Local permits & fees

Harris County, TX — Commercial Kitchen Permits

City of Houston Health Department, Bureau of Consumer Health Services (inside city limits); Harris County Public Health, Environmental Public Health Division (unincorporated Harris County) · department site →

Fees change often — always confirm the current amount with the department before you budget.

Restaurant / food-facility permit

Food Dealer Permit (City of Houston food establishment operating permit)

Fee not published online — contact the department.

City of Houston prior schedule cited a Food Dealer base permit of ~$1,059.50 plus a per-inspection fee ($112.57 or $225.14) and a ~$33.10 admin fee, annual renewal. Under Texas SB 1008, effective 2025-09-01 Houston is realigning food permit fees to the DSHS risk-based model (tiers ~$258 / $515 / $773 by gross annual food sales), so the exact current amount was NOT confirmed on an official fee page - left null. Unincorporated Harris County (HCPH) charges a non-refundable plan review fee plus a final permit; amounts are in HCPH's '2025 Food Fee Schedule' PDF, not published inline.

Plan review — required

Fee not published online.

Turnaround: Pre-opening inspection must be scheduled at least 14 business days in advance (Houston). HCPH runs a virtual (MS Teams) plan review conference before the pre-opening inspection.

Plan-review details & forms →

Food truck / mobile permit

Mobile Food Unit permit - Texas DSHS statewide license (HB 2844)

DSHS: Type I $309; Type II $618 (+$400 pre-licensing inspection); Type III $876 (+$500 pre-licensing inspection)

As of 2026-07-01 mobile food unit health permitting moved to the state (Texas DSHS). Local City of Houston / HCPH mobile permits are invalid on/after that date and are not grandfathered. DSHS application opened via Online Licensing Services in early June 2026. Local fire code, zoning and parking rules still apply on top of the state permit.

How to apply

Apply / county portal →Forms & applications

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Other food-service permits in this jurisdiction

Category	Annual fee	Notes
temporary/seasonal/special-event	$52	Temporary Food Dealer permit, valid up to 14 consecutive days for a single event (new risk-based fee structure effective 2025-09-01).
frozen dessert	$258	Frozen Dessert manufacturer permit (separate category in Houston Health Dept structure).

Texas statewide rules

Who licenses you, reciprocity, and the state regime.

What equipment you need

Build a tailored equipment checklist for your concept.

Permits & plan review, explained

The stack of approvals before you open.

Sources: www.houstonhealth.org · www.houstonpermittingcenter.org · publichealth.harriscountytx.gov · www.dshs.texas.gov · observed 2026-08-06