20 permits · verified 2026-08-24
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Midland?
In short
A retail store in Midland, TX has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 14 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Midland Development Services, Permitting and Inspections charges $100 per calendar year for the vendor permit. 5 of the 20 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-24 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Midland
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor Permit | City of Midland Development Services, Permitting and Inspections | $100 per calendar year | one calendar year | 2026-08-24 |
| Food Service Establishment Permit | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $150–$250 per year, by employee count | one year | 2026-08-24 |
| Preliminary Plat Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $350–$500 by site acreage | reinstatement after lapse is $50 | 2026-08-24 |
| Planned District Zone Changeonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $650 per application | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Farmers Market Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $50 per year | one year | 2026-08-24 |
| Standard Zone Changeonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $500 per application | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Food Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $70 per permit | 14 days or less | 2026-08-24 |
| Replat Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $250 per replat | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Swimming Pool and Spa Permit | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $100 per pool or per spa, per year | one year | 2026-08-24 |
| Flammable and Combustible Liquids Tank Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Fire Marshal's Office | No fee | not stated in the published material | 2026-08-24 |
| Seasonal Food Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $105 per season | 1 April to 30 September | 2026-08-24 |
| Final Plat Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $355–$505 by site acreage, plus $1 per page | a 30-day extension is $50 | 2026-08-24 |
| Grocery Department Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Health Services, Environmental Health | $75 per department | one year | 2026-08-24 |
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 Midland
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Midland Development Services, Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Midland page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment Applicationonly if it applies to you | City of Midland Planning Division | $600 per application | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plan Review | City of Midland Development Services, Permitting and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Midland page | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Fire Protection System Permitonly if it applies to you | Midland Fire Marshal's Office | No fee | not stated in the published material | 2026-08-24 |
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 retail store in Midland?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 20 records listed for a retail store in Midland, TX, 6 apply to every business of this type and 14 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 6 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $200.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 20 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Food Service Establishment Permit: $150–$250 per year, by employee count
Preliminary Plat Application: $350–$500 by site acreage
Final Plat Application: $355–$505 by site acreage, plus $1 per page
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Midland permits page and the TX state page.
Is Midland expensive for a retail store?
Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Midland sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Farmers Market Permit: Midland charges $50. Across 8 jurisdictions it runs from $30 in Victoria County to $250 in Allen, with a median of $100. 1 charges less and 6 charge more.
Swimming Pool and Spa Permit: Midland charges $100. Across 4 jurisdictions it runs from $100 here to $300 in Grayson County, with a median of $225. Nowhere else covered here charges less.
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 Midland?
Permits for a retail store in Midland, TX come from 6 separate offices: City of Midland Development Services, Permitting and Inspections, Midland Health Services, Environmental Health, City of Midland Planning Division, Midland Fire Marshal's Office, 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 Midland Development Services, Permitting and InspectionsIssues 3 permits on this page: Vendor Permit, Commercial Building Permit, Commercial Plan Reviewwww.midlandtexas.gov/1424/PermitMidland
- Midland Health Services, Environmental HealthIssues 6 permits on this page, including Food Service Establishment Permit, Farmers Market Permit, Temporary Food Permit3303 West Illinois, Space 22, Midland, TX 79703 · 432-681-7613www.midlandtexas.gov/749/Environmental-Services
- City of Midland Planning DivisionIssues 6 permits on this page, including Preliminary Plat Application, Planned District Zone Change, Zoning Board of Adjustment Applicationwww.midlandtexas.gov/1113/Fee-Schedule
- Midland Fire Marshal's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Flammable and Combustible Liquids Tank Permit, Fire Protection System Permit1500 W Wall Street, Midland, TX 79701 · 432-685-7333www.midlandtexas.gov/255/Fire-Marshals-Office
- 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 retail store need in Midland that other businesses do not?
1 of the 13 permits particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Midland: Grocery Department Permit.
Vendor Permit
$100, valid for one calendar year — note the calendar year, not twelve months from issue, so a permit bought in October covers three months. The application covers food, fruit, seasonal and holiday item vendors and an open other category, and it requires every vending or selling location to be listed with a permission or authorisation letter from the property owner for each. Employees are named on the application too. Since 1 July 2026 a mobile food unit also needs a Texas DSHS license, which this city permit does not replace.
Farmers Market Permit
$50 — half Fort Worth's $100 annual farmers market food vendor permit and half Waco's $100 vendor permit. Note that from 1 July 2026 a mobile unit trading at a farmers market needs a Texas DSHS license regardless of this permit.
Replat Application
$250 whether or not a public hearing is required — Midland charges the same either way, which is unusual. Arlington charges $625 with owner notification against $500 without, and most cities price the hearing in.
Grocery Department Permit
$75 for each deli, bakery, meat market and kiosk a grocery or convenience store operates, with the number of each declared on the application — so a store running a deli and a bakery pays $150 on top of its establishment permit. The application form carries an older sentence saying stores add $25.00 each, which the current fee column supersedes; the $75 figure is the one to use. Verified against the current Environmental Health application by the editorial team.
Shared with other businesses in Midland
- Food Service Establishment Permit — Midland Health Services, Environmental Health, $150–$250 per year, by employee count, one year. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Preliminary Plat Application — City of Midland Planning Division, $350–$500 by site acreage, reinstatement after lapse is $50. Also required for restaurants and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- Planned District Zone Change — City of Midland Planning Division, $650 per application, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Standard Zone Change — City of Midland Planning Division, $500 per application, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, auto repair shops, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Temporary Food Permit — Midland Health Services, Environmental Health, $70 per permit, 14 days or less. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Swimming Pool and Spa Permit — Midland Health Services, Environmental Health, $100 per pool or per spa, per year, one year. Also required for fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Flammable and Combustible Liquids Tank Permit — Midland Fire Marshal's Office, No fee, not stated in the published material. Also required for auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
- Seasonal Food Permit — Midland Health Services, Environmental Health, $105 per season, 1 April to 30 September. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Final Plat Application — City of Midland Planning Division, $355–$505 by site acreage, plus $1 per page, a 30-day extension is $50. Also required for restaurants and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Midland, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Midland 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 retail store compare with other businesses in Midland?
The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 10 of these permits. A retail store also needs Swimming Pool and Spa Permit, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Tank Permit and Grocery Department Permit. A restaurant needs Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 11 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Fitness studios | 4 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 13 | 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 coffee shops page, restaurants page, fitness studios page, food trucks page, auto repair shops page and contractors and trades page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Midland permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Vendor Permit ApplicationCity of Midland · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Environmental Health Permit Application — Regulated Program Types and Annual Permit FeesMidland Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Planning Fee ScheduleCity of Midland · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.