18 published records
Business licenses and permits in Mesquite, Texas
Mostly in Dallas County, with part of the city in Kaufman County. Mesquite bundles the trades into the building permit — the per-square-foot commercial fee explicitly includes electrical, plumbing and mechanical, though subcontractors must still be named on the application. Its fees are codified in Appendix D of the City Code, which the City Council rewrites each September; the current schedule is Ordinance No. 5274, adopted 21 September 2026 and effective 1 October 2026. The city runs its own Health Division, whose food, day care, pool and liquid waste permit fees sit in the same ordinance.
What are you opening in Mesquite?
- 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 Mesquite
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $150 per permanent sign plus a $100 non-refundable application fee | a movable sign permit is annual at $250 | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Addition, Alteration and Remodel Permit | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $480 minimum up to 2,000 sq ft; $480 plus $0.24 per sq ft over 2,000 to 10,000; $2,400 plus $0.16 per sq ft over 10,000 to 15,000; $3,200 plus $0.08 per sq ft over 15,000 | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| New Commercial Building Permit | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $0.38 per square foot; a shell building is one-half the permit fee for a complete building | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Plan Review Processing Fee | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | 30% of the building permit fee, on the first review and each revision | per review, including each revision | 2026-10-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $150 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Standalone Commercial Trade Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $100 per trade permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Demolition Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $150 per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 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 Mesquite?
Sign Permit
From 1 October 2026 a permanent sign is $150 per sign plus a $100 non-refundable application fee (previously $125 plus $25). A low-clearance or freeway-oriented monument sign is $500 plus a $100 application fee, a banner or inflatable $100 per display period, and a movable sign $250 per business per year. Ordinance No. 5274 deleted the $100 annual sign registration fee. The City's Commercial Fee Schedule 2026-2027 handout prints a permanent sign at $150 including a $25 plan review; the adopted ordinance is the controlling text.
Commercial Addition, Alteration and Remodel Permit
Unchanged by Ordinance No. 5274. A $480 minimum covers up to 2,000 sq ft, and the marginal rate falls with size, from $0.24 to $0.08 a square foot. Appendix D states the fee includes the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. A 5,000 sq ft restaurant remodel computes to $1,200 before plan review.
New Commercial Building Permit
Thirty-eight cents a square foot under § 12-100 of Appendix D, unchanged by Ordinance No. 5274. The City's Commercial Fee Schedule 2026-2027 states the fee includes the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permit fees, though subcontractors must still be listed on the building permit application, and that a shell building is charged at one-half the complete-building fee. Multi-family apartments rose from $420 to $450 per unit on 1 October 2026.
Plan Review Processing Fee
Ordinance No. 5274 replaced the single 28% commercial plan review fee with 30% of the building permit fee for commercial and multifamily plans (25% for residential), charged on the first review and on each revision, from 1 October 2026. On the $480 minimum remodel that is a further $144 per review. The City's Commercial Fee Schedule 2026-2027 handout still prints 28%; the adopted ordinance is the controlling text.
Certificate of Occupancy
$150, unchanged by Ordinance No. 5274. From 1 October 2026 a temporary certificate is also $150 (up from $125) and a reinspection $100 (up from $60); a replacement or duplicate certificate stays at $25. Clean and Show — utilities released so a space can be prepared or shown without occupancy — is $100 under § 12-100.
Standalone Commercial Trade Permit
$100 each for commercial or multifamily electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits from 1 October 2026 (up from $80), where the work stands alone rather than sitting inside a building permit, which already includes them. A commercial spa or hot tub, a temporary storage container and any other miscellaneous commercial permit are also $100. Re-inspection is $100 under § 12-110.
Demolition Permit
$150 for a commercial demolition from 1 October 2026 (up from $100). Under the same ordinance a moving permit is $150, a parking lot permit $125, a commercial re-roof $150 and a commercial fence $120; an electrified fence is $250 with a $200 annual inspection fee.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Mesquite Ordinance No. 5274 — amending Appendix D, Comprehensive Fee Schedule (adopted 21 September 2026, effective 1 October 2026), with Exhibit ACity of Mesquite · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Commercial Fee Schedule 2026-2027 (revised September 2026)City of Mesquite · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in Mesquite?
Permitting in Mesquite 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.
Mesquite issuing agencies
- City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building InspectionBuilding permits · Certificates of occupancy · Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits · Sign permits · Contractor registration and hotel/motel licensing12 permits
- City of Mesquite Health DivisionFood establishment health permits · Temporary and seasonal food permits · Day care health permits · Public pool and spa permits · Liquid waste hauler permits · Farmers market permits6 permits
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.