My plan

Starting a business in Austin, Texas

Austin's official pages reviewed do not describe a general city business license; the city's Start a Business page notes that Texas has no general business license and that licensing and permitting requirements depend on the type of service or products a business offers. Unincorporated businesses using an assumed name file with the Travis County Clerk. Moving into commercial space can require a change of use to get an updated Certificate of Occupancy, food businesses need an annual Austin Public Health operating permit, and specific activities such as alcohol sales, signs, hazardous materials, short-term rentals and waste hauling have their own permits or licenses. Since July 1, 2026, food trucks are licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services, not the city, though Austin Fire still inspects units that cook or use propane.

Every item checked November 6, 2026 against the linked official source. Fees are shown only where an official source documents them, and they’re paid directly to the agency listed — FirstBizGuide isn’t a government agency and doesn’t charge fees or file applications. Not legal advice.

About your business (choose all that apply)

  • Register your business

    • File a Certificate of Formation (Form 205 for an LLC, Form 201 for a for-profit corporation); the filing fee is $300 for either. File online through SOSPortal for faster processing, or by mail or in person in Austin. Reserving a name first is optional ($40 for 120 days). [source] [source]

      • Certificate of Formation (LLC or for-profit corporation): $300 [source]

      Agency: Texas Secretary of State

    • Sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the county clerk in each county where they keep a business office. LLCs and corporations file with the Texas Secretary of State instead ($25, Form 503) and no longer need a county filing. A certificate lasts up to 10 years and must be refiled to keep using the name; it does not stop others from using the same name. Texas has no general state business license; this registration fills that role. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: County clerk (sole proprietors) or Texas Secretary of State (LLCs and corporations)

    • The IRS issues EINs free. Sites that charge for this are third parties. [source]

      Agency: Internal Revenue Service

  • State and city tax licenses

    • Required if you sell or lease tangible personal property or sell taxable services in Texas. There is no fee, but the Comptroller may require a security bond. Apply online through eSystems and allow 2–3 weeks for the permit. You need a permit for each active place of business. [source] [source]

      Agency: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

    • LLCs and other taxable entities organized or doing business in Texas file an annual franchise tax report, due May 15. For 2026 and 2027 reports the no-tax-due threshold is $2,650,000 in revenue; at or below it you still file a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report. Sole proprietorships that aren't legally organized to limit liability are not taxable entities. [source] [source]

      Agency: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

  • If you hire employees

    • Register on TWC's free online Unemployment Tax Registration system within 10 days of becoming liable, generally once you pay $1,500 in wages in a calendar quarter or have an employee in 20 different weeks of a year. Then file quarterly wage reports electronically, report each new or rehired employee to the Texas Attorney General's New Hire Reporting center within 20 days, and display the required workplace posters. [source] [source]

      Agency: Texas Workforce Commission

  • Industry licenses

    • Texas has no statewide license for general contractors or roofers. Specific trades are licensed: electrical work and electrical contractors, and air conditioning, refrigeration and heating contractors, by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR); plumbing by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Your city may still require contractor registration or permits. [source] [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: TDLR and Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners

  • Food businesses

    • Cities and counties with their own health department permit and inspect fixed and temporary food establishments; DSHS covers the rest of the state. Mobile food vendors (food trucks) are different: since July 1, 2026, DSHS is solely responsible for licensing them statewide, and local mobile food permits no longer apply. Ask your city or county which agency covers a fixed location. [source] [source]

      Agency: Local health department or Texas DSHS

    • Cottage food operations can sell from home up to $150,000 in annual gross income, directly to consumers or through farmers' markets, farm stands and retail stores, with no local license or permit. You must complete a food handler course and label products with the required home-production statement. Registration with DSHS is required only for time- and temperature-controlled foods and for some resellers. [source]

      Agency: Texas DSHS

    • Use the Jurisdictions Web Map to see whether your plans go to Development Services (City of Austin) or Austin Public Health (unincorporated Travis County and listed municipalities). Plan review is required for new construction and remodels. A pre-opening inspection is required to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy after new or remodeled construction and when ownership changes; "The facility must pass this inspection before a permit can be issued and the business can operate." Then apply for the Operational Permit (online through My Health Department). Permits expire one year from the date issued; APH sends a renewal notice about 45 days ahead, but you're responsible for renewing even without one. At least one certified food manager must be on site during all operating hours, and food handlers need an accredited food handler certificate within 30 days of hire. APH's fee schedule, effective November 1, 2026, sets operating permit fees by risk and gross annual food sales: $309 for $49,999 or less (all risk levels); Risk 1 $515 ($50,000-$149,999) or $541 ($150,000+); Risk 2 $618 or $879; Risk 3 $618 or $927. Other City of Austin fees: plan review $312 for new construction ($221-$312 for remodels by size), pre-opening inspection $178, re-inspection $134, permit late fee $120. Environmental Health Services: 512-978-0300, [email protected]. [source] [source] [source]

      • Austin food enterprise operating permit (gross annual food sales $49,999 or less): $309 per year [source]

      Agency: Austin Public Health, Environmental Health Services

    • Austin Public Health says "Beginning July 1, 2026, mobile food vendors must hold a valid state Mobile Food Vending Permit issued by DSHS" and "Vendors may not operate without a state permit"; APH's jurisdiction over mobile vendors ended June 30, 2026 under HB 2844. Apply through the DSHS online licensing portal (DSHS: 512-406-2644, [email protected]). APH's mobile page sends fire applications and inspections to Austin Fire or the Travis County Fire Marshal (512-854-4621). Austin Fire's Mobile Food Vending Fire Inspections page says units with propane or any appliance (including electric) that produces grease-laden vapors need a fire inspection and permit; units with no propane and no cooking equipment (such as ice cream or coffee-only units) don't. Apply with the online MFV permit application using your seven-digit AB+C ID and pay the invoice in AB+C; the page lists a $222 inspection fee and says an annual permit is issued once the unit passes. That page is undated and doesn't mention the July 2026 change, so confirm with Austin Fire ((512) 974-0160, option 2; [email protected]). Mobile vending fees on APH's 2025 Retail Program Changes page applied only until June 30, 2026 and are no longer current. [source] [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: Texas DSHS / Austin Fire Department

  • Business name

    • The Travis County Clerk's Recording Division files assumed names for unincorporated businesses; since September 1, 2019 it no longer records incorporated assumed names, which go to the Texas Secretary of State. Search name availability first at tccsearch.org (or the office will search for you for $10.00). To file in person, submit the online application and come in with all owners present and valid government-issued ID; cash, personal checks and credit cards are accepted. By mail, send the completed, notarized Unincorporated DBA form with a cashier's check, money order or check payable to "Travis County Clerk" to the Recording Division at P.O. Box 149325, Austin, TX 78714. The fee is $23.00 for the business name and one owner, plus $0.50 for each additional owner and $2.00 for each acknowledgement completed in the office. Withdrawal and Certificate of Abandonment forms are available when an owner leaves or you stop using the name. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm; phone (512) 854-9188. The City of Austin's Start a Business page says an assumed name is good for 10 years unless changes are made. [source] [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: Travis County Clerk, Recording Division

  • City licenses

    • Austin's Small Business Permitting page lists permits by activity, including: alcoholic beverage and BYOB permits (for selling alcohol or letting patrons bring their own); an above-ground hazardous materials permit, "required for all businesses that are storing or using hazardous materials above-ground" (AB+C Portal); sign permits for awning, freestanding, projecting, roof and wall signs, "required for outdoor signage" (AB+C Portal); industrial wastewater, septic and water/wastewater tap permits; underground storage tank permits; and a mobile retail permit for vehicles or trailers that sell non-food items and change locations. Separately, Development Services issues operating licenses for boarding houses, hotels, motels, short-term rentals (renewed annually) and bed and breakfasts, and a Private Waste Hauler License for anyone hauling waste, recycling or compost for a fee in Austin. The pages reviewed don't list fees. Book a free 20-minute Small Business Owner/Renter appointment with the Development Process Team, or call Development Services at 512-978-4000 or 3-1-1. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: City of Austin Development Services

  • Zoning and home businesses

    • Austin's Small Business Permitting page says that, following a June 2025 Texas law (HB 2464), the City "cannot prohibit or require permits for home-based businesses that do not exceed occupancy limits," generate significant traffic, or create visible or noise disturbances. Home businesses in single-family or multi-family structures with no more than two residential units don't need to rezone or install fire sprinklers. The City can still restrict home businesses that sell alcohol or illegal drugs, operate as structured sober living homes, or are sexually oriented; short-term rentals are regulated separately, and homeowners' associations can enforce their own rules. The bill text says cities may still require home businesses to follow fire, building, health, sanitation, traffic, waste and noise rules. The City says it is updating its regulations, so ask Development Services (book a Residential Homeowner/Renter appointment) if your home business has customers, employees or anything visible from the street. [source] [source]

      Agency: City of Austin Development Services

    • Austin's Small Business Permitting page says you may need to go through a change of use process to get an updated Certificate of Occupancy for your planned use, which can include a Site Plan Exemption and Building Plan Review; as of Oct. 1, 2025 these reviews were reduced from 11 disciplines to three, cutting the typical timeline from about two months to about two weeks. For zoning and land use questions, book a Commercial and Multi-Family Zoning (Land Use) appointment. To check the existing CO for a space, email [email protected] with the address and unit number (up to six COs; allow 1-5 business days); for seven or more, file a Public Information Request. A Temporary CO can let a commercial property be occupied, stocked or furnished before the final CO; TCO fees are added to the project's active trade permits. CO fee amounts aren't listed on the pages reviewed. [source] [source]

      Agency: City of Austin Development Services

Not yet verified for Austin: No official City of Austin page reviewed states outright that Austin has no general business license (the Start a Business page says only that Texas has none and to check city and county requirements); Certificate of Occupancy, change-of-use and site plan exemption fees (not listed on the pages reviewed); Austin's current home-based business regulations (the City says it is updating them after HB 2464) and whether any city registration still applies to home businesses that are not 'no-impact'; Whether APH's suspension of renewal fees for fixed food establishments (announced on the 2025 Retail Program Changes page 'until further notice') is still in effect; Austin Fire's mobile food vending fire inspection fee ($222, undated page) and whether Austin Fire or the Travis County Fire Marshal covers a given location after July 1, 2026; Texas DSHS mobile food vendor license fees and any City of Austin rules on where food trucks may park or operate; Fees for alcohol/BYOB, sign, hazardous materials, operating (short-term rental, hotel, B&B, boarding house) and private waste hauler permits and licenses; Whether the City of Austin requires contractor registration (not reviewed); Travis County assumed name certificate term (stated only on the City of Austin page, not the clerk's page).
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Sources