What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Fort Worth?

Fire Operational Permit — Hazardous Materials

$390 for hazardous materials and the same $390 for an HMM facility — jointly the most expensive operational permits Fort Worth issues, alongside a place of assembly above 1,000 occupants. Lumber yards and woodworking plants are $305. Flammable and combustible liquids are $110, cutting and welding $110, industrial ovens $110, and repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities $110.

Zoning Change Application

Banded by acreage and capped at $10,125. Two things are worth knowing before filing. The fee DOUBLES where double noticing and special City Council consideration are required or requested outside the normal processing schedule — and the ordinance is explicit that the doubled charge is not waived by any incentive programme the project qualifies for. And there is a genuine discount in the other direction: an application under one acre that down-zones to a one- or two-family district consistent with the adopted Comprehensive Plan is $506.25 rather than $1,350.

Annual Contractor Registration

$168.75 a year for a building or sign contractor and $562.50 for a parkway and utility contractor — over three times as much, reflecting the work in the public right of way. Sec. 118.2.1 requires every individual or business registering under the Code to pay the prescribed fee.

Fire Operational Permit — High-Piled Storage

$165. The same $165 covers compressed gases, cryogenic fluids, LP-gas, amusement buildings, aviation facilities, explosives, magnesium, pyroxylin plastics, tire rebuilding plants, waste handling, and liquid or gas-fuelled vehicles inside assembly buildings. At the cheaper end, $80 covers hot work operations, spraying and dipping, combustible dust-producing operations, combustible fibres, energy storage systems, open flames and candles, organic coatings, cellulose nitrate film and miscellaneous combustible storage. Storage of scrap tyres is $60.

Electrical Contractor License

Texas licenses no general contractor - there is no statewide builder license. Individual trades are licensed instead: electrical, plumbing and HVAC, each under its own programme. The $110 is the application fee. Published renewal figures conflict between $110 and $165 depending on license subtype, so no renewal amount is recorded until a reviewer confirms which applies.

Shared with other businesses in Fort Worth

• Planned Development Site Plan Review — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $900 base; $1,350 for 0-5 acres, $3,037.50 for 5.01-10 acres, $3,712.50 at 10 acres or more plus $84.37 per acre, capped at $10,125, one-time, per application. Also required for retail stores, restaurants and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Demolition and Moving Permit — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $84.37–$1,717.87 by floor area, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.