Restaurants and food trucks.
Galveston County food-facility health permits run about $773 annually. Confirm the exact amount with Galveston County Health District (GCHD) - Environmental Health / Consumer Health Services before you budget.
Confirm the authority for your exact address. Some cities run their own health division, and building, planning, fire, sewer/grease and business-license approvals are separate even when Galveston County Health District (GCHD) - Environmental Health / Consumer Health Services issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 4.6% change in establishments since 2022 (746 → 780).
The average foodservice wage here is $1,359 below the Texas average ($23,083); Texas has about 60,229 food & drink establishments statewide.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 722, food services & drinking places) — establishments with paid employees. Some small-county payroll figures are withheld by Census for confidentiality.
GCHD covers 14 jurisdictions (Galveston County plus 13 cities incl; League City, Texas City, Friendswood, Dickinson, La Marque)
Turnaround: 6-8 weeks from application submission
Galveston County Health District scores establishments 0–100 under Texas TFER; inspection scores posted online.
Texas moved mobile-food permitting to state DSHS eff; 2026-07-01; historically permitted by GCHD; Verify current state fee/route with DSHS
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $773 for Galveston County:
That’s the paperwork only. Add buildout, equipment, deposits and licenses with the cost-to-open calculator. Fees change — confirm current amounts with the department.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Under 2015 UPC and 2015 IPC (state-adopted minimum; municipality selects), food establishments here must control fats, oils & grease (FOG) with a grease interceptor or trap, and typically register with the local sewer/wastewater authority. Restaurants must install an approved grease interceptor under the state-adopted plumbing code, with discharge governed by the local sewer authority's FOG program.
Size the interceptor with our grease-trap sizing calculator, compare units in the grease-trap catalog, and confirm the local FOG permit with Galveston County Health District (GCHD) - Environmental Health / Consumer Health Services (contact above).
Hood fire suppression: commercial cooking under a Type I hood needs a wet-chemical suppression system to NFPA 96, permitted and inspected by the local fire marshal. Commercial kitchen hood suppression must meet NFPA 96 and the locally adopted International Fire Code, enforced by the local fire marshal (no single mandatory statewide edition). See do I need a hood? and the hood CFM calculator.
Backflow prevention: Backflow prevention assemblies (typically an RPZ) require annual testing by a certified tester through the local water utility's cross-connection control program. A certified backflow assembly (often an RPZ) on the water service, tested annually, is standard — confirm with your water utility.
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Food Permit (fixed establishment) - priced by gross annual food sales | $258 ($0-49,999.99) / $515 ($50,000-149,999.99) / $773 ($150,000+) | Distinct TX scheme: fixed establishments priced by gross annual food-sales volume (SB 1008 cap), not by named category; No separate caterer/commissary/bakery/bar/deli categories published |
| Temporary Food Permit - Single Event | $52 | Up to 14 consecutive days for a single event |
| Temporary Food Permit - Multiple Events (annual) | $200 | Valid 1 year for one booth/unit at multiple events, each event not exceeding 14 days |
| Farmers Market - TCS Farmer/Producer vendor (annual) | $100 | Annual permit valid at all farmers markets in Galveston County (HSC 437.0065 / SB 932) |
| School Food Establishment (for-profit contractor) | $258 | |
| Group Day Home Inspection | $75 | General sanitation inspection service |
| Food Service Establishment Plan Review & Construction (pre-opening) | $250 |
Health-department plan review looks for specific, code-compliant fixtures. Compare spec-filtered options, then confirm counts and sizes with your local requirements. See the full list in what equipment a commercial kitchen requires.
Permit costs and rules change at the county line — compare Galveston County with its neighbors.
This is a typical sequence — confirm the exact sequence with your authority having jurisdiction.
Official plan-check requirements: plan-check guide →