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8 permits · verified 2026-08-25

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Brown County?

In short

A restaurant in Brown County, TX has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Brownwood and Brown County Health Department charges $215 per year for the food establishment permit. 4 of the 8 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 restaurant in Brown County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building Fire InspectionBrownwood and Brown County Fire Marshal$75–$300 by sprinkler system and floor areanot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Food Establishment PermitBrownwood and Brown County Health Department$215 per year1 January to 31 December2026-08-25
Temporary and Seasonal Food Permitonly if it applies to youBrownwood and Brown County Health Department$52–$100 temporary or seasonal1 to 14 days, or up to 6 months for a seasonal permit2026-08-25
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)only if it applies to youTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission$2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewalevery 2 years2026-08-21

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

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Brown County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
False Alarm Feeonly if it applies to youBrownwood and Brown County Fire MarshalVaries — formula on the Brown County pageper occurrence2026-08-25

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

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 restaurant in Brown County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a restaurant in Brown County, TX, 3 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 3 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $215.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 8 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:

Commercial Building Fire Inspection: $75–$300 by sprinkler system and floor area

Temporary and Seasonal Food Permit: $52–$100 temporary or seasonal

Mixed Beverage Permit (MB): $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Brown County permits page and the TX state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Brown County?

Permits for a restaurant in Brown County, TX come from 5 separate offices: Brownwood and Brown County Fire Marshal, Brownwood and Brown County Health Department, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 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.

What does a restaurant need in Brown County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 4 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Brown County: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).

Commercial Building Fire Inspection

Graded by sprinkler system rather than by use: $75 for a commercial building with no sprinkler system, $150 with one under 10,000 square feet, and $300 with one over 10,000. Installing sprinklers therefore doubles or quadruples the inspection fee, which is a counterintuitive result worth knowing at design stage even though the safety case is obvious. A nursing home is $150 and a hospital $500. Sprinkler plan review is $100 and alarm review $50.

Food Establishment Permit

$215 flat for the calendar year, covering two inspections — no bands by size, turnover, employee count or risk, which makes this the simplest food permit recorded here and unusually cheap for a large operation. A school cafeteria including its warehouse and grounds is $175. Renewing late adds $50, and the ordinance warns that fees may be doubled or a fine imposed if you operate without a permit at all. The permit runs the calendar year, so one bought in the autumn is short-lived.

Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)

Read directly from the TABC two-year licensing fee schedule: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB) $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal, charged on a two-year cycle. A Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Permit (BG) is $1,900 if you do not need spirits. Note a widely-cited competitor lists $6,006 for this permit, which does not appear in the TABC schedule.

Shared with other businesses in Brown County

  • Temporary and Seasonal Food Permit — Brownwood and Brown County Health Department, $52–$100 temporary or seasonal, 1 to 14 days, or up to 6 months for a seasonal permit. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Brown County, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Brown 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 restaurant compare with other businesses in Brown County?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 3 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A retail store needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Brown County, TX, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Retail stores3310
Coffee shops2220
Auto repair shops1130
Contractors and trades2131
Fitness studios2131
Food trucks2131
Salons and barbers2131
Childcare centres2042
Veterinary clinics1041

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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Brown County permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Brownwood/Brown County amended fee ordinance 25-09 (filed with Texas DSHS 3 November 2025)City of Brownwood and Brown County, filed with Texas Department of State Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
  2. Texas DSHS Local Ordinance and Fee Schedule RegistryTexas Department of State Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
  3. Two-Year Licensing Fees — TABCTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-22

Related

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