Food Permit in San Antonio: Fees, Inspection, and Renewal

To open a restaurant, bar, grocery deli, bakery, catering operation, food truck, or event booth in San Antonio, you need a food establishment permit from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) before you serve a single customer. The annual fee for a fixed location runs $310 to $928 depending on your gross food sales, and getting the permit means submitting an application with floor plans and a menu, holding a valid Certificate of Occupancy, passing a pre-operational inspection, and having a certified food protection manager on staff.¹

Who Needs a Permit

Metro Health defines a food establishment as any operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, or provides food for human consumption.² That net catches more than restaurants. Grocery stores with delis, bars that serve food, cafeterias, caterers, bakeries, and food trucks all need a permit. If you handle open (unpackaged) food in a commercial capacity, the requirement applies.

The permit comes in three forms based on how you operate:

Fixed food establishments: brick-and-mortar locations like restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and cafeterias.
Mobile food units: food trucks, trailers, and pushcarts. These carry additional commissary obligations covered below.
Temporary food establishments: vendors at festivals, fairs, and carnivals. A temporary permit covers a single event and cannot exceed 14 consecutive days.³

Once issued, the permit must be posted somewhere customers can see it.² An inspector who walks in and cannot find the permit displayed will cite you for it.

The Cottage Food Exception

If you make certain shelf-stable foods at home and sell them directly to consumers, Texas’s cottage food law prevents local health departments from requiring a permit, charging fees, or inspecting your kitchen.⁴ You stay under $150,000 in annual gross income, avoid prohibited categories like meat, seafood, and anything that needs refrigeration for safety, label your products with the state-required disclosures, and complete a food handler course. If you fit that mold, nothing in the rest of this article applies to you.

What to Submit With Your Application

Before Metro Health will issue a permit, you need a valid Certificate of Occupancy for your location, and that CofO has to be presented when you purchase the permit.¹ For a new build-out or major remodel, construction has to be finished and approved by the Development Services Department before the health permit can be finalized.

The application asks for the standard business information: the legal name of your entity, contact details for the owner or corporate officers, and your Employer Identification Number. You will also submit:

Scaled floor plans showing the kitchen, storage, and restrooms. Required for new locations and significant remodels.
An equipment list with makes and model numbers so inspectors can confirm commercial standards are met.
A representative menu, which Metro Health uses to size up the food safety risks of your specific preparation methods.

Food establishment permits are purchased through the Development Services Department.¹ You can also handle it in person at the One Stop Development Center.

What the Permit Costs

Annual fees for fixed food establishments scale with your gross annual food sales:

$0 to $49,999 in sales: $310
$50,000 to $149,999: $618
$150,000 or more: $928

These figures are published on Metro Health’s food establishment license page and in the fee schedule filed with the Texas Department of State Health Services. A temporary food establishment permit costs $200 and is valid for up to two years, covering multiple events during that window.⁵

Several situational fees are worth planning for. A pre-CofO consultation inspection runs $139. If Metro Health catches you operating without a permit, you owe $150 on top of the regular permit fee. A reinspection beyond your normal schedule also costs $150, and failing to pay that fee triggers an immediate permit suspension.⁶

The Pre-Operational Inspection

After Metro Health reviews your application and processes payment, an inspector visits your space to confirm that the physical build matches the floor plans you submitted. You schedule the appointment yourself, and you should wait until construction is complete and all equipment is installed and running.

Expect the inspector to check refrigeration temperatures, hot water at handwashing and dishwashing sinks, plumbing connections, and the overall layout for food safety. If the space meets requirements, your permit is issued and you can open. If not, you fix the deficiencies and schedule a follow-up visit.

Routine inspections continue once you’re operating. If you buy an existing restaurant where a new Certificate of Occupancy isn’t required, a change-of-ownership inspection costs $150.⁵

Staff Certifications You Need Before Opening

San Antonio follows the Texas Food Establishment Rules, which set two certification levels for food establishment staff.

Certified Food Protection Manager

Every food establishment must have a certified food protection manager present during all hours of operation.⁷ The certification requires passing an exam from an accredited program and is valid for five years. If you’re a small operation where you’re the owner and the only manager, you personally need this credential before you open the doors.

Food Handler Cards

All other food employees must complete an accredited food handler training course within 60 days of hire.⁷ The card is valid for two years. Temporary food establishment workers are exempt. Online courses are widely available and inexpensive; confirm the provider is accredited by the Texas Department of State Health Services before paying.

Extra Rules for Food Trucks and Mobile Units

Food trucks, trailers, and pushcarts need the same food permit as fixed establishments, plus the commissary requirement. Every mobile food unit in San Antonio must operate out of a licensed commissary and report there at least once per calendar week for cleaning, water refilling, wastewater dumping, grease disposal, and restocking.⁸ You need a commissary letter on file with Metro Health, and you must keep a date-and-time log from the commissary on the unit at all times. Inspectors will ask to see it.

The commissary letter is required whether you run a full truck or a pushcart, and whether you handle open food or sell only pre-packaged items.⁸ Violations can bring citations, suspension, or revocation.⁶

Renewal, Transfer, and Losing the Permit

Permits are annual and renew each year based on your gross food sales tier. They are tied to both the location and the owner, so they cannot be transferred. Buying an existing restaurant means applying for a new permit even if the kitchen is untouched, and the same goes for moving your business to a different address.⁶

Metro Health can suspend or revoke a permit for violations of any provision in Chapter 13 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances. The director sends written notice, and operations must cease as stated in that notice.⁶ Two revocations within a 36-month period make you ineligible to apply for a new permit for six months after the second revocation. For a business that runs on foot traffic and regulars, that’s a long time dark.

1
City of San Antonio. Food Establishment License
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City of San Antonio. Food and Environmental Health Services
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City of San Antonio. Temporary Food Events
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Texas DSHS. Texas Cottage Food Production
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Texas Department of State Health Services. City of San Antonio Fee Schedule Food Establishment Permit
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Municode Library. San Antonio Code of Ordinances Chapter 13 – Food and Food Handlers
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Justia. Texas Administrative Code 25 TAC 228.31 – Certified Food Protection Manager and Food Handler Requirements
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City of San Antonio. Mobile Food Vending