9 published records
Business licenses and permits in McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County, Texas, has its seat in Waco. Its public health work is done by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, set up under a 1984 Cooperative Agreement between the City of Waco and the county that, according to the county's amended food order, all of the county's municipalities joined on June 21, 1988. The District's Environmental Health Division issues food establishment, temporary food and pool/spa permits and carries out childcare sanitation inspections, and its OSSF Program handles septic permits as the county's designated representative. Under the Commissioners Court's amended food order of June 2, 2026, the District is the regulatory authority for food establishments in the unincorporated areas. The County Engineer is the Floodplain Administrator and receives residential construction notices for the unincorporated areas, and the County Clerk's probate office certifies local-option status for TABC applicants. Inside an incorporated city, that city's own ordinances also apply: the District's pool permit application, for example, refers to "local city ordinances or County order", and its Pool-Spa page links the City of Waco Swimming Pool & Spa Ordinance.
What are you opening in McLennan 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
- 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 McLennan County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit — Commercial/Non-Single-Familyonly if it applies to you | Waco-McLennan County Public Health District — On-Site Sewage Facilities Program | Per the District's OSSF page, Fee Schedule Effective October 1, 2026 (commercial/non-single-family): conventional septic system $610; aerobic septic system $810; minor repair $310. Each permit fee includes application, permit, inspections and notice of approval. A $10 mandatory fee is added to all permits, new or repairs, and forwarded to the TCEQ Research Council (Health and Safety Code section 367.010). Failed inspection/reinspection $300; design resubmittal $100; annual aerobic unit maintenance fee $40. | one-time, per system installed or repaired | 2026-10-26 |
| Floodplain Development Permit (Unincorporated McLennan County)only if it applies to you | McLennan County Engineer's Office | Set by the schedule the Commissioners Court establishes from time to time (Flood Damage Prevention Order, Article 4, Section D); paid with the application, payable to McLennan County by cash, personal check, business/corporate check, cashier's check or money order, and not refundable. The amount is not published in the order or on the county's Floodplain Information page; contact the County Engineer's Office for the current figure. | per project | 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 McLennan County?
On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic) Permit — Commercial/Non-Single-Family
The District's OSSF page states that the program "serves as the designated representative for McLennan County" to enforce the rules under Health and Safety Code chapter 366 and 30 TAC chapter 285, and that through an agreement between the City of Waco and McLennan County the Health District administers the program for the county, the cities in the county and the City of Waco. Its Fee Schedule Effective October 1, 2026, which replaced a September 1, 2025 schedule, lists commercial/non-single-family permits at $610 for a conventional system, $810 for an aerobic system and $310 for a minor repair, each including application, permit, inspections and notice of approval. A $10 fee is added to every permit and forwarded to the TCEQ Research Council; Health and Safety Code section 367.010(a) requires each county, municipality and public health department to "collect a $10 fee for each on-site wastewater treatment permit application processed". A failed inspection or reinspection is $300, a design resubmittal $100 and the annual aerobic unit maintenance fee $40. Figures are as published on the District's official OSSF page. Contact the OSSF Program at 401 Franklin Avenue, (254) 299-2473.
Floodplain Development Permit (Unincorporated McLennan County)
The county's Floodplain Information page states: "All development in the unincorporated areas of McLennan County must comply with the county's flood damage prevention order." That order, dated September 23, 2008 and adopted under Water Code sections 16.313, 16.315 and 16.318, requires a Floodplain Development Permit (Article 3, Section C) and appoints the County Engineer as Floodplain Administrator (Article 4, Section A). Article 4, Section D says fees are paid "in accordance with the schedule established from time to time by the Commissioners Court", with the application, payable to McLennan County, and that "Fees will not be refundable"; no permit issues until the fee is received. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor, each day a separate offense (Article 6, Section A). The Engineer's Office determines from a survey or drawing whether a tract lies in the 100-year floodplain. This applies to development on a site in a special flood hazard area in the unincorporated county.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- On-Site Sewage Facilities Program (OSSF), Fee Schedule Effective October 1, 2026Waco-McLennan County Public Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 367 (section 367.010, Fees)Texas Legislature Online · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Flood Damage Prevention Order, McLennan County, Texas (September 23, 2008)McLennan County Commissioners Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Floodplain InformationMcLennan County Engineering · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Floodplain Development Permit (rev 2-29-2024)McLennan County Engineering · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Who issues business permits in McLennan County?
Permitting in McLennan County is split across 4 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.
McLennan County issuing agencies
- Waco-McLennan County Public Health District — Environmental Health DivisionFood establishment permits in the unincorporated areas, as regulatory authority under the Commissioners Court's amended food order · Temporary food permits · Public and semi-public pool and spa permits · Annual sanitation inspections of licensed childcare facilities5 permits
- McLennan County Engineer's OfficeFloodplain Administrator under the county's Flood Damage Prevention Order: floodplain development permits in the unincorporated areas · Receives notices of new residential construction in the unincorporated areas2 permits
- McLennan County Clerk — ProbateCertifies local-option (wet area) status in TABC pre-qualification packets, per the county's FAQ1 permit
- Waco-McLennan County Public Health District — On-Site Sewage Facilities ProgramOn-site sewage facility (septic) permits and inspections as the designated representative for McLennan County under Tex. Health & Safety Code chapter 366 and 30 TAC chapter 2851 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.