10 permits · verified 2026-08-21
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Dallas County?
In short
A restaurant in Dallas County, TX has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division charges $310 per inspection; re-inspection $110 for the commercial on-site sewage facility inspection. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-21 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Dallas County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Establishment Permit Amendmentonly if it applies to you | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $125–$375 per amendment, by establishment category | one-time | 2026-08-21 |
| Food Handler Training | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $15 per person | per person | 2026-08-21 |
| Certified Food Manager Certification | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $100 per person | per person | 2026-08-21 |
| Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $52–$200 single event, or multiple events | per event | 2026-08-21 |
| Retail Food Establishment Permit | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $258–$773 per year, by establishment category | annual | 2026-08-21 |
| Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)only if it applies to you | Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission | $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal | every 2 years | 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.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Dallas County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial On-Site Sewage Facility Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division | $310 per inspection; re-inspection $110 | one-time | 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.
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 restaurant in Dallas County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a restaurant in Dallas County, TX, 4 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 4 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $115.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 10 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 Amendment: $125–$375 per amendment, by establishment category
Temporary Food Establishment Permit: $52–$200 single event, or multiple events
Retail Food Establishment Permit: $258–$773 per year, by establishment category
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB): $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal
Which offices issue these permits in Dallas County?
Permits for a restaurant in Dallas County, TX come from 4 separate offices: Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division, 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.
- Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health DivisionIssues 6 permits on this page, including Food Establishment Permit Amendment, Commercial On-Site Sewage Facility Inspection, Food Handler Trainingwww.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/environmental-health.php
- Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionIssues 1 permit on this page: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)www.tabc.texas.gov
- 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 restaurant need in Dallas County that other businesses do not?
1 of the 6 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Dallas County: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).
Food Establishment Permit Amendment
Charged when an existing permit is amended: $125 for Category A, $250 for Category B and $375 for Category C. A change of ownership, a change of menu category or a change to the premises can each trigger it. The amendment fee tracks the permit category rather than the scale of the change. Figures were read from the county's published environmental health fee schedule; dallascounty.org refuses connections from our crawler, so this source is verified by a person rather than machine-checked.
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 Dallas County
- Food Handler Training — Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division, $15 per person, per person. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Certified Food Manager Certification — Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division, $100 per person, per person. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Temporary Food Establishment Permit — Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division, $52–$200 single event, or multiple events, per event. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Retail Food Establishment Permit — Dallas County Health and Human Services — Environmental Health Division, $258–$773 per year, by establishment category, annual. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Dallas County, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Dallas 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 Dallas County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 5 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 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 food trucks page, retail stores page and coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Dallas County permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Environmental Health Fee Schedule — Dallas County Health and Human ServicesDallas County Health and Human Services, Environmental Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-21
- 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.