Restaurants, commercial kitchens, and food trucks.
Smith County food-facility health permits run about $345–$773 annually, depending on size or sales volume. Plan review runs about $175–$600. Confirm the exact amount with Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) - Environmental Health / Retail Food Protection Program (serves Smith County incl. Tyler) 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 Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) - Environmental Health / Retail Food Protection Program (serves Smith County incl. Tyler) issues the health permit.
What the local foodservice landscape looks like — useful whether you’re opening here or sizing up the competition.
▲ 3.5% change in establishments since 2022 (483 → 500).
The average foodservice wage here is $2,071 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.
Locally administered by NET Health (a public health district covering Smith County / Tyler); The new risk-based schedule took effect 9-1-2025 and aligns with Texas SB 1008 (2025), which sets a statewide sales-tier fee chart used as a cap (Tier 1 $258 / Tier 2 $515 / Tier 3 $773, biennial state amounts); Nonprofit organizations meeting the district definition are exempt from the permit fee
NET Health (Tyler/Smith County) uses Texas TFER demerit scoring (100 minus demerits); reports public.
Texas SB 1008 moves mobile food unit permitting to the state DSHS effective 7/1/2026; after that date NET Health no longer issues the local mobile permit; A commissary/base of operations is required
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 $595–$1,631 for Smith 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 Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) - Environmental Health / Retail Food Protection Program (serves Smith County incl. Tyler) (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 |
|---|---|---|
| Caterer | NET Health permits a caterer as a risk-based retail food establishment (Very Low $345 to Very High $773 annual); there is no separate 'caterer' line; Confirm the assigned risk level with NET Health | Priced on the risk-based retail food schedule effective 9-1-2025 |
| Commissary / central preparation kitchen | not a separate line; a commissary is a permitted risk-based retail food establishment that serves as the base for mobile units | Fee follows the establishment's assigned risk level |
| Bakery / food processing | a retail bakery is permitted by NET Health as a risk-based retail food establishment; wholesale/manufactured-food processing is licensed by Texas DSHS (Manufactured Foods), not NET Health | Split authority: retail bakery = NET Health; wholesale food manufacturing = Texas DSHS |
| Bar / limited food service | a bar serving food is a risk-based retail food establishment (Very Low $345 to Very High $773); alcohol permitting is separate via TABC; No distinct NET Health 'bar' line | Alcohol licensing via Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission |
| Grocery / market with deli | Self-Service Market $50; a grocery/market with a deli is otherwise a risk-based retail food establishment ($345-$773 by risk) | Self-Service Market is a fixed $50 line on the NET Health schedule |
| Temporary / seasonal event | Temporary Food Vendor $52 (annual schedule line); temporary event permit $75 for the first 3 days plus $15 each additional day; Event Coordinator plan review: 1-5 vendors $25; 6-10 $75; 11+ $175 | Nonprofits meeting the district definition are exempt |
| Pushcart / mobile vending | Mobile Food Unit $258 flat (through 6-30-2026; then Texas DSHS statewide from 7-1-2026 under SB 1008); Mobile Food Establishment Plan Review $200; Food Truck Park plan review $75 (2-4 units) / $125 (5-10) / $175 (11+) | Commissary/base of operations required; local mobile permitting ends 6-30-2026 |
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 Smith 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 →