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16 permits · verified 2026-08-25

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in El Paso?

In short

A restaurant in El Paso, TX has 8 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department charges $110 per certificate for the certificate of occupancy. 9 of the 16 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 El Paso

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Handler CertificationCity of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement$10–$32 per person, internet or in personnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to youCity of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement$79–$265 temporary, seasonal or recurrentnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Fire Operational Permitonly if it applies to youEl Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office$125–$205 per license, by hazardnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Rezoning Applicationonly if it applies to youCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department$765–$1,530 per application, by typeper application2026-08-25
Food Establishment Plan ReviewCity of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement$105–$263 per review, by floor areaper review2026-08-25
Administrative Change Feeonly if it applies to youCity of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement$105 per changeper change2026-08-25
Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire LicenseEl Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office$125 per licensenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Food Service Establishment PermitCity of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement$174–$685 per year, by floor area1 year2026-08-25
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 El Paso

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Plan ReviewCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso pageper review2026-08-25
Commercial Building PermitCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso pagenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Certificate of OccupancyCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department$110 per certificatenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Demolition Permitonly if it applies to youCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department$115 per permitnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25

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 El Paso?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a restaurant in El Paso, TX, 8 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 8 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $235.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 of the 16 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 Handler Certification: $10–$32 per person, internet or in person

Temporary Food Establishment Permit: $79–$265 temporary, seasonal or recurrent

Fire Operational Permit: $125–$205 per license, by hazard

Rezoning Application: $765–$1,530 per application, by type

Food Establishment Plan Review: $105–$263 per review, by floor area

Food Service Establishment Permit: $174–$685 per year, by floor area

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

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the El Paso permits page and the TX state page.

Is El Paso expensive for a restaurant?

Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — El Paso sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

Certificate of Occupancy: El Paso charges $110. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 11 charge less and 10 charge more.

Demolition Permit: El Paso charges $115. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Grand Prairie to $200 in Arlington, with a median of $106.50. 3 charge less and 2 charge more.

Read the spread rather than the rank. Certificate of Occupancy varies by $375 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.

Which offices issue these permits in El Paso?

Permits for a restaurant in El Paso, TX come from 6 separate offices: City of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement, City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department, El Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, 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 El Paso that other businesses do not?

1 of the 9 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in El Paso: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).

Food Handler Certification

$10 for the internet course with badge and certificate, $32 for the in-person certificate course. A three-fold difference for the same certification, so unless you specifically want the classroom session, the online route is the obvious one. Budget per member of staff.

Food Establishment Plan Review

Banded on the same floor areas as the permit: $105 under 3,000 square feet, $158 from 3,001 to 6,000, $210 from 6,001 to 9,000 and $263 above 9,000. A facility remodel is $105 whatever the size. Expedited review, turned round in three to seven business days, is the applicable plan review fee plus $158 — proportionally a much bigger premium than Williamson County's $118 on an $882 base, but on a far smaller starting figure. A site assessment is charged separately: $105 under 3,000 square feet, or $47 for premises under 200 square feet, mobile operations, outdoor markets, home day care and adult foster or personal care. Most lines add an unquantified "applicable tech fee"; the schedule never states what it is, so confirm it before budgeting to the dollar.

Administrative Change Fee

$105 for a change of business name, a change in equipment, a significant change in menu, or any other deviation from the original application where ownership does not change. The menu clause is the one operators miss: reworking a menu significantly is a notifiable change in El Paso, not a private commercial decision, and doing it without telling Code Enforcement puts you outside the terms of the permit you hold.

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 El Paso

  • Temporary Food Establishment Permit — City of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement, $79–$265 temporary, seasonal or recurrent, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
  • Fire Operational Permit — El Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $125–$205 per license, by hazard, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for auto repair shops, coffee shops, contractors and trades, fitness studios, retail stores and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
  • Rezoning Application — City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department, $765–$1,530 per application, by type, per application. Also required for contractors and trades and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire License — El Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $125 per license, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
  • Food Service Establishment Permit — City of El Paso Environmental Services Code Enforcement, $174–$685 per year, by floor area, 1 year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in El Paso, TX; what each one involves is set out on the El Paso 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 El Paso?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 7 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle Fire License and Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A retail store needs Commercial Swimming Pool and Spa Permit, which a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in El Paso, TX, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Retail stores8721
Coffee shops6630
Food trucks4361
Contractors and trades3271
Auto repair shops1180
Salons and barbers2181
Fitness studios3182
Childcare centres2092
Veterinary clinics1091

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, auto repair shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the El Paso permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of El Paso FY 2026 Schedule C, Departmental Fee List (85 pages)City of El Paso · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
  2. 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.