspection before the new occupant opens. The standard fee is $200.00, which covers one reinspection. A business that opens before obtaining this approval and then requires a reinspection is charged an additional $150.00. A change limited to the owner or owner's name, with no change in occupancy or use, is $150.00. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's own building or fire department handles occupancy changes instead.

Floodplain Development Permit

Any property encumbered by, or within 100 feet of, a FEMA 1%-annual-chance (100-year) floodplain in unincorporated Bexar County needs a Floodplain Development Permit from Public Works before construction, grading, or other qualifying development activity, at a flat $50.00 per activity. Applications are submitted through Public Works or the County's online permitting portal. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's own floodplain-management program applies instead.

Stormwater Quality Site Development Permit

Any new development in unincorporated Bexar County that will disturb one acre or more of land — or a smaller parcel that is part of a larger common development — needs this $500.00 permit from Public Works before ground disturbance begins; the application instructions direct the fee to be paid by check to the Bexar County Clerk. A contractor performing the site work most commonly applies, but the requirement reaches whichever business is developing the site. This permit is submitted concurrently with the Post Construction Permit, listed as a separate Bexar County requirement, which shares the same one-acre trigger.

Right-of-Way Permit

Construction of a new driveway, a median opening, an auxiliary lane, or a new utility service-line connection within a county-maintained right-of-way in unincorporated Bexar County needs this permit from Public Works: $35.00 for a driveway, $35.00 for a miscellaneous activity, $75.00 for a median opening, $75.00 for an auxiliary lane, and $35.00 for a utility service-line connection. A contractor performing the access work most commonly applies, but any business needing new driveway or utility access in county right-of-way is reached by this requirement. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's own right-of-way permitting applies instead.

On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF/Septic) Permit

A business not connected to municipal sewer needs an On-Site Sewage Facility permit from Bexar County Environmental Services for its septic system. Renewing an existing standard system costs $30.00 every 5 years, due after the tank has been pumped. Installing a new system, repairing an existing one, or registering a system that was never permitted is priced per project by Environmental Services based on the system type and site conditions, rather than through a single published table; a business planning one of these projects should get the specific fee from the OSSF program, 210-335-3822, before beginning work. Any business connected to a municipal sewer system has no OSSF obligation at all.

General Business License — Bexar County Position

No fee applies. The County's own Businesses page lists no county general business license among its programs, and the County Clerk's Assumed Name Certificate page states directly that 'Assumed Name Certificates are not business licenses. To determine if a business license is required, contact the City of San Antonio.' What the County does license is a short, named list of specific programs — food establishments, on-site sewage, unincorporated-area building and fire-code items, floodplain, stormwater, right-of-way, the TABC local fee, and the Clerk's assumed-name filing — each listed as a separate Bexar County requirement where it reaches one of the ten industries. Any business physically located inside San Antonio or another incorporated city should also check that city's own licensing requirements, which are out of scope here.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA) Filing	Bexar County Clerk	$13.00 for the first owner named, plus $0.50 for each additional owner. A plain copy of a filed certificate is $2.00; a certified copy is $7.00; notarization/acknowledgment by a County Clerk deputy is $1.00.	Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 71 sets a 10-year term for an assumed name certificate; the Bexar County Clerk's own page does not restate the term separately	2026-09-28
Annual Fire/Life-Safety Inspection	Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office	$100.00 per hour, half-hour minimum, for a routine annual inspection. After-hours inspection: $150.00 per hour, two-hour minimum. Reinspection: $65.00. State Licensed Facility Inspection (e.g., a licensed child-care home): $100.00 flat.	ongoing; the Fire Marshal's Office aims to inspect each commercial occupancy on an annual cycle	2026-09-28
Fire Marshal Building/Construction Permitonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office	Commercial/public-access construction valued under $6,250: $400.00 flat. Construction valued at $6,250 or above is charged under a valuation-tiered schedule set by the Fire Marshal's fee schedule; contact the Fire Marshal's Office for the tier applicable to a specific project's construction valuation. Final Inspection/Certificate of Occupancy: $200.00. Permit renewal (if construction lapses): $150.00 plus 30% of the original fee. Public-school projects receive a 10% discount. Temporary Certificate of Occupancy: $550.00. Temporary structure: under 750 square feet $100.00; 750 square feet or more, $100.00 plus $0.05 per square foot over 750. Modular or mobile structure installation: $750.00. Foundation permit: $500.00. Every fee on this schedule includes a 4.5% Technology Improvement Surcharge and is non-refundable.	project-based (not recurring), except a renewal fee if construction lapses before completion	2026-09-28
Knox Box / Access-Control Device Registrationonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office	$30 flat, per Knox Box, Knox Padlock, or siren-operated electric gate registration	one-time registration, unless the device is replaced	2026-09-28
Change of Occupancy Permit/Inspection	Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office	Change of Occupancy Use Inspection: $200.00, covering the cost of one reinspection. An additional $150.00 applies if a business opens before obtaining Change of Occupancy approval and a reinspection is required as a result. Change of Owner/Owner Name, with no change of occupancy or use: $150.00.	issued once per change of occupancy, business, or ownership event; not a recurring renewal	2026-09-28
Floodplain Development Permitonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Public Works	$50 per activity	issued once per qualifying activity	2026-09-28
Stormwater Quality Site Development Permitonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Public Works	$500 flat, per Stormwater Quality Site Development Permit application, payable to the Bexar County Clerk	issued once per project; disturbance may not begin until the permit is issued	2026-09-28
Right-of-Way Permitonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Public Works	$35.00 per driveway. $35.00 per miscellaneous activity. $75.00 per median opening. $75.00 per auxiliary lane. $35.00 per utility service-line connection.	issued once per activity or connection	2026-09-28
On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF/Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you	Bexar County Environmental Services	Renewal of an existing standard on-site sewage system: $30.00 every 5 years, due after the tank has been pumped. New installation, repair, or initial registration of an existing unpermitted system: the fee is set by Bexar County Environmental Services on a per-project basis according to the system type (standard, aerobic, or another alternative system) and site conditions, rather than a single flat amount; contact the OSSF program, 210-335-3822, for the applicable fee before beginning a project.	renewal every 5 years for an existing standard system; new installation or initial registration is a one-time permit	2026-09-28
General Business License — Bexar County Positiononly if it applies to you	Bexar County Clerk	No fee	not applicable — the County Clerk's page states that Assumed Name Certificates are not business licenses and refers license questions to the City of San Antonio	2026-09-28

Business licenses and permits in Bexar County, Texas

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Bexar County