27 published records
Business licenses and permits in Pasadena, Texas
Harris County. Pasadena runs its own public health department, so food permits are city permits rather than Harris County Public Health permits. Its fire marshal publishes a full annual fire and life safety operating permit schedule — an obligation most Texas cities either do not charge for or do not publish — which means a Pasadena assembly venue, care facility, hotel or hazardous operation carries a recurring fire fee that a comparable business in Dallas or Austin does not.
What are you opening in Pasadena?
- 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 Pasadena
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical Service Permit | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50–$200 per service, by amperage | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Annual Fire and Life Safety Inspection | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | $65 per hour — $65, $130, $195 or $260 for one to four hours | annual | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — Change of Use or Occupancy | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $150 per application, covering the inspections | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use or occupancy | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy Issued With a Building Permit | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50 added to the permit and plan review fees | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use or occupancy | 2026-08-24 |
| Fire Plan Review — Building | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | $230–$900 by building area | one-time, per review | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $0.10 per square foot under roof — half the building permit rate — with a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $2,000 | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $0.20 per square foot under roof, never less than $100 | not stated in the published fee schedule | 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.
What do these permits involve in Pasadena?
Commercial Electrical Service Permit
$50 for a commercial meter loop and service up to 400 amps, $100 from 400 to 800 amps and $200 above 800 amps, plus $10 on the application and a $40 minimum. Individual items are charged on top: outlets and lighting fixtures at $0.50 each, commercial appliances at $7 each, electric heat at $1 per kW, an X-ray machine at $25 and CT or MRI equipment at $50 — the last two being why a veterinary or medical fit-out costs more here than the floor area suggests. A permanent commercial generator is $175 and is only allowed after electrical inspector review.
Annual Fire and Life Safety Inspection
Charged by the hour, which means the bill depends on how long the inspection takes rather than on what kind of business you run. Reinspection after the initial visit and one free re-check is $150. An after-hours inspection is $375 for the first three hours and $70 for each further hour or part of one — worth comparing against closing for a morning.
Certificate of Occupancy — Change of Use or Occupancy
$150, and the ordinance is blunt about the consequence of skipping it: it is unlawful to change the use or occupancy of an existing commercial property before the certificate issues, and utilities — electrical, gas and water — are not released until the Building Official or Permit Department approves. Four departments have to sign it off: building, fire marshal, health and traffic, plus planning. Where the new occupant does not change the use group classification, existing off-street parking is deemed adequate, which is the single most useful sentence in Pasadena's code for anyone taking over a like-for-like space.
Certificate of Occupancy Issued With a Building Permit
$50 on a commercial project, added to the permit and plan review fees rather than charged separately — a third of the $150 charged where the certificate is sought on its own for an existing space. One- and two-family projects are $20.
Fire Plan Review — Building
$230 up to 50,000 sq ft, $345 from 50,001 to 100,000, $675 to 500,000 and $900 above that. Miscellaneous reviews are flat: an automatic extinguishing system $200, an emergency evacuation plan $150, and access control or mag locks $150. Fire plan review runs alongside the Permit Department's own plan review rather than instead of it, so a commercial project pays both.
Commercial Plan Review Fee
Non-refundable, capped at $2,000, and it gates the queue: the ordinance states no routing or plan review takes place until the fee is paid. Two sets of plans are required, complete with topography, landscape, boundary survey, drainage, electrical, plumbing, ADA compliance, IECC compliance and heating and air conditioning — an unusually specific list, and worth reading before the first submittal rather than after the first rejection.
Commercial Building Permit
Twenty cents a square foot, computed on the accumulative aggregate of every floor's area covered by roof or similar structure, with a $100 floor — the same rate for new construction, additions, alterations and repairs. There is a $10 application fee on every permit regardless of discipline, and no permit is less than $50 including the application. Starting work before the permit issues stops the job: the property goes on hold until double the normal fee plus a $25 administrative fee is paid and a proper permit is issued.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Fee Schedule — building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit feesCity of Pasadena Permit Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Fee Schedule — Sec. 13-12 Fire and Life Safety Operating Permit, Special Use Permits, and Inspections FeesCity of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
Who issues business permits in Pasadena?
Permitting in Pasadena is split across 3 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.
Pasadena issuing agencies
- City of Pasadena Permit DepartmentBuilding permits · Certificates of occupancy · Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits · Contractor registration · Sign permits14 permits
- City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's OfficeAnnual fire and life safety operating permits · Special use operating permits · Fire alarm and sprinkler plan review · Fire and life safety inspections8 permits
- City of Pasadena Public Health DepartmentFood establishment permits · Temporary food establishment permits · Swimming pool licenses · Liquid waste transporter permits · Used tire generator and salvage yard permits5 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.