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

Commercial Plumbing Permit

Waco charges a grease or sand trap at the same $8 as an ordinary fixture — among the cheapest interceptor permits in the state, and a useful contrast with cities that price interceptors as a separate permit. The plumbing and irrigation administration fee is $60, technology fee $15, standalone commercial review $60, and irrigation review $60. The city runs a Fats, Oils and Grease programme through Environmental Compliance and publishes no permit or fee for it, so the trap is permitted here rather than there.

Fire Marshal Operational Permit

The Fire Prevention Section reviews and approves construction plans, inspects fire protection systems, carries out acceptance testing and runs compliance inspections on existing commercial businesses. The operational permit application is published, and the city states that all forms and permits requiring payment must be paid to Fiscal Management Services at City Hall — but no amount is published for it, so none is shown here. A fire final inspection is required and is separate from the building final.

Commercial Kitchen Hood and Refrigeration Permit

A commercial vent hood is $75 and a commercial walk-in cooler or freezer $50, against $10 for the residential hood — the gap is the point, because it is the commercial hood that carries the suppression system the fire marshal then inspects. Refrigerated air is charged separately at $20 per unit to five tons and $45 above, with air handlers at $5 to 10,000 CFM and $8 above. Metal duct is $50 and flex duct $25. The mechanical administration fee is $60 and the technology fee $15.

Farmers Market Organiser Permit

$200 a year plus $100 for the license inspection, for an organised recurring operation at a designated location where vendors sell locally produced agricultural products. The city is explicit that a farmers market is not an event and is not a food establishment in its own right — which is why the organiser's license and each vendor's county food permit are separate obligations rather than alternatives.

Night Club License

$200 a year for the license, $100 for the license inspection and a $100 non-refundable application fee — $400 to open, $300 to renew. The application is filed at the Mae Jackson Development Center in the Inspections Office, and the premises are inspected after the application and payment, not before. Operating without it carries a $200 non-compliance fee. This sits on top of the state TABC license, which is a separate application and requires a zoning verification letter from the city.

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 Waco

• Backflow Prevention Device Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services, $40 first device, then $10 each, one-time, per installation. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, auto repair shops, salons and barbers, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Temporary Food Permit — Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Environmental Health Division, $52–$200 single event or annual multi-event, 1 to 14 days for a single event; one year for the multi-event permit. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
• Food Establishment Permit — Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Environmental Health Division, $258–$685 per year, by risk category, one year. Also required for coffee shops and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Farmers Market Vendor Permit — Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, Environmental Health Division, $100 per vendor, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for retail stores and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Open Air Vending Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services, $10–$200 annual, seasonal or non-profit temporary, one year, or three consecutive days for a seasonal permit. Also required for food trucks, retail stores and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.