20 published records
Business licenses and permits in McKinney, Texas
McKinney prices its food establishment permit on gross annual food sales in three bands — $258, $515 and $773 — which is the same structure and the same three figures Williamson County and Cities Health District uses, and close to what Fort Worth charges. Turnover banding is friendlier to a small operator than Garland's flat $500 or Carrollton's $770 for a retail food store, because the fee scales with the business. The permit amendment fee is banded the same way, so a change of ownership on a large establishment costs $375 while the same paperwork on a small one costs $125. The current schedule was adopted by ordinance on 2 December 2025.
What are you opening in McKinney?
- 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
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.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 McKinney
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarm Permit (Commercial)only if it applies to you | McKinney Police Department Alarm Program | $100 per year, commercial permit | 1 year | 2026-10-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy (Commercial) | City of McKinney Building Inspections | Listed in the City's Permit Fees for New Construction, Remodels and Repairs document, which the Building Inspections page links rather than prints. | One-time, per occupancy | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Alteration and Finish-Out)only if it applies to you | City of McKinney Building Inspections | Listed in the City's Permit Fees for New Construction, Remodels and Repairs document, which the Building Inspections page links rather than prints. | Per project | 2026-10-09 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of McKinney Building Inspections | Calculated from the sign valuation under the fee schedule in Appendix A of the Code of Ordinances, as Unified Development Code section 402 states; signs exempt under Article 4 pay no permit fee. | Void if work is not completed within 90 days of the permit or certificate of occupancy, whichever is later | 2026-10-09 |
| Site Plan Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of McKinney Planning | $350 per new application | One-time, per application | 2026-10-09 |
| Zoning Verification Letter | City of McKinney Planning | $50 per request, plus document copying charges | Per request | 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 McKinney?
Alarm Permit (Commercial)
The City's Alarm Permits page states that an alarm permit is required if an alarm system summons law enforcement, and that the annual fee is $100 for a commercial permit ($50 residential). Under section 10-21 of the Code of Ordinances a person commits an offence by operating an alarm system without a valid permit issued by the police chief, and under section 10-23 a permit expires one year from issuance and the holder must renew within ten days of expiry. Applies only to a business whose monitored alarm calls police.
Certificate of Occupancy (Commercial)
The City's Building Inspections page publishes a New Business Guide to Certificates of Occupancy and a Commercial Certificate of Occupancy required-paperwork packet, and states that the City adopted the 2024 International Building Code and related codes on 1 October 2025. The Fire Marshal's Office fee page lists operational permits, such as repair garages and CO2 beverage dispensing over 100 pounds, that the business must hold before the certificate of occupancy is issued. Inspections are requested through the Citizen Self Service portal.
Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Alteration and Finish-Out)
The City's Building Inspections page publishes a New Commercial Construction Guide and a Commercial Alteration and Finish-Out Guide, takes permit applications, payments and inspection requests through the Citizen Self Service portal, and states that the 2024 codes were adopted on 1 October 2025. Its Contractor Registration page states that licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors must register with the City before a permit can be issued, and that a Signature Verification Form is required for each project.
Sign Permit
Under section 402 of the Unified Development Code no person may erect, conduct major repair of or relocate a sign within the City without a permit from the Building Inspection Department. The applicant files with the Chief Building Official, pays the valuation-based fee, carries liability insurance of at least $20,000.00 (or a bond) covering the sign during erection, and for an electric sign meets the electrical requirements. In the Historic Overlay District a certificate of appropriateness must be approved first. The Building Inspections page links the Sign Permit Submittal Requirements.
Site Plan Application
$350.00 per new site plan application under Appendix A section 150-203A as amended by the ordinance the City Council approved on 5 October 2026, effective on passage; from the fifth resubmittal, $150.00 is charged for each round of review, and post-approval revisions are not included. Planning fee listings the City published before 5 October 2026, including the 2026 Development Guide linked from the Planning page, predate this ordinance; the ordinance's $350.00 governs.
Zoning Verification Letter
$50.00 per request plus applicable document copying charges, under Appendix A section 150-203A as amended by the ordinance the City Council approved on 5 October 2026, effective on passage. A zoning verification letter is a written statement from the Planning Division of a property's zoning; it is optional and is not a permit to operate. The Planning office is at 401 E. Virginia St., McKinney (972-547-2000).
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- MPD: Alarm PermitsCity of McKinney Police Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- McKinney Code of Ordinances, Chapter 10 Alarms (sections 10-21 and 10-23)City of McKinney (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Building Inspections (permits, certificates of occupancy, adopted codes, fees)City of McKinney Building Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Fire Marshal's Office: Permit and Inspection Fee ScheduleCity of McKinney Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Contractor RegistrationCity of McKinney Building Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- McKinney Unified Development Code (Chapter 150), as codified 15 November 2022City of McKinney (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Ordinance amending Appendix A Schedule of Fees, sections 14-52, 150-203A, 150-303C and Miscellaneous Fees (Legistar 26-0943), approved 5 October 2026City of McKinney City Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Legistar legislative history, file 26-0943 (approved by the City Council, 5 October 2026)City of McKinney (Legistar) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in McKinney?
Permitting in McKinney is split across 7 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.
McKinney issuing agencies
- City of McKinney Environmental HealthFood establishment permits · Temporary health permits · Farmers market permits · Food establishment inspections · Permit amendments and change of ownership6 permits
- City of McKinney Building InspectionsBuilding permits · Certificates of occupancy · Sign permits · Contractor registration4 permits
- City of McKinney PlanningSite plans · Specific use permits · Zoning verification letters · Sidewalk use areas and parklets4 permits
- McKinney Fire Marshal's OfficeFire construction permits · Fire operational permits · Fire inspections3 permits
- City of McKinney City Secretary's OfficeCity alcoholic beverage permits · TABC temporary event notices1 permit
- McKinney Police Department (Solicitor's Permits)Solicitor's permits1 permit
- McKinney Police Department Alarm ProgramResidential and commercial alarm permits1 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.