San Antonio Business License: Certificate of Occupancy and Permits

If you searched for a San Antonio, TX business license, the answer is shorter than you might expect. San Antonio does not issue a general business license. For nearly every business operating from a physical location, what it does require is a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). The Development Services Department says a CO is required for all businesses, and each tenant space needs its own. Get the CO right, pair it with the state filings and the right permits, and most of the paperwork is behind you.

This guide covers the order to do things in, what to gather, and the mistakes that cost owners weeks. It is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Entity choice, lease terms and tax treatment depend on your facts, so talk with a qualified attorney or CPA before you commit.

What You Need Before You Start

• The full street address and suite number of the space, plus your lease or purchase agreement
• Your exact legal business name and entity type: sole proprietorship, general partnership, LLC or corporation
• A plain description of what you will do on site, including whether you prepare food, host live entertainment or store and sell goods
• Any floor plan or site drawing you already have, because reviewers may ask about the layout
• A Texas registered agent with a physical street address, if you are forming an LLC or corporation
• A payment method for state and county filing fees, plus the current CO fee from the One Stop (see Step 5)

Step 1: Confirm the Use Is Allowed at the Address

A Certificate of Occupancy is tied to a specific space and a specific use, not to you as an owner. Before you sign a lease, call the Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center, known as the One Stop, at 210-207-1111, or go in person to 1901 S. Alamo St. Describe the proposed business and ask whether that use is allowed under the zoning for the property, and whether the space already holds a CO for the same use.

Ask about the tenant space itself. A building with three tenants needs three separate COs, so a CO issued to the landlord or a neighbor does not cover you. Some uses always need a new CO, even when the prior tenant had one. Those include bed and breakfasts, boarding homes, assisted living, head shops, live entertainment, and salvage or metal recycling.

Step 2: Form Your Business Entity (If You Are Using One)

Texas has no state general business license, so the state filing is what creates your legal entity. An LLC files a Certificate of Formation (Form 205) with the Texas Secretary of State, and a corporation files a Certificate of Formation (Form 201). Each carries a $300 filing fee. Sole proprietors and general partnerships skip this step, but they still face the assumed name rules in Step 4.

Check that your name is available before you file. Preliminary availability can be checked by calling (512) 463-5555. An LLC name must include an organizational designation such as Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, LLC, L.L.C., LC or L.C. If you need time, a name reservation costs $40 and holds the name for 120 days, per the Secretary of State fee schedule at https://www.sos.texas.gov/corp/forms/806_boc.pdf. You can file through SOSDirect, which the Secretary of State says gives the fastest processing.

Processing time is not guaranteed. The Secretary of State publishes no standard turnaround, and mailed or hand-delivered documents generally take at least one business day just to show as Received. If you need a firm date, Texas Express expedite service offers three paid tiers, each in addition to the filing fee. Standard Expedite is $50 per document and is typically processed in two to three business days. Next Day Expedite is $500 per document, processed by close of business the next business day for filings received by 12:00 p.m. Same Day Expedite is $750 per document, processed by close of business the same day for filings received by 12:00 p.m.

Step 3: Appoint a Registered Agent

Every domestic LLC and corporation must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in Texas. The agent must be a Texas resident individual, a domestic entity, or a foreign entity that has qualified to transact business in Texas, and must have consented in writing or electronically. The business cannot serve as its own registered agent.

The registered office must be a physical street address where the agent can be personally served during normal business hours. A post office box, mail forwarding service or answering service alone does not meet that test. Changing the agent or office costs $15. Filing a resignation of registered agent costs nothing.

Step 4: File an Assumed Name If You Trade Under a Different Name

If you plan to operate as Riverwalk Coffee rather than under your legal name, you need an Assumed Name Certificate. LLCs, corporations and other registered filing entities file Form 503 with the Secretary of State for $25. Since September 1, 2019, those entities no longer also file with the county clerk.

Sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the county clerk instead. For a San Antonio business, that means the Bexar County Clerk, in each county where you maintain a business office or conduct business. County clerk fees vary, so confirm the current amount with the Bexar County Clerk before you pay. A certificate can state a term of up to 10 years, and you must refile it before it expires. Details are on the Secretary of State name filing FAQ.

Step 5: Apply for the Certificate of Occupancy

Once your entity, name and location are settled, apply for the CO through the One Stop. Bring the documents from your checklist and your written description of the use. This guide does not list a CO fee, so ask the One Stop for the current amount before you budget or go in.

Do not open, stock or host customers in the space until the CO is issued. No building or structure can be used until its CO is issued, so a soft opening, a pre-sale event or a stocking delivery could put you out of compliance. Ask the One Stop how long review typically takes, what it will need if it sends questions back, and whether any inspections apply to your use. Those details are set by the department and can change, so get them from the source.

When the CO is issued, keep the original in your records. Landlords, lenders, insurers and inspectors commonly ask for it, and it is the document that shows the city has approved your use of the space.

Step 6: Check Health and Food Permits

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District inspects food businesses. If you prepare, serve or sell food, contact the district early, before you finalize your kitchen build-out, so you know what it will review. Mobile food units follow a different path: they need the statewide license from the Texas Department of State Health Services, a requirement in effect since July 1, 2026. Confirm the specific permits for your menu and equipment with the health district before you order fixtures.

Step 7: Get a Texas Sales Tax Permit

Most businesses that sell taxable goods or services need a Texas sales and use tax permit from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The permit is issued at no charge through the Comptroller's permit page, and processing typically takes two to three weeks, so apply as soon as your entity and name are settled.

The Texas state sales tax rate is 6.25 percent. At a San Antonio address, local taxes are added to the state rate, but this guide does not state a combined local figure. Check with the Texas Comptroller for the current combined rate at your specific address before you set prices or configure your point-of-sale system.

Step 8: Check Industry-Specific Licenses

Texas issues no general state business license and no statewide general contractor or roofing license. Counties license nothing for most businesses. The only county filing many owners make is the sole proprietor assumed name certificate described above. That does not mean your trade is unregulated. Many occupations and activities require their own registration, certification or permit at the federal, state or local level.

The state's reference for finding those requirements is the Texas Business Licenses and Permits Guide, published by the Business Permit Office within the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office. Search it by your activity before you open, and confirm anything that touches health, safety or construction with the agency that regulates it.

Step 9: Calendar Your Recurring Texas Filings

Texas has no state personal income tax and no corporate income tax. The franchise tax takes that role for most entities, and there is no publication requirement, so you will not need a newspaper notice. The recurring obligation is the Public Information Report, which is filed with the Texas Comptroller, not the Secretary of State. It is due May 15 each year, and the Secretary of State charges no annual report fee for LLCs or corporations.

Entities with total revenue at or below $2,650,000 for the 2026 and 2027 report years owe no franchise tax, but they must still file the Public Information Report. Above that threshold, the rates are 0.375 percent for retail and wholesale, 0.75 percent for all other entities, and a 0.331 percent EZ Computation rate for entities under $20 million in total revenue. Confirm the current figures on the Comptroller's tax page.

Tips and Common Mistakes

• Signing a lease before the use is cleared. A signed lease for a use the zoning does not allow is expensive to walk away from. Confirm the use at the One Stop first.
• Assuming one CO covers the building. Each tenant space needs its own CO. Ask the landlord whether a current CO exists, and get a copy.
• Opening early. No building or structure can be used until its CO is issued. Pre-opening sales, stocking and customer events can count as use.
• Filing an LLC assumed name with the county. Registered filing entities file with the Secretary of State. Sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the Bexar County Clerk.
• Using a mailbox as your registered office. A post office box or mail forwarding address is not a physical street address where the agent can be served.
• Skipping the Public Information Report because you owe no tax. The no-tax-due threshold removes the tax, not the filing. Mark May 15 on your calendar.
• Budgeting from a fee you read online. Get current CO, county and Comptroller figures from the agency before you commit money, including the CO fee, which this guide does not state.

What to Expect

Owners who file electronically with a complete packet usually find the state steps move faster than paper filings, although the Secretary of State does not guarantee a turnaround. Expedite tiers are the only paid route to a firm date. Sales tax permits typically take two to three weeks. The CO timeline depends on the One Stop's current workload and on whether reviewers send questions back, so ask for an estimate when you apply and leave some margin before your lease start date.

Results vary with your business type, location and how complete your paperwork is. Nothing in this guide guarantees approval, a specific date, or that your use is allowed at a particular address.

Next Steps

Start with the One Stop call, because the use and the space decide everything else. Then form the entity, file any assumed name, appoint the registered agent, and apply for the CO. Add health, sales tax and industry permits as your business requires them. For planning questions, the Texas Small Business Development Center Network is a useful starting point. For entity choice, tax treatment or anything unusual about your situation, have a qualified attorney or CPA review the plan before you sign.