17 permits · verified 2026-10-09
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Mesquite?
In short
A restaurant in Mesquite, TX has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Mesquite Health Division charges $150 per vehicle for the liquid waste hauler permit. 8 of the 17 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 Mesquite
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid Waste Hauler Permit | City of Mesquite Health Division | $150 per vehicle | one year | 2026-10-09 |
| Farmers Market Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Health Division | $10–$100 per day, or annual | per day, or one calendar year from 1 January to 31 December | 2026-10-09 |
| Irrigation System Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $180 per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Food Establishment Health Permit | City of Mesquite Health Division | $300–$450 per year, by employee count | one year | 2026-10-09 |
| Temporary Food Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Health Division | $52–$200 per permit, by event type | per event, or seasonal | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Amusement Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | $125 per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)only if it applies to you | Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission | $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal | every 2 years | 2026-08-21 |
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 Mesquite
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | Varies — formula on the Mesquite page | 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 | Varies — formula on the Mesquite page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| New Commercial Building Permit | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | Varies — formula on the Mesquite page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Plan Review Processing Fee | City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection | Varies — formula on the Mesquite page | 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.
TX registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $300 one-time filing | no expiry | 2026-08-20 |
| Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $25 one-time filing | up to ten years, renewable | 2026-08-21 |
| Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts | No fee — there is no fee for this permit | no expiry while actively engaged in business | 2026-08-21 |
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 Mesquite?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 17 records listed for a restaurant in Mesquite, TX, 7 apply to every business of this type and 10 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 7 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $300.00. That is a floor, not a total. 8 of the 17 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:
Farmers Market Permit: $10–$100 per day, or annual
Food Establishment Health Permit: $300–$450 per year, by employee count
Temporary Food Permit: $52–$200 per permit, by event type
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB): $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Mesquite permits page and the TX state page.
Is Mesquite 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 — Mesquite sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Mesquite charges $150. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 15 charge less, 5 charge more and 1 charges exactly the same.
Demolition Permit: Mesquite charges $150. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Grand Prairie to $200 in Arlington, with a median of $106.50. 4 charge less and 1 charges more.
Read the spread rather than the rank. Certificate of Occupancy varies by $375 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 Mesquite?
Permits for a restaurant in Mesquite, TX come from 5 separate offices: City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building Inspection, City of Mesquite Health Division, 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.
- City of Mesquite Planning and Development Services, Building InspectionIssues 9 permits on this page, including Sign Permit, Commercial Addition, Alteration and Remodel Permit, New Commercial Building Permitwww.cityofmesquite.com/467/Permit-Fee-Schedule
- City of Mesquite Health DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Liquid Waste Hauler Permit, Farmers Market Permit, Food Establishment Health Permit, Temporary Food Permit1515 N. Galloway Ave, Mesquite, TX 75149 · 972-216-8138www.cityofmesquite.com/569/Health-Division-Permits-Fees
- Texas Alcoholic Beverage CommissionIssues 1 permit on this page: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)www.tabc.texas.gov
- Texas Secretary of StateIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Formation, Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)www.sos.state.tx.us
- Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsIssues 1 permit on this page: Texas Sales and Use Tax Permitcomptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit
What does a restaurant need in Mesquite that other businesses do not?
1 of the 7 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Mesquite: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).
Irrigation System Permit
$180 for a commercial irrigation system from 1 October 2026 (up from $175). The annual backflow prevention assembly inspection fee is $25 under § 12-113.
Commercial Amusement Permit
$125 for commercial amusement from 1 October 2026 (up from $100). The same ordinance sets a bingo facility annual smoking permit at $1,200 (§ 12-101) and a Christmas tree lot at $75. A special event or parade application runs from $75 for under 200 attendees to $275 for more than 5,000 (§ 12-102), with an expedited application fee of $75.
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 Mesquite
- Liquid Waste Hauler Permit — City of Mesquite Health Division, $150 per vehicle, one year. Also required for auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Farmers Market Permit — City of Mesquite Health Division, $10–$100 per day, or annual, per day, or one calendar year from 1 January to 31 December. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Food Establishment Health Permit — City of Mesquite Health Division, $300–$450 per year, by employee count, one year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Temporary Food Permit — City of Mesquite Health Division, $52–$200 per permit, by event type, per event, or seasonal. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Mesquite, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Mesquite 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 Mesquite?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 5 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Liquid Waste Hauler Permit and Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A retail store needs Public and Semi-Public Swimming Pool Permit, Apartment, Hotel and Motel License and Public Pool and Spa Health Permit, which a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
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 contractors and trades page, retail stores page and coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Mesquite permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- 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
- 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.