What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Houston?

Temporary Food Dealer Permit

$80.56 per day, or $805.68 for an event of 10 or more consecutive days. Sec. 20-18 defines a temporary food service establishment as one operating at a fixed location for not more than 21 consecutive days in conjunction with a single event or celebration — past that, it is not a temporary permit. An applicant may be exempted from the food service manager certification requirement if the health officer is satisfied (Sec. 20-53(c)).

Pre-Operational Inspection

$114.13 where the premises is unoccupied, $228.28 where it is occupied. The occupied rate is double, so scheduling this before you take occupancy is worth $114.15.

Biological Pretreatment Service Permit and Registration

$335.70 to permit and register a biological pretreatment service, with a $13.42 monthly report processing fee (Sec. 47-478(b)). This falls on the service provider dosing a grease interceptor, not on every restaurant — confirm who holds the permit before budgeting for it.

Common Market License

$100.71 for 10 vendors or fewer, $201.41 for 11-20, $268.56 for 21 or more. Licenses the market operator; food vendors inside it still need their own Health Department permits.

Food Handler Certification

$13.42 per person. Sec. 20-53(f) requires every food employee other than a certified food service manager to complete a food handler training course within 60 days of employment — so this is a recurring cost tied to staff turnover, not a one-off at opening.

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 Houston

• Food Service Manager's Certification — Houston Health Department, $33.56 replacement certificate, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Food Service Establishment Grease Interceptor Fee — Houston Health Department, $123.54 per establishment, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Industrial Waste Permit — Houston Public Works, $100.71 per permit, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Fire Permit — Places of Assembly — Houston Fire Department, $268.56–$537.12 by occupant load, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
• Fire Marshall Approval — Houston Fire Department, $268.56–$1,074.24 one-time, by floor area, one-time. Also required for retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Certified Farmers Market License — Houston Health Department, $201.41–$335.69 by vendor count, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Dealer Permit — Houston Health Department, $201.41–$1,074.24 by employee count, one year from the date of issuance. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Structural Building Permit — Houston Public Works, $47.00 up to $7,000 valuation, then a base charge per band plus a per-$1,000 increment: $5.36 to $150,000; $5.03 to $200,000; $4.70 to $300,000; $4.36 to $500,000; $4.02 to $1,000,000; $3.68 to $5,000,000, one-time. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the salons and barbers page.
• Food Vendor's Permit — Streets and Sidewalks — Houston Public Works, $40.27–$134.28 30 days, or full term, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Food Establishment Plan Review — Houston Health Department, $33.56–$939.96 one-time, by project valuation, one-time. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.