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18 permits · verified 2026-08-25

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Plano?

In short

A restaurant in Plano, TX has 9 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Plano Building Inspections Department charges $100 per year for the contractor registration. 9 of the 18 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-25 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a restaurant in Plano

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Contractor RegistrationCity of Plano Building Inspections Department$100 per year1 year2026-08-25
Food Establishment Plan ReviewCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$275–$475 new construction or remodelper review2026-08-25
Temporary Food Establishment Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$50 per boothevent-specific; duration not stated in the schedule2026-08-25
Food Establishment Re-inspectiononly if it applies to youCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$80 per required inspectionper inspection2026-08-25
Retail Food Store PermitCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$295–$750 by risk typenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Fire Plan CheckPlano Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention$0.039 per sq ft of building area up to 100,000 sq ft (minimum $66); $3,850 for the first 100,000 plus $0.019 per additional sq ft to 300,000; $7,590 for the first 300,000 plus $0.011 per additional sq ft above thatper review2026-08-25
Waste Generator Permit (Grease Trap)only if it applies to youCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$60 per trapnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Food Establishment PermitCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$240–$640 by risk typenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Backflow Prevention Annual Test Report Feeonly if it applies to youCity of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department$40 per test reportannual where testing is required2026-08-25
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)only if it applies to youTexas Alcoholic Beverage Commission$2,650–$5,300 per two-year period; $5,300 original, $2,650 renewalevery 2 years2026-08-21

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 Plano

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Trade Permit (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing)only if it applies to youCity of Plano Building Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the Plano pagenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Commercial Building PermitCity of Plano Building Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the Plano pagenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Plano Building Inspections Department$140 per certificatenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Plano Building Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the Plano pagenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Commercial Plan Review DepositCity of Plano Building Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the Plano pageper review2026-08-25

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$300 one-time filingno expiry2026-08-20
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$25 one-time filingup to ten years, renewable2026-08-21
Texas Sales and Use Tax PermitTexas Comptroller of Public AccountsNo fee — there is no fee for this permitno expiry while actively engaged in business2026-08-21

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 Plano?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 18 records listed for a restaurant in Plano, TX, 9 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 9 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $240.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 of the 18 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:

Food Establishment Plan Review: $275–$475 new construction or remodel

Retail Food Store Permit: $295–$750 by risk type

Fire Plan Check: $0.039 per sq ft of building area up to 100,000 sq ft (minimum $66); $3,850 for the first 100,000 plus $0.019 per additional sq ft to 300,000; $7,590 for the first 300,000 plus $0.011 per additional sq ft above that

Food Establishment Permit: $240–$640 by risk 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 Plano permits page and the TX state page.

Is Plano 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 — Plano sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

Certificate of Occupancy: Plano charges $140. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 14 charge less and 7 charge more.

Food Establishment Re-inspection: Plano charges $80. Across 5 jurisdictions it runs from $75 in Allen to $200 in Bell County, with a median of $100. 1 charges less and 3 charge more.

Contractor Registration: Plano charges $100. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Allen to $100 in Richardson, with a median of $100. 2 charge less and 3 charge exactly the same.

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 Plano?

Permits for a restaurant in Plano, TX come from 6 separate offices: City of Plano Building Inspections Department, City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, Plano Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention, 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.

What does a restaurant need in Plano that other businesses do not?

1 of the 10 permits particular to a restaurant here applies to no other business type we cover in Plano: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).

Retail Food Store Permit

Priced separately from a food establishment and higher at every tier: Type I $295 where the store sells only prepackaged food and does no portioning; Type II $590 once it portions — a meat counter, bakery or deli — but does no cooking or hot holding; Type III $750 where it also has an extensive menu and complex preparation. The dividing line between Type I and Type II is portioning, so putting in a deli counter more than doubles the fee. At $750 Plano's top retail band is the most expensive grocery food permit in this dataset, ahead of Carrollton's $770 only because Carrollton charges that flat.

Waste Generator Permit (Grease Trap)

$60 per trap for a grit, sand or grease trap waste generator — the cheapest grease permit in this dataset, against $100 in Pearland and $145 in Amarillo, and charged per trap rather than per premises. A liquid waste hauler is $100 per vehicle and an industrial pretreatment BMP is $50. Note that Plano removed its Industrial User Fee from this schedule and now recovers those costs through the water bill at full cost recovery, so there is no standalone permit fee to look for.

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 Plano

  • Contractor Registration — City of Plano Building Inspections Department, $100 per year, 1 year. Also required for auto repair shops, contractors and trades, retail stores and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
  • Food Establishment Plan Review — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $275–$475 new construction or remodel, per review. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Temporary Food Establishment Permit — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $50 per booth, event-specific; duration not stated in the schedule. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Food Establishment Re-inspection — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $80 per required inspection, per inspection. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Fire Plan Check — Plano Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention, $0.039 per sq ft of building area up to 100,000 sq ft (minimum $66); $3,850 for the first 100,000 plus $0.019 per additional sq ft to 300,000; $7,590 for the first 300,000 plus $0.011 per additional sq ft above that, per review. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops, childcare centres and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Food Establishment Permit — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $240–$640 by risk type, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Backflow Prevention Annual Test Report Fee — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $40 per test report, annual where testing is required. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Plano, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Plano 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 Plano?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 8 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Contractor Registration and Mixed Beverage Permit (MB). A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Plano, TX, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops8820
Retail stores11823
Auto repair shops5461
Fitness studios4282
Contractors and trades6284
Salons and barbers2191
Veterinary clinics2191
Childcare centres3192
Food trucks3192

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, coffee shops page and veterinary clinics page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Plano permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Plano Exhibit A — Environmental Health & Sustainability Department Fee Schedule, effective 1 September 2025City of Plano · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-25
  2. 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.