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16 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Bexar County?

In short

A childcare centre in Bexar County, TX has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office charges $30 flat, per Knox Box, Knox Padlock, or siren-operated electric gate registration for the knox box / access-control device registration. 7 of the 16 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Bexar County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Child Care Facility Food Service Feeonly if it applies to youBexar County Environmental Services$150 per year, for a childcare facility's food serviceannual2026-09-28
Fire Inspection for State-Licensed Child-Care HomesBexar County Fire Marshal's Office$100 flat, per inspection (State Licensed Facility Inspection)tied to the state child-care facility license cycle; performed as a precondition of that state licensing2026-09-28
Child Care LicenseTexas Health and Human Services$35 application, then an annual fee of $35 plus $1 per child of licensed capacityannual2026-08-20

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 Bexar County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA) FilingBexar County ClerkVaries — formula on the Bexar County pageTexas 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 separately2026-09-28
Annual Fire/Life-Safety InspectionBexar County Fire Marshal's OfficeVaries — formula on the Bexar County pageongoing; the Fire Marshal's Office aims to inspect each commercial occupancy on an annual cycle2026-09-28
Fire Marshal Building/Construction Permitonly if it applies to youBexar County Fire Marshal's OfficeVaries — formula on the Bexar County pageproject-based (not recurring), except a renewal fee if construction lapses before completion2026-09-28
Knox Box / Access-Control Device Registrationonly if it applies to youBexar County Fire Marshal's Office$30 flat, per Knox Box, Knox Padlock, or siren-operated electric gate registrationone-time registration, unless the device is replaced2026-09-28
Change of Occupancy Permit/InspectionBexar County Fire Marshal's OfficeVaries — formula on the Bexar County pageissued once per change of occupancy, business, or ownership event; not a recurring renewal2026-09-28
Floodplain Development Permitonly if it applies to youBexar County Public Works$50 per activityissued once per qualifying activity2026-09-28
Stormwater Quality Site Development Permitonly if it applies to youBexar County Public Works$500 flat, per Stormwater Quality Site Development Permit application, payable to the Bexar County Clerkissued once per project; disturbance may not begin until the permit is issued2026-09-28
Right-of-Way Permitonly if it applies to youBexar County Public WorksVaries — formula on the Bexar County pageissued once per activity or connection2026-09-28
On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF/Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youBexar County Environmental ServicesVaries — formula on the Bexar County pagerenewal every 5 years for an existing standard system; new installation or initial registration is a one-time permit2026-09-28
General Business License — Bexar County Positiononly if it applies to youBexar County ClerkNo feenot applicable — the County Clerk's page states that Assumed Name Certificates are not business licenses and refers license questions to the City of San Antonio2026-09-28

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

TX registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$300 one-time filingno expiry2026-08-20
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$25 one-time filingup to ten years, renewable2026-08-21
Texas Sales and Use Tax PermitTexas Comptroller of Public AccountsNo fee — there is no fee for this permitno expiry while actively engaged in business2026-08-21

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 childcare centre in Bexar County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a childcare centre in Bexar County, TX, 6 apply to every business of this type and 10 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 6 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $100.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 16 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Child Care License: $35 application, then an annual fee of $35 plus $1 per child of licensed capacity

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Bexar County permits page and the TX state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Bexar County?

Permits for a childcare centre in Bexar County, TX come from 7 separate offices: Bexar County Clerk, Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office, Bexar County Environmental Services, Bexar County Public Works, Texas Secretary of State, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Health and Human Services. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a childcare centre need in Bexar County that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Bexar County: Child Care Facility Food Service Fee, Fire Inspection for State-Licensed Child-Care Homes and Child Care License.

Child Care Facility Food Service Fee

A childcare facility in unincorporated Bexar County that serves food to the children in its care pays $150.00 a year to Bexar County Environmental Services under its own line item on the FSE fee table, separate from and in addition to the Bexar County Fire Marshal's childcare fire-safety inspection listed as a separate Bexar County requirement. The two are distinct county touchpoints administered by different offices: this fee covers food-service health regulation, while the Fire Marshal's inspection covers fire and life safety as a precondition of the facility's state child-care license. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, the applicable city health department regulates the facility's food service instead.

Fire Inspection for State-Licensed Child-Care Homes

Texas Human Resources Code §42.0443 requires coordination between a childcare facility's state licensing process and a local fire-safety inspection; in unincorporated Bexar County, the Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office performs that inspection using a dedicated Licensed Child-Care Home Checklist, and charges the same flat $100.00 State Licensed Facility Inspection fee used on its general fee schedule. Passing this inspection is a precondition of the facility's state child-care license from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. This fee and inspection are separate from the $150.00-a-year Child Care Facility Food Service Fee charged by Bexar County Environmental Services, listed as a separate Bexar County requirement. Inside San Antonio or another incorporated city, that city's fire department performs the equivalent inspection instead.

Child Care License

Worked example: a centre licensed for 100 children pays $135 a year ($35 + $1 x 100). The annual fee falls on the anniversary of the date the initial license was issued, not on a calendar date.

The other 10 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Bexar County, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Bexar County 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 childcare centre compare with other businesses in Bexar County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Child Care Facility Food Service Fee, Fire Inspection for State-Licensed Child-Care Homes and Child Care License. A auto repair shop needs Flammable/Combustible Liquid & Fuel System Operational Permits and Auto Repair Shop — Fire Marshal and Site Permits Apply (Bexar County), which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Bexar County, TX, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2032
Coffee shops4034
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios3033
Food trucks6036
Restaurants6036
Retail stores3033
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Bexar County permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Food Service Establishment Health Inspections (FSE permit fee tiers, Temporary Food Event fee, and the childcare-facility food-service fee) — unincorporated Bexar CountyBexar County Environmental Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  2. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437, Regulation of Food Service Establishments, Retail Food Stores, Mobile Food Units, and Roadside Food VendorsTexas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Bexar County Fire Marshal Fee Schedule (content dated January 1, 2024) — building/construction, Change of Occupancy, annual fire inspection, childcare inspection, flammable-liquid, Knox Box, and Mobile Food Vendor operational feesBexar County Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 42, Regulation of Certain Facilities, Homes, and Agencies That Provide Child-Care Services (§42.0443, Coordination of Fire Safety and Sanitation Inspections)Texas Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  5. 5200, Fees — Child Care Regulation HandbookTexas Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-20

Related

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