Local permits & fees

El Paso County, TX — Commercial Kitchen Permits

City of El Paso - Code Enforcement Department, Food Inspection Program (permits City & El Paso County under interlocal food safety order). Mobile food units are now licensed by the STATE (Texas DSHS) statewide, not locally. · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Establishment Permit (Food Service - City & County)
Fee not published online — contact the department.

Fee amount NOT published on official site or on the food permit application. El Paso is a self-inspecting local jurisdiction (City of El Paso Food Inspection Program) with its own fee schedule that is not posted online; the DSHS statewide retail-food fee schedule ($258/$515/$773 by sales volume) does NOT apply here. Contact Food Inspection Program 915-212-6610. Permits under Tex. Health & Safety Code Ch. 437-438 and El Paso Municipal Code Ch. 9.12. UNVERIFIED - fee not found on any official published page as of 2026-08-10.

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: Plans must be submitted for new or extensively remodeled establishments before operation (stated on application)

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Vendor (MFV) License - issued by Texas DSHS (statewide)
Type I (non-TCS/low-risk) application $309; Type II (prepackaged/limited-prep TCS) application $618 + $400 pre-licensing inspection + $400 per routine inspection; Type III (full prep from vehicle) application $876 + $500 pre-licensing inspection + $500 per routine inspection

CHANGED: Effective 2026-07-01, Texas HB 2844 (2025) moved mobile food unit permitting from local health authorities to the STATE. Texas DSHS now issues Mobile Food Vendor licenses statewide (applies in El Paso). Fees verified on the official DSHS Mobile Food Vendors page. Both application and pre-licensing fees are due at submission.

Watch out for

  • Single bilingual (English/Spanish) application covers Food Service (City & County), Food Product (City), Retail Food Store (County), Temporary, and Mobile categories
  • Permits and licenses are non-transferable between persons or locations
  • Mobile food unit licensing is now handled by the State (DSHS) statewide as of 2026-07-01 (HB 2844).

Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

CategoryAnnual feeNotes
food processing/wholesalePrior record listed a square-footage-tiered City fee ($174 <3,000 sq ft / $344 3,001-6,000 / $515 6,001-9,000 / $685 9,001+) for Food Product Establishments. This figure could NOT be verified against any official published El Paso fee schedule on 2026-08-10 (not shown on the application form or dept site); treat as unverified. Contact 915-212-6610 for the current fee schedule.
market/groceryPrior record listed an Outdoor Market fee of $163. Not verifiable from any official published page on 2026-08-10; treat as unverified. Grocery/retail food stores are handled on the County (Retail Food Store) side; no separately published City line-item fee found.
temporary/seasonal/special-eventPrior record listed Temporary $79 / Recurrent $265 / Seasonal $158. Not verifiable from any official published El Paso fee schedule on 2026-08-10; treat as unverified. (For reference, DSHS statewide temporary permits are $52 single-event / $200 multi-event, but those apply to DSHS-regulated jurisdictions, not El Paso.)
pushcart/limited operationPrior record listed a City 'Mobile Food Establishment - Kiosk Service' fee of $105. Mobile/kiosk food units are now licensed by the State (DSHS) as of 2026-07-01; see food_truck_permit for verified DSHS Mobile Food Vendor fees. The prior local $105 figure is superseded/unverified.
Sources: www.elpasotexas.gov · www.elpasotexas.gov · www.dshs.texas.gov · www.dshs.texas.gov · observed 2026-08-10