What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Fort Worth?

Food Manager Certification

$85 for the City of Fort Worth online food manager class and $40 for the test — $125 in total if you take both through the city. A duplicate permit or certificate is $5.

Fixed Food Establishment Annual Permit

$258 up to $49,999.99 in gross annual food sales; $515 from $50,000 to $149,999.99; $773 at $150,000 or more. Read the footnote: Fort Worth charges the $773 top fee by DEFAULT and only applies $258 or $515 when the business supplies proof of lesser gross annual sales. A new operator who does not volunteer that evidence pays three times more than they need to. Change of ownership $200, re-inspection $200, permit reissuance $100, pre-permit request for services $150. Three further charges sit on this permit in the same schedule: a required re-inspection is $200, reissuing a permit is $100, and a pre-permit request for services is $150. The September 2025 schedule also eliminated several older charges outright — the per-additional-day temporary fee, the invitation-only special event fee, the seasonal health permit and the temporary permit late fee.

Pre-Permit Request for Services

$150 to have Consumer Health look at a site or a plan before a permit application is made. Worth paying rather than discovering a problem at inspection, and the nearest Fort Worth equivalent to the Austin pre-opening inspection at $178. Charged per request, so a second visit after changes costs again.

Fire Operational Permit — Pyrotechnic Special Effects

$195, and a further $195 — double in total — if the application is made within 15 days of the event. Trench burning is also $195. A special operational permit is $140, with an hourly rate of $120 where an inspector is required on site beyond the first hour.

Planned Development Site Plan Review

A planned development or conditional use permit carrying requested development standard waivers adds a waiver fee of $843.75. For a multi-family planned development the waiver charge is $675 for the first and $337.50 for each additional one. An administrative site plan amendment is $281.25. Conservation District and Historic and Cultural Landmarks District overlay rezonings carry no fee at all.

Demolition and Moving Permit

Banded by size: $84.37 up to 1,000 sq ft, $171.00 to 2,000, $319.50 to 3,000, $479.25 to 5,000, $642.37 to 10,000, $858.37 to 20,000, and $1,717.87 above 20,000 sq ft. Demolishing a structure 45 years or older carries an additional $56.25 — a heritage review trigger dressed as a fee, and worth checking the build date before programming a teardown.

Commercial Kitchen Hood Permit

A Type I grease hood over a commercial cooking line is $15.68 and a Type II heat or moisture hood $11.65. The associated components are charged individually: the exhaust fan is $9.85 for grease and $8.08 for heat or moisture, and the exhaust duct the same $9.85 and $8.08. An automatic electronic smoke extractor is $31.37. Fire or smoke dampers are $1.96 each. A full Type I installation therefore permits at well under $50 in Fort Worth, against $75 in Grand Prairie and $100 for a Class 1 hood in Pasadena.

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 Fort Worth

• Food Permit Change of Ownership — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $200 per change of ownership, one-time. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Fire Operational Permit — Places of Assembly — Fort Worth Fire Department, $80–$390 by occupant load, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for fitness studios, retail stores and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Handler Certificate — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $10–$16 per person, by course route, two years. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Zoning Change Application — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $1,350 under 1 acre; $2,025 to 2 acres; $3,037.50 for 5.01-10 acres; $3,712.50 for 10.01-25 acres; above 25 acres $3,712.50 plus $84.37 per acre, capped at $10,125, one-time, per application. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
• Temporary Event Food and Beverage Booth — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $52 per booth, per event. Also required for food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Vendor Certificate of Occupancy for Temporary Vendors — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $104.67 per certificate, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Grease Trap or Interceptor Permit — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $9.85 per trap or interceptor, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops, auto repair shops and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Annual Farmers Market Food Vendor Permit — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $100 per vendor, per year, one year. Also required for retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Establishment Plan Review — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $165–$500 by square footage, one-time, per application. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Temporary or Limited Certificate of Occupancy — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $378 per certificate, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Zoning Verification Letter — City of Fort Worth Development Services, $56.25–$112.50 10-day or 3-day turnaround, one-time, per request. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops, fitness studios, childcare centres, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• Consumer Health Reinspection — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, $200 per site inspection, per inspection. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, childcare centres and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the childcare centres page.
• Annual Farmers Market Permit — Fort Worth Environmental Services Department, Consumer Health Division, No fee — per market, per year, one year. Also required for retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.