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19 permits · verified 2026-10-09

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

In short

A restaurant in Mckinney, TX has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 15 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of McKinney Environmental Health charges $52 per permit for the temporary health permit. 10 of the 19 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Mckinney

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Permit Amendmentonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Environmental Health$125–$375 per amendment, by gross annual food salesper amendment2026-08-24
Temporary Health Permitonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Environmental Health$52 per permitSingle Event2026-08-24
Farmers Market Permitonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Environmental Health$100 per year1 year2026-08-24
Food Establishment PermitCity of McKinney Environmental Health$258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales1 year2026-08-24
City Alcoholic Beverage Permitonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney City Secretary's OfficeOne-half of the state fee for the TABC license or permit held, under Appendix A section 14-52 as amended on 5 October 2026. The City's Alcohol and Gaming Permits page states that no City alcoholic beverage permit fee is charged to food service establishments, retail food stores, mobile food units, roadside food vendors and temporary food service establishments that are required to obtain a City health permit.Same period as the TABC license2026-10-09
Fire Permit: CO2 Beverage Dispensing Systemonly if it applies to youMcKinney Fire Marshal's Office$100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page; the construction and operational permit fees are set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints.Operational permit renewed annually or per use2026-10-09
Fire Construction Permit: Kitchen Hood Suppression Systemonly if it applies to youMcKinney Fire Marshal's Office$100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page, plus a construction permit fee per system set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints.Per installation2026-10-09
Sidewalk Café Permit (Downtown Sidewalk Use Zone)only if it applies to youCity of McKinney PlanningApplication and renewal fees are set by the City Council under section 90-380(b)(2) and are paid before the permit issues.2 years2026-10-09
Specific Use Permitonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Planning$750 per new applicationOne-time, per application2026-10-09
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)only if it applies to youTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission$2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewalevery 2 years2026-08-21

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Mckinney

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Alarm Permit (Commercial)only if it applies to youMcKinney Police Department Alarm Program$100 per year, commercial permit1 year2026-10-09
Certificate of Occupancy (Commercial)City of McKinney Building InspectionsVaries — formula on the Mckinney pageOne-time, per occupancy2026-10-09
Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Alteration and Finish-Out)only if it applies to youCity of McKinney Building InspectionsVaries — formula on the Mckinney pagePer project2026-10-09
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Building InspectionsVaries — formula on the Mckinney pageVoid if work is not completed within 90 days of the permit or certificate of occupancy, whichever is later2026-10-09
Site Plan Applicationonly if it applies to youCity of McKinney Planning$350 per new applicationOne-time, per application2026-10-09
Zoning Verification LetterCity of McKinney Planning$50 per request, plus document copying chargesPer request2026-10-09

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

TX registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$300 one-time filingno expiry2026-08-20
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$25 one-time filingup to ten years, renewable2026-08-21
Texas Sales and Use Tax PermitTexas Comptroller of Public AccountsNo fee — there is no fee for this permitno expiry while actively engaged in business2026-08-21

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a restaurant in Mckinney?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 19 records listed for a restaurant in Mckinney, TX, 4 apply to every business of this type and 15 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 10 of the 19 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 0 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Permit Amendment: $125–$375 per amendment, by gross annual food sales

Food Establishment Permit: $258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales

City Alcoholic Beverage Permit: One-half of the state fee for the TABC license or permit held, under Appendix A section 14-52 as amended on 5 October 2026. The City's Alcohol and Gaming Permits page states that no City alcoholic beverage permit fee is charged to food service establishments, retail food stores, mobile food units, roadside food vendors and temporary food service establishments that are required to obtain a City health permit.

Fire Permit: CO2 Beverage Dispensing System: $100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page; the construction and operational permit fees are set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints.

Fire Construction Permit: Kitchen Hood Suppression System: $100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page, plus a construction permit fee per system set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints.

Sidewalk Café Permit (Downtown Sidewalk Use Zone): Application and renewal fees are set by the City Council under section 90-380(b)(2) and are paid before the permit issues.

Mixed Beverage Permit (MB): $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Mckinney permits page and the TX state page.

Is Mckinney expensive for a restaurant?

Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Mckinney sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

Farmers Market Permit: Mckinney charges $100. Across 8 jurisdictions it runs from $30 in Victoria County to $250 in Allen, with a median of $100. 2 charge less, 1 charges more and 4 charge exactly the same.

Read the spread rather than the rank. Farmers Market Permit varies by $220 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.

Which offices issue these permits in Mckinney?

Permits for a restaurant in Mckinney, TX come from 9 separate offices: City of McKinney Environmental Health, City of McKinney City Secretary's Office, McKinney Police Department Alarm Program, McKinney Fire Marshal's Office, City of McKinney Planning, City of McKinney Building Inspections, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Secretary of State, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a restaurant need in Mckinney that other businesses do not?

1 of the 10 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Mckinney: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).

Permit Amendment

Banded on the same turnover thresholds as the permit itself: $125 up to $49,999.99, $250 from $50,000 to $149,999.99 and $375 at $150,000 or more. Each mobile food unit, roadside vendor, school food establishment or central preparation facility is $125 flat. Worth pricing into a sale or a rebrand — on a large establishment the amendment costs almost half a new small permit.

Farmers Market Permit

$100 a year, which is the ceiling the state sets. Under Health and Safety Code section 437.0065 a farmers market permit must run for at least a year, may not cost more than $100 to issue or renew, and must cover sales at every farmers market, farm stand and farm inside the permitting authority's jurisdiction — so one permit covers all McKinney markets, not one per stall.

City Alcoholic Beverage Permit

The City's Alcohol and Gaming Permits page states that anyone selling beer, wine, liquor or mixed beverages within the city must hold both a TABC license and a local permit from the City Secretary's Office, that the City permit runs for the same period as the TABC license, that both must be renewed together and displayed at the business, and that applications go through the Citizen Self Service portal from 6 April 2026. The half-of-state-fee rule is from the ordinance amending Appendix A section 14-52, approved by the City Council on 5 October 2026 and effective on passage; the no-fee statement for City health permit holders is from the City's page. The state permit must be issued first.

Sidewalk Café Permit (Downtown Sidewalk Use Zone)

Under section 90-380 of the Code of Ordinances, restaurants and food establishments in the downtown sidewalk use zone shown in section 90-361 may apply for a permit to use part of the public sidewalk as a sidewalk café, and the permit, with any construction and building permits, must be issued before the café is installed. The holder signs a license agreement with the City covering maintenance, indemnity and continuous liability insurance. The permit is valid for two years. The director of planning administers the article under section 90-362. Sidewalk cafés are permitted only inside that downtown zone.

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 Mckinney

  • Temporary Health Permit — City of McKinney Environmental Health, $52 per permit, Single Event. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
  • Food Establishment Permit — City of McKinney Environmental Health, $258–$773 per year, by gross annual food sales, 1 year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Fire Permit: CO2 Beverage Dispensing System — McKinney Fire Marshal's Office, $100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page; the construction and operational permit fees are set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints., Operational permit renewed annually or per use. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Fire Construction Permit: Kitchen Hood Suppression System — McKinney Fire Marshal's Office, $100.00 application fee, as printed on the City's Permit and Inspection Fee Schedule page, plus a construction permit fee per system set in the 2025 Fire Marshal's Office Fee Schedule, which that page links rather than prints., Per installation. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Specific Use Permit — City of McKinney Planning, $750 per new application, One-time, per application. Also required for auto repair shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Mckinney, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Mckinney permits page. The 3 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TX and are covered on the TX state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Mckinney?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 8 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Specific Use Permit and Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Mckinney, TX, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops8820
Retail stores6551
Food trucks3281
Auto repair shops2191
Childcare centres20102
Contractors and trades30103
Fitness studios20102
Salons and barbers10101
Veterinary clinics10101

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the food trucks page, coffee shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Mckinney permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of McKinney Ordinance amending Chapter 46, Food Establishment Regulations, and Appendix A Schedule of Fees, passed 2 December 2025City of McKinney, filed with Texas Department of State Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
  2. 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
  3. Alcohol and Gaming PermitsCity of McKinney, City Secretary's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  4. Legistar legislative history, file 26-0943 (approved by the City Council, 5 October 2026)City of McKinney (Legistar) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  5. McKinney Code of Ordinances, Chapter 90 Article VI Parklets and Sidewalk Use AreasCity of McKinney (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
  6. Two-Year Licensing Fees — TABCTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-22

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.