My plan

Starting a business in Houston, Texas

Houston's official business pages list activity-specific permits and licenses rather than a general business license, and say the permits you need depend on your type of business. Most first-time owners deal with three things locally: an assumed name (DBA) certificate at the Harris County Clerk if you operate under a name other than your own, a Certificate of Occupancy before occupying commercial space, and Houston Health Department permits for food businesses (food trucks are now licensed by Texas DSHS). Houston fees are listed on the city's fee schedule and change; confirm current amounts before paying.

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

    • Required for any operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends or otherwise provides food for human consumption, including restaurants, warehouses, packaged-food-only establishments, food processors and commissaries. New construction or extensive remodeling needs plan review: complete a Building Permit application and Deed Restrictions declaration in iPermits, pay, then upload plans to ProjectDox when invited. After construction a preoperational inspection is required (832-393-5100); once you pass, the operating permit is invoiced and issued on payment. The permit is valid for 1 year and renewal invoices are mailed 30-45 days before expiration. Amounts listed on the permit page: permit fee $224.44 to $739.44 depending on low, medium or high risk; inspection fee $112.57 or $225.14; $33.56 admin fee applied to the inspection fee; $66.21 late fee. The page links a 2026 fee increase notice, so confirm current amounts. Food businesses also need a Certificate of Occupancy and may need Houston Fire Department permits; the city's food service starter page also lists Food Manager's Certification classes. Plan review: 832-394-8848. [source] [source]

      Agency: Houston Health Department

    • The Houston Health Department says that under Texas HB 2844 all mobile food unit permitting authority transferred to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on July 1, 2026, and City of Houston mobile food unit permits and medallions are no longer valid after that date. Mobile vendors now need an annual license from DSHS, and temporary food dealer permits are no longer issued for mobile vendors. Houston says it continues to inspect mobile units, under state authority. City rules on where and how you can operate still apply. [source] [source]

      Agency: Houston Health Department

  • Business name

    • The Harris County Clerk files Assumed Names for unincorporated businesses (sole proprietors and general partnerships) doing business in Harris County, citing Business and Commerce Code 71.001; incorporated businesses and LLCs file their assumed names with the Texas Secretary of State. Search the county Assumed Names database first, including variations of the name. File in person at any of the clerk's 11 locations (a deputy clerk completes the form; all owners must attend with valid government-issued ID, or bring a completed notarized form), or by mail with a completed notarized form and a cashier's check or money order (personal checks are not accepted by mail). Notarized filings must include a photo ID of the person submitting the form. The clerk's fee schedule lists $24.00 for a notarized certificate (first owner, plus $0.50 for each additional owner) or $25.00 non-notarized plus a $1.00 witnessing fee; military veterans pay $2.00 less with no charge for additional owners. The registration is valid for up to ten years; re-register before it ends to avoid a lapse. The page does not describe online filing. If your Houston location is in another county (parts of Houston are outside Harris County), file with that county's clerk instead. [source] [source]

      Agency: Harris County Clerk

  • City licenses

    • Houston's starting-a-business guidance says businesses need permits or licenses to operate legally and that required permits depend on the type of business; the city pages reviewed do not list a general business license. Administration & Regulatory Affairs handles permits such as alcoholic beverage licenses/permits, human trafficking certification, coin-operated machine registration, dealer permits, donation box licenses, game room licenses, noise and sound permits and street vendor permits, with separate requirement pages for alcohol-related businesses, short-term rentals and sexually oriented businesses. Houston Public Works issues sign operating permits. The Houston Permitting Center handles most other city permits, including building, commercial, fire and food dealer permits. The city notes some activities are regulated even without a permit and that businesses are responsible for knowing the rules. All permit, license and registration fees are on the City of Houston fee schedule; the ARA page says that in 2025 a $33.10 administrative fee was added to any license, permit or service with a fee over $50, including renewals. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: City of Houston Administration & Regulatory Affairs / Houston Permitting Center

  • Zoning and home businesses

    • Harris County's business roadmap says that if the business is operated in a home, check the deed restrictions and contact the homeowners association. Houston's general permit guidance also says to review the property's deed restrictions, suggesting the County Clerk's Office or a civic club or homeowners association. Houston's Certificate of Occupancy rules say a CO is not required for single-family residences, duplexes and townhouses under four stories (live-work units are not exempt). Activity-specific permits still apply to home businesses. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: Harris County / City of Houston

    • A Certificate of Occupancy must be obtained before a commercial building or an individual lease space in one is occupied, and when an existing occupancy classification changes. Houston's guidance says all physical businesses must have a CO, including for a business name change in an existing building with the same use. Single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses under four stories are exempt. Email a completed Application for Occupancy Compliance Inspection (Form CE-1045A; CE-1045B for live-work units and residential facilities) to Houston Public Works Occupancy Inspections; supporting documents may include your lease. You then get an iPermits payment link and, after payment, an inspection date. At inspection the space must have power for the proposed use and no open permits from other sections; have the job card, a suitable ladder and access to all areas including the attic and roof. If no one is present for the inspection, a $112.64 re-inspection fee applies. The page lists the CO fee as a range of $94.00 to $537.12 depending on conditions. The CO has no expiration unless square footage, occupant load or use changes, and the original must be posted on the premises. A building permit and deed restrictions declaration are needed for new construction, change of use or remodels. Occupancy Inspections: 832-394-8880. [source] [source] [source]

      Agency: Houston Public Works (Occupancy Inspections)

Not yet verified for Houston: No official City of Houston page reviewed states outright that Houston has no general business license; the city pages list only activity-specific permits; Current Houston Health Department food dealer fees: the permit pages give no effective date and link a 2026 fee increase notice that was not reviewed; Whether the $33.10 administrative fee (stated for 2025) changed for 2026; Which Certificate of Occupancy fee within the $94.00-$537.12 range applies to a given space; Sign operating permit requirements and fees (listed as an HPW permit, details not reviewed); Houston Fire Department permit requirements and fees for food and assembly uses; Harris County Clerk online assumed name filing (the page describes only walk-in and mail filing); Where food trucks may operate in Houston after the July 1, 2026 move to state DSHS licensing (city location rules were not reviewed).
See progress in My plan

Sources