12 published records
Business licenses and permits in McAllen, Texas
Hidalgo County. McAllen's published permit fee schedule is effective 1 October 2016 and was last updated in November 2019 — it is the schedule the city's own Permits & Inspections page links to, and the figures on this page are transcribed from it exactly. Under City Code § 22-27 the board of commissioners approves a schedule of building permit fees rather than setting them in the code, and the department's 2026 Commercial Submittals Checklist restates the same core rates ($0.16 per square foot for new construction, 0.006 x construction cost for remodels, $48 minimum, 18% plan review). Permits are filed through the city's online permit portal.
What are you opening in McAllen?
- 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 McAllen
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | $15.60 base fee, plus $2.40 per circuit or feeder | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Permit Renewal Feeonly if it applies to you | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | $48 per permit, all types | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | 18% of the building permit fee | one-time, per application | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | $48 minimum for 0-300 sq ft; $0.16 per square foot at 301 sq ft or more | one year; lapses if work is not commenced within six months of issue or is suspended or abandoned for six months | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Remodel and Alteration Permit | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | $0.0060 multiplied by the construction value, minimum $48 | one year; lapses if work is not commenced within six months of issue or is suspended or abandoned for six months | 2026-10-09 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department | $79.80 per sign | one year; lapses if work is not commenced within six months of issue or is suspended or abandoned for six months | 2026-10-09 |
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 McAllen?
Commercial Electrical Permit
$15.60 base, $15.60 for a service, service re-do or temporary pole, and $2.40 for each circuit or feeder. A rewire is $39.60 and working clearance $39.60 per meter; the schedule notes that working clearance may require a deposit of a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $5,000.
Permit Renewal Fee
$48 to renew any permit type, and the same $48 to take over a permit from another contractor, as published on the City's Permit Fee Schedule. Re-inspections are $48 on the schedule, and City Code § 22-30 sets $48.00 as the minimum reinspection fee.
Commercial Plan Review Fee
18% of the building permit fee, commercial only, as published on the City's Permit Fee Schedule. The Commercial Submittals Checklist (rev. 2-26) states the same 18% rate, a minimum review fee of $8.64 (18% of the $48 minimum permit fee), and that the plan review fee is paid when the application is submitted.
Commercial Building Permit
$0.16 a square foot above 300 sq ft, with a $48 minimum, as published on the City's Permit Fee Schedule (effective 1 October 2016); the same rate applies across occupancy groups A, B, E, F, H, I, M, S and U as well as the residential groups, and the department's Commercial Submittals Checklist (rev. 2-26) states the same $0.16 rate and $48 minimum. The schedule also lists a park development fee of $700 per unit. The application form states that a permit is good for one year only.
Commercial Remodel and Alteration Permit
Six tenths of a cent per dollar of construction value, with a $48 floor — so a $150,000 fit-out computes to $900. The schedule applies this to all occupancy groups, and the Commercial Submittals Checklist (rev. 2-26) states the same 0.006 x construction cost rate.
Sign Permit
$79.80 per sign permit, as published on the City's Permit Fee Schedule, which lists a single sign permit fee with no size or value bands. The department publishes a separate sign permit application (rev. 3-26), which states that the permit is good for one year only.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Permit fee schedule — effective 1 October 2016, page footer updated November 2019City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspection Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- City of McAllen Code of Ordinances Chapter 22, Article II Building Code (sections 22-27 fee schedule authority and 22-30 reinspections; amended through Ordinance 2022-16, adopted 14 February 2022; model codes updated by Ordinance 2025-117, adopted 27 October 2025)City of McAllen · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Commercial Submittals Checklist, rev. 2-26 (building permit fee rates, minimum permit and review fees, 18% plan review)City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Commercial building permit application, rev. 7-26 (permit validity terms)City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Building Permits & Inspections department page (links the Permit Fee Schedule and current application forms)City of McAllen · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Sign permit application, rev. 3-26 (permit validity terms)City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in McAllen?
Permitting in McAllen is split across 2 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.
McAllen issuing agencies
- City of McAllen Building Permits & Inspections DepartmentBuilding permits · Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits · Sign permits · Demolition and swimming pool permits · Commercial plan review11 permits
- City of McAllen Health, Code Enforcement & Animal Care ServicesFood establishment inspection · Environmental and health code enforcement · Solid waste and illegal dumping enforcement1 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.