24 permits · verified 2026-08-24
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Pasadena?
In short
A restaurant in Pasadena, TX has 10 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 Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office charges $100 per year, renewal $50 for the commercial fire alarm permit. 10 of the 24 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 restaurant in Pasadena
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid Waste Transporter Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Public Health Department | No fee | not stated in the published material | 2026-08-24 |
| Fire and Life Safety Operating Permit — Assembly Occupancy | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | $250–$500 per year, by occupant load | one year, renewed annually | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Fire Alarm Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | $100 per year, renewal $50 | one year | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Demolition Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $100 per commercial demolition | 30 days, or the duration of the remodel project | 2026-08-24 |
| Electrical Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $40–$75 per circuit, by sign type | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Food Establishment Permit | City of Pasadena Public Health Department | $260–$460 per year, by risk category | one permitted year | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Utility Releaseonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50 per 90-day release | up to 90 days, renewable in further 90-day periods | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Exhaust Hood Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50–$100 per hood, by class | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Public Health Department | $52 for 1 to 14 days | 1 to 14 days | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of Completiononly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Paving and Parking Repair Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $60 minimum, per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Membrane Structure and Tent Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | $125 per permit | per event | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Roofing Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Pasadena Permit Department | $50 per structure, plus the $10 application fee | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| 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 Pasadena
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical Service Permit | City of Pasadena Permit Department | Varies — formula on the Pasadena page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Annual Fire and Life Safety Inspection | City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office | Varies — formula on the Pasadena page | 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 | Varies — formula on the Pasadena page | one-time, per review | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Pasadena Permit Department | Varies — formula on the Pasadena page | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Pasadena Permit Department | Varies — formula on the Pasadena page | 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.
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 Pasadena?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 24 records listed for a restaurant in Pasadena, TX, 10 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 10 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $200.00. That is a floor, not a total. 10 of the 24 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Fire and Life Safety Operating Permit — Assembly Occupancy: $250–$500 per year, by occupant load
Electrical Sign Permit: $40–$75 per circuit, by sign type
Food Establishment Permit: $260–$460 per year, by risk category
Commercial Exhaust Hood Permit: $50–$100 per hood, by class
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB): $2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewal
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Pasadena permits page and the TX state page.
Is Pasadena 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 — Pasadena sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Temporary Food Establishment Permit: Pasadena charges $52. Across 8 jurisdictions it runs from $35 in Grayson County to $62 in Austin, with a median of $51. 4 charge less, 1 charges more and 2 charge exactly the same.
Read the spread rather than the rank. Temporary Food Establishment Permit varies by $27 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 Pasadena?
Permits for a restaurant in Pasadena, TX come from 6 separate offices: City of Pasadena Permit Department, City of Pasadena Public Health Department, City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, 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 Pasadena Permit DepartmentIssues 12 permits on this page, including Commercial Electrical Service Permit, Certificate of Occupancy — Change of Use or Occupancy, Certificate of Occupancy Issued With a Building Permit(713) 475-5575www.pasadenatx.gov/399/Permits-Licenses
- City of Pasadena Public Health DepartmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Liquid Waste Transporter Permit, Food Establishment Permit, Temporary Food Establishment Permit1149 Ellsworth Drive, Pasadena, TX 77506 · 713-475-5529www.pasadenatx.gov/315/Health
- City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's OfficeIssues 5 permits on this page, including Fire and Life Safety Operating Permit — Assembly Occupancy, Annual Fire and Life Safety Inspection, Commercial Fire Alarm Permit209 N. Main, Pasadena, TX 77506 · 713-475-5556www.pasadenatx.gov/588/Fire-Marshals-Office
- 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 Pasadena that other businesses do not?
1 of the 14 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Pasadena: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).
Temporary Utility Release
$50 for utilities released to clean, show or otherwise prepare a commercial space without occupying it, granted only after an inspector has visited and approved. Good for a maximum of 90 days and renewable at the same price for each further 90 days or part of one, on a fresh written request. This is the charge a landlord marketing a vacant unit meets, not the incoming tenant.
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 Pasadena
- Liquid Waste Transporter Permit — City of Pasadena Public Health Department, No fee, not stated in the published material. Also required for auto repair shops, coffee shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Fire and Life Safety Operating Permit — Assembly Occupancy — City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, $250–$500 per year, by occupant load, one year, renewed annually. Also required for fitness studios, retail stores and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Commercial Fire Alarm Permit — City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, $100 per year, renewal $50, one year. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
- Commercial Demolition Permit — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $100 per commercial demolition, 30 days, or the duration of the remodel project. Also required for retail stores and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Electrical Sign Permit — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $40–$75 per circuit, by sign type, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores, coffee shops, salons and barbers, auto repair shops, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
- Food Establishment Permit — City of Pasadena Public Health Department, $260–$460 per year, by risk category, one permitted year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Commercial Exhaust Hood Permit — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $50–$100 per hood, by class, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Temporary Food Establishment Permit — City of Pasadena Public Health Department, $52 for 1 to 14 days, 1 to 14 days. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Temporary Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of Completion — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $50 per certificate, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Paving and Parking Repair Permit — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $60 minimum, per permit, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Temporary Membrane Structure and Tent Permit — City of Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, $125 per permit, per event. Also required for retail stores, food trucks and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Commercial Roofing Permit — City of Pasadena Permit Department, $50 per structure, plus the $10 application fee, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Pasadena, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Pasadena 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 Pasadena?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 10 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Commercial Demolition Permit, Paving and Parking Repair Permit, Commercial Roofing Permit and Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 16 | 12 | 2 | 4 |
| Auto repair shops | 7 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 8 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 1 | 13 | 2 |
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, veterinary clinics page, coffee shops page, fitness studios page and auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Pasadena permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Fee Schedule — building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit feesCity of Pasadena Permit Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- 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.