22 published records
Business licenses and permits in Waco, Texas
McLennan County. Waco is one of the few Texas cities that still runs a general business licensing regime alongside its permits: night clubs, farmers markets, indoor amusement facilities, open air vending and sexually oriented businesses each need a named license with its own inspection fee. Food permits are issued county-wide by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, so the same fees apply outside the city limits.
What are you opening in Waco?
- 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 Waco
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Waco Inspection Services | $50 per change of record | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of occupancy classification, tenancy, ownership, business name or type of business | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Waco Inspection Services | $200–$400 initial 30 days, then per extension | 30 days initially, extendable twice by 15 days | 2026-08-24 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Waco Inspection Services | $48–$110 by sign area | off-premise sign registration is annual, due 1 October | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Waco Inspection Services | the greater of $100 or 25% of the total building permit fee | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | $0.28 per sq ft for the first 100,000 sq ft, then $0.14 per sq ft | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Alteration and Repair Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | $50 minimum to $2,000 of valuation; $50 for the first $2,000 plus $5.50 per additional $1,000 to $50,000; $265 plus $4.50 per $1,000 to $100,000; $490 plus $3.50 per $1,000 to $500,000; $1,890 plus $2.50 per $1,000 above that | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | $24 per service up to 400 amps, $38.50 to 1,000 amps, $52 above 1,000 amps, plus $6.50 per one-pole circuit, $7.50 per two-pole, $8.50 per three-pole, $12 per motor to 50 HP and $26.50 above | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 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 Waco?
Certificate of Occupancy
A building may not be used or occupied until the Building Official issues the certificate, which happens after the building passes final inspection. Waco's trigger list is broader than most and was rewritten in November 2025: a new certificate is required not only on first occupancy and on a change of occupancy classification under IBC Chapter 3, but on a change of tenancy or ownership of the space, a change in the name or ownership of the business, and a change in the type of business — the city's own examples include turning retail into a restaurant or a hair salon, and adding a coffee shop to an existing space. Single and two-family dwellings are excluded. The $50 shown is the certificate of occupancy change of record fee on the permit schedule; the certificate issued at the end of a construction permit is covered by that permit.
Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
$200 for the initial 30 days, $300 for the first 15-day extension and $400 for the second. The price rises deliberately with each extension, so a project that opens on a temporary certificate and drifts pays $900 over 60 days. Clean and Show — utilities released so a space can be prepared or shown, without occupancy — is $75.
Sign Permit
$48 up to 72 sq ft, $83 from 73 to 300 sq ft, and $110 from 301 to 672 sq ft, plus a $60 sign plan review and a $15 technology fee. The part that catches operators is the annual side: off-premise signs must be re-registered every 1 October at $25 to $40 by size, the late fee is per sign, and it doubles after 60 days. A portable sign is $66 and sign demolition $50.
Commercial Plan Review Fee
Non-refundable, and the floor bites on small projects: a fit-out whose permit fee is $200 still pays $100 to have the plans looked at. Re-review after corrections is $60, changing the design or scope after issue is $60 plus 10% of the original permit fee, and an ICC third-party plan review is $200 an hour. Transferring the permit to a different contractor is $60.
Commercial Building Permit
Waco prices commercial construction on floor area rather than declared valuation, which is unusual in Texas and much easier to estimate before design is finished: $0.28 a square foot to 100,000 sq ft and $0.14 above it, the same rates whether the occupancy is assembly, business, educational, factory, hazardous, mercantile or multi-family residential, and the same again for storage and shell buildings. A technology fee of $15 is added to building permits. Starting work before the permit issues doubles the fee, and the schedule is explicit that paying the doubled fee does not excuse the underlying non-compliance.
Commercial Alteration and Repair Permit
This is the schedule most new tenants actually meet: repairs and alterations to an existing non-residential building, and completion of shell buildings, are valuation-based even though new construction is area-based. A $150,000 restaurant fit-out lands at roughly $665 in building permit fees. Reinspection escalates rather than repeating — $55 for the first failure, $100 for the second, $150 for the third and beyond — and the schedule notes that the contractor stays liable for failed reinspection fees even where the project itself is exempt from permit fees.
Commercial Electrical Permit
Itemised rather than banded, so the estimate depends on the drawing rather than the budget. A commercial administration fee of $60 and a technology fee of $15 sit on top, a standalone commercial electrical permit review is $60, and an electrical sign circuit is $40. Contractors must create an account, register the company and show proof of state licensing and insurance naming the City of Waco as certificate holder before any trade permit issues — build that into the programme, not the fee estimate.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Permit Fee SchedulesCity of Waco Inspection Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Certificate of Occupancy — Sec. 6-37 as amended by Ordinance No. 2025-814City of Waco Inspection Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
Who issues business permits in Waco?
Permitting in Waco 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.
Waco issuing agencies
- City of Waco Inspection ServicesBuilding permits · Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and irrigation permits · Certificates of occupancy · Sign permits · Business licenses16 permits
- Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Environmental Health DivisionFood establishment permits · Temporary and farmers market food permits · Pool and spa permits · On-site sewage facilities · Child care, adoptive and foster care inspections4 permits
- Waco Fire Department, Fire Marshal's OfficeFire marshal operational permits · Tent permits · Controlled burn permits · Fire protection system plan review and acceptance testing · Compliance inspections of existing commercial businesses2 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.