What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Tarrant County?

School Cafeteria and Child Care Kitchen Inspection

$150 for a requested ISD cafeteria inspection, which the schedule prices as one inspection per semester across both autumn and spring, and $100 for a requested child care kitchen inspection. Where a for-profit private contractor runs the ISD cafeteria the full $258 food permit applies instead — the same split Prosper draws between district-owned and privately run school food, and the line to check before assuming a school kitchen is exempt. A non-profit applying for an inspection beyond its one yearly inspection pays $100.

County Alcoholic Beverage Permit Fee

The Tax Assessor-Collector's alcoholic beverage fees page states that holders of beer, wine and liquor permits and licenses must pay a county fee in addition to the state fees, that this fee is always one-half of the state fee, and that the office mails a bill after monthly TABC notices but the holder must still contact the office to renew if no bill arrives. Under Alcoholic Beverage Code §11.38(a) and §61.36(a) a county fee may not exceed one-half the statutory fee as of 31 August 2021, and under subsection (b) TABC may cancel or suspend a permit if the fee is unpaid 180 days after it was levied; selling alcohol without paying is a misdemeanour fined $10 to $200. Payment is by mail or in person at 100 E. Weatherford Street, Fort Worth.

Fire Protection System Permit (sprinkler, fire alarm, commercial cooking suppression)

The Fire Marshal's Fire Code page states that construction permits also apply to fire protection systems. On the Fire Code Permit Fee Schedule effective 1 October 2026, an automatic fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) system is $200 for 200 or fewer heads and $300 for 201 or more; fire alarm and detection equipment is $200 for 200 or fewer devices and $300 for 201 or more; and a fixed commercial cooking fire-extinguishing system, the hood system over a restaurant line, is $200 per system. Applies in the unincorporated county, and the system permit sits alongside the building's construction permit.

Fire Code Operational Permit (repair garage, place of assembly, hot work)

Tarrant County Fire Code §1.002(b) authorises the Fire Marshal to issue permits for operations regulated by the Code, and the Fire Code page links an Operational Permit application. The Fire Code Permit Fee Schedule effective 1 October 2026 lists annual operational permits at $83 each for a repair garage (the line headed repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities), a place of assembly, and hot work operations, with cutting and welding as a separate $83 line. The same schedule lists spraying or dipping, such as a paint booth, at $100 a year. Which of these a business needs depends on what it does on site. Applies in the unincorporated county.

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 Tarrant County

• Commercial Fire and Life Safety Inspection (annual inspection fee) — Tarrant County Fire Marshal's Office, $58–$316 per inspection, banded by floor area, listed under Annual Inspections on the fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
• Food Establishment Permit — Tarrant County Public Health — Consumer Health, $258–$700 per year, banded by gross annual food sales, 1 year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Temporary Food Establishment Permit — Tarrant County Public Health — Consumer Health, $35–$60 per event, by duration, 1 to 14 days. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.