Split authority. Inside the City of Longview: City of Longview Environmental Health Division. Elsewhere in Gregg County (Kilgore, White Oak, Gladewater, Clarksville City, unincorporated areas): Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS), Retail Food Establishments program. Gregg County has no county-run food-permit program. · department site →
Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.
Gregg County food-facility health permits run about $125–$773 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Confirm the exact amount with Split authority. Inside the City of Longview: City of Longview Environmental Health Division. Elsewhere in Gregg County (Kilgore, White Oak, Gladewater, Clarksville City, unincorporated areas): Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS), Retail Food Establishments program. Gregg County has no county-run food-permit program. 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 Split authority. Inside the City of Longview: City of Longview Environmental Health Division. Elsewhere in Gregg County (Kilgore, White Oak, Gladewater, Clarksville City, unincorporated areas): Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS), Retail Food Establishments program. Gregg County has no county-run food-permit program. issues the health permit.
The restaurant market in Gregg County
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
325
food & drink establishments
6,889
industry jobs
$145M
annual payroll
$21,043
avg wage / worker
103 full-service restaurants
151 limited-service & fast food
7 bars & drinking places
44 snack & coffee bars
▲ 1.9% change in establishments since 2022 (319 → 325).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,040 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.
Last verified: 2026-08-17 — we re-confirmed the serving authority, its contact, and that the fees below match the current published schedule. Fee schedules may carry an earlier effective date (shown per fee); local ordinances & amendments aren’t individually reviewed, so confirm current rules with the authority having jurisdiction.See something out of date? Report an update →
Restaurant / food-facility permit
Retail Food Establishment Permit (DSHS state jurisdiction) / City of Longview Food Establishment Permit
Amendment fees $125 / $250 / $375. City of Longview: null
Longview Environmental Health does not publish its food-establishment permit fee schedule online (contact 903-237-1285)
DSHS fee is uniform statewide for establishments under state jurisdiction; Longview runs its own inspection program inside city limits with an unpublished local fee schedule; permit application forms are posted but no dollar amounts
Plan review — required
DSHS reviews construction/remodel plans as part of the new-establishment permitting process and does not publish a separate stand-alone plan-review fee
Longview requires local plan review with no published fee
Texas (TFER) demerit-based inspection: score = 100 minus demerits, fail above 30 demerits; administered by the local health authority, reports public.
Food truck / mobile permit
Mobile Food Vendor (MFV) License - DSHS statewide (effective July 1, 2026)
Type I $309 (no pre-licensing inspection)
Type II $618 + $400 pre-licensing inspection
Type III $876 + $500 pre-licensing inspection
Routine inspection: Type II $400, Type III $500. Complaint/compliance inspection: Type I $300, Type II $400, Type III $500
As of July 1, 2026 all Texas mobile food units are licensed by DSHS under the new statewide MFV system (HB 2844); the City of Longview no longer issues food-service permits for mobile units but still requires an annual local fire inspection and zoning compliance (fee not published); Prior DSHS mobile permit was $258/unit
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
What it costs in permit fees to open here
The government permit & plan-review fees below total roughly $300–$150,876 for Gregg County:
$0–$150,000 — food-facility permit
$300–$876 — food-truck permit
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.
How Gregg County’s permit cost compares
At about $125/year, Gregg County’s restaurant health permit is below the Texas median ($258) and about the U.S. median ($125) — higher than about 57% of U.S. counties.
Ranked 10th-lowest of 247 Texas counties by permit cost.
Comparison uses the lowest published annual restaurant-permit figure in each county; confirm your exact tier with the department.
Local food-service market
About 319 food & drinking establishments serve ~126,243 residents in Gregg County — one per ~396 residents, denser than the Texas average (one per ~566).
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
Budget the permit stack
Start with ~$125 annual health permit.
Plus building, fire, and business-license fees that vary locally — use the cost calculators and the checklist below to budget the full stack.
Grease trap & FOG requirements
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 Split authority. Inside the City of Longview: City of Longview Environmental Health Division. Elsewhere in Gregg County (Kilgore, White Oak, Gladewater, Clarksville City, unincorporated areas): Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS), Retail Food Establishments program. Gregg County has no county-run food-permit program. (contact above).
Fire suppression & backflow
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.
Watch out for
Two administering authorities depending on location within Gregg County (City of Longview vs; Texas DSHS)
Texas DSHS food-establishment fees are set by gross annual food sales volume, not seating or square footage
Statewide mobile food vendor licensing moved to DSHS on July 1, 2026, replacing city/county mobile permits
Longview posts application PDFs (food establishment, temporary event, mobile food unit, commissary) but no fee schedule
Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction
Category
Annual fee
Notes
Temporary / seasonal event
Single-event permit $52 (one booth, one event, max 14 consecutive days); Multiple-event permit $200 (one booth, multiple events over 2 years)
DSHS state schedule; applications must arrive at least 30 days before the event; Inside Longview, temporary-event permits are handled by the city (fee not published)
Pushcart / mobile vending
MFV Type I $309; Type II $618 + $400 pre-licensing inspection; Type III $876 + $500 pre-licensing inspection
New statewide DSHS Mobile Food Vendor licensing effective July 1, 2026 (HB 2844); pushcarts fall in Type I/II depending on food handling; Longview still requires a local annual fire inspection (fee not published)
Equipment your Gregg County plan review will check
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.
DSHS (most of the county): tiered by gross annual food sales; $258 ($0-$49,999.99), $515 ($50,000-$149,999.99), $773 ($150,000+); Amendment fees $125 / $250 / $375. City of Longview: null; Longview Environmental Health does not publish its food-establishment permit fee schedule online (contact 903-237-1285) These are annual health-permit fees, usually tiered by seating or size; confirm your exact category with the department.
Is plan review required in Gregg County?
Yes — plan review is required before you build or remodel a food facility. Typical fees: DSHS reviews construction/remodel plans as part of the new-establishment permitting process and does not publish a separate stand-alone plan-review fee; Longview requires local plan review with no published fee
Do I need a commissary for a food truck in Gregg County?
In most cases, yes — most mobile units must operate from an approved commissary; confirm exemptions with the department. As of July 1, 2026 all Texas mobile food units are licensed by DSHS under the new statewide MFV system (HB 2844); the City of Longview no longer issues food-service permits for mobile units but still requires an annual local fire inspection and zoning compliance (fee not published); Prior DSHS mobile permit was $258/unit
Who issues food permits in Gregg County?
Food permits here are issued by Split authority. Inside the City of Longview: City of Longview Environmental Health Division. Elsewhere in Gregg County (Kilgore, White Oak, Gladewater, Clarksville City, unincorporated areas): Texas Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS), Retail Food Establishments program. Gregg County has no county-run food-permit program.. See the department site for current details.
Are city building and fire approvals separate?
Yes — building, plumbing, mechanical and fire approvals are always separate from the health permit and are often handled by different offices.