4 published records
Business licenses and permits in Johnson County, Texas
Johnson County, Texas, has its seat at Cleburne. Population 210,547 (U.S. Census Bureau vintage-2024 county estimate). Johnson County Development Services, at the Johnson County Annex, 2 N Mill St, Suite 305, Cleburne, issues Development Permits for new development in the unincorporated areas of the county (outside the city limits) as part of the county's floodplain management, issues on-site sewage facility permits as the Designated Representative of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and processes junkyard license applications for the Commissioners Court; one county fee page, effective October 23, 2023, sets the fees for all three. The County Clerk charges $5 for each certification it signs on a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission application. Commissioners Court Order No. 2024-26 appointed the county's inaugural Fire Marshal. The Texas DSHS jurisdiction map lists Texas DSHS (Public Health Region 2/3) as the issuer of retail food permits in unincorporated Johnson County; those are state permits. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 place-by-county file lists 16 incorporated places in the county: Alvarado, Briaroaks, Burleson, Cleburne, Coyote Flats, Cresson, Cross Timber, Crowley, Fort Worth, Godley, Grandview, Joshua, Keene, Mansfield, Rio Vista and Venus. These records cover unincorporated Johnson County; a business inside the limits of one of these cities also deals with that city, which runs its own licensing and permits in addition to anything the county requires.
What are you opening in Johnson County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Johnson County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Permit for Commercial Use (unincorporated Johnson County)only if it applies to you | Johnson County Development Services | $240 per Development Permit (the fee page line covers single-family residential and commercial); an accessory structure without plumbing is $120 | 1 year from date of issuance | 2026-10-26 |
| On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Permit / Authorization to Construct (unincorporated Johnson County)only if it applies to you | Johnson County Development Services | $375–$475 per OSSF permit, by system type: $375 conventional, ET beds and LPD; $475 aerobic | Authorization to Construct valid for 1 year from the issue date unless revoked | 2026-10-26 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Johnson County?
Development Permit for Commercial Use (unincorporated Johnson County)
A business that builds a new structure, adds to an existing one or puts in other development outside the city limits in Johnson County needs a county Development Permit before construction begins. The Development Services page states that the office issues "Development Permits for any new development ... before construction begins in the unincorporated areas of Johnson County (outside the city limits) as part of the County's Floodplain Management responsibilities for FEMA", per the Johnson County Flood Damage Prevention Order of 2019, and that permits are issued in two categories, residential and commercial. The county's commercial application form (Revised 2025) states: "In the unincorporated areas of Johnson County, a Development Permit is required." It asks for a 911 address, a filed deed, a survey or filed plat, sealed civil plans and, where a septic system will be used, a professional septic design reviewed before the permit is issued; a property in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction may first need that city's plat or plat exemption. The permit must be obtained within 30 days of the approval notice, must be posted so it is visible from the road, and is "valid for 1 year from date of issuance." As published on the county's Development Services Fees page, effective October 23, 2023 (approved in Court October 23, 2023), the fee is $240 for a Development Permit (a line that covers single-family residential and commercial) and $120 for an accessory structure without plumbing. Credit card payments carry an additional convenience fee. Contact Development Services, 2 N Mill St, Suite 305, Cleburne, 817-556-6380.
On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) Permit / Authorization to Construct (unincorporated Johnson County)
A business premises in unincorporated Johnson County that will use a septic system needs an on-site sewage facility permit from the county. The Development Services page states that the office issues "permits for On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSF's) as part of the County's responsibility as the Designated Representative for Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ)", including review of applications and planning materials and inspections. As published on the county's Development Services Fees page, effective October 23, 2023 (approved in Court October 23, 2023), the fees are $375 for conventional, ET bed and LPD OSSF permits, $475 for aerobic OSSF permits, $210 for an OSSF re-inspection or redesign and $100 for a failed inspection. The county's commercial application for an Authorization to Construct (Revised 10/1/2025) prints the same two permit figures, "$475.00 Aerobic Septic Systems" and "$375.00 All other Septic Systems", and states that the authorization is only valid with inspector approval and "is valid for 1 year from the issue date unless revoked". The same form requires an aerobic system to be covered by a continuous service policy for its first two years. Contact Development Services, 2 N Mill St, Suite 305, Cleburne, 817-556-6380.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Development Services Fees (Effective October 23, 2023)Johnson County, Texas, Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE (Revised 2025)Johnson County Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Development ServicesJohnson County, Texas · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Application for 'Authorization to Construct' Commercial OSSF System (Revised 10/1/2025)Johnson County, Texas · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Who issues business permits in Johnson County?
Permitting in Johnson County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Johnson County issuing agencies
- Johnson County Development ServicesDevelopment Permits for new development in the unincorporated areas of Johnson County (outside the city limits), under the county's floodplain management program · On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) permits as the Designated Representative of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality · Processing of junkyard license applications for the Commissioners Court2 permits
- Johnson County ClerkCounty certification of Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) applications, as required by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code1 permit
- Johnson County Commissioners CourtLicensing of junkyards and automotive wrecking and salvage yards in the unincorporated areas of Johnson County under Order No. 2024-1181 permit
Other Texas jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.