Restaurants and food trucks.
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 Brazoria County Environmental Health Department issues the health permit.
About 658 food & drinking establishments operate here, serving a population of about 398,938. (U.S. Census 2023 estimate; County Business Patterns 2022, NAICS 722)
Fees follow SB 1008 (capped at DSHS state maximum, $773); Permit required prior to operation and on ownership change; non-transferable; no grandfathering clause; Fees due only after documents reviewed, approved, and passing inspection
Texas (TFER) demerit-based inspection: score = 100 minus demerits, fail above 30 demerits; administered by the local health authority, reports public.
Texas moved mobile-food permitting to state DSHS eff; 2026-07-01; historically per city master fee schedule for permanent/temporary mobile units; Verify current route/fee with DSHS
Fees/payment and forms are on the department site; application steps vary by concept — see the checklist below.
U.S. Census 2023 population; County Business Patterns 2022 (NAICS 722).
| Category | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Food Establishment Permit (retail food stores & food service) - priced by square footage | $200 (0-1000 sq ft) / $300 (over 1000 sq ft) | Published fee schedule prices fixed establishments by square footage, not named categories; Per the department's SB 1008 (Sept 2025) notice, fixed-establishment fees are being revised to the DSHS gross-sales-equivalent cap |
| Roadside / Mobile Vendor | $200 | Roadside grouped with mobile in published schedule |
| Temporary Food Establishment | $40 (one event, not to exceed 14 days); +$50 late fee | |
| Day Care Facility (13+ children) | $150 | DISCONTINUED under SB 1008 (Sept 2025); county no longer permits daycares/group homes as food establishments; still offered as a $150/yr sanitation inspection |
| Group Residences | $150 | DISCONTINUED as food-establishment permit under SB 1008 (Sept 2025) |
| School food service (voluntary inspection by request under SB 1008) | $150 per inspection; $300/yr for 2 inspections | Non-profits and schools no longer issued a retail food permit; voluntary Food Inspection by Request offered instead |
| Foster Home sanitation inspection | $50 every two years |
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 Brazoria 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 →