What permits do you need to open a retail store in Plano?

Temporary Sales and Seasonal Vendor Permit

$120 for temporary, seasonal or itinerant vending, issued by Building Inspections rather than by Environmental Health — so a seasonal food operation may need this and a temporary food permit from a different department. A tent permit is $100 and a trailer permit $100.

Swimming Pool, Spa and Water Feature Permit

$270 for a swimming pool, spa or public interactive water feature, and $160 for each additional one inside the same enclosure — so a hotel with a pool and a spa together pays $430 rather than $540. Pool plan review is charged separately at $575, which is $100 more than food establishment plan review and the largest single review fee on this schedule.

Food Establishment Plan Review

$475 to review plans and specifications for new construction, but only $275 for a remodel, expansion or equipment review where the establishment is already permitted by Environmental Health. That distinction is worth reading carefully before you plan works: if the premises is not currently permitted, the job is treated as new construction and the full $475 applies, so a lapsed permit turns a $275 review into a $475 one. A variance review is $250.

Food Establishment Permit

Four risk types, defined by the FDA's Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards rather than by size: Type I $240 for prepackaged non-TCS food or heating commercially processed food for hot holding with no cooling; Type II $430 where food is mostly prepared and served immediately; Type III $590 for an extensive menu with complex cooking, cooling and reheating; Type IV $640 for a highly susceptible population or specialised processes such as smoking, curing or reduced-oxygen packaging. Because the band turns on process rather than turnover, changing your menu can change your fee. Renewing late costs 10 per cent of the permit fee in the first 30 days and 20 per cent from 31 to 60 days, capped at $100. The schedule does not state how long a permit runs.

Flammable Liquid and LP Gas Storage Tank Permit

$275 per tank, whether for a flammable and combustible liquid storage tank and its piping or for a new LP gas storage tank installation. Charged per tank rather than per site, so a filling station or a fleet yard with three tanks pays $825. Outdoor fireworks are $330 and theatrical pyrotechnics $110 an event or $550 a year — the annual option pays for itself at five events.

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, restaurants and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades 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 restaurants; 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 restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Retail Food Store Permit — City of Plano Environmental Health & Sustainability Department, $295–$750 by risk type, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for coffee shops and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the restaurants 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 restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, auto repair shops, childcare centres and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops 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 restaurants, coffee shops, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.