Travis County, TX Business License Guide: Austin and County Rules

Travis County business changes: May 1–October 2, 2026

• Mobile food licensing moved to the state on July 1. Texas DSHS now issues the statewide mobile food vendor license. Austin Public Health and other local health departments no longer issue separate local mobile-food health licenses, although local fire, zoning, event, and site rules can still apply.
• Texas unemployment-tax filing moved to TxUS in June. The Texas Workforce Commission’s new Texas Unemployment System replaced the older UTR and UTS unemployment-tax applications. Employers should use current TWC instructions rather than old UTS/UTR directions.
• Texas business filings moved to SOSPortal on September 29. SOSPortal replaced SOSDirect and SOSUpload for Secretary of State business filing, ordering, and searching.
• New local fee schedules took effect October 1. Travis County Development Services put its updated 2027 development-related fee schedule into effect, and Austin Development Services put FY 2026–27 fee schedules into effect. Check the current schedule for the exact permit instead of relying on an older amount.
• Austin STR platform rules took effect July 1. Online short-term-rental platforms must provide a license-number field and remove unlicensed Austin listings when the city requests it.

Travis County business license, tax, and permit layer

For most ordinary small businesses, Travis County is not a one-stop licensing office. County responsibilities are tied to specific functions. Use the address and activity to decide which one matters.

What Travis County may handle

• Assumed names for certain businesses: the Travis County Clerk DBA page handles county assumed-name filings for qualifying unincorporated businesses such as sole proprietors and some partnerships. Filing entities such as LLCs and corporations use the Secretary of State route instead.
• Development outside corporate city limits: Travis County Development Services handles county development processes. The commercial site plan page tells applicants to verify jurisdiction first and then use the county online permitting process for covered projects.
• Floodplain, drainage, access, subdivision, and septic: these can matter even though Travis County generally lacks zoning authority. For a site outside city sewer service, use the county’s on-site sewage facility resources or the jurisdiction named for the property.
• Fire review: for projects in the Travis County Fire Marshal’s jurisdiction, use the permits and plan reviews page. The county is using the 2021 Fire Code in 2026 and requires plan review for covered commercial, public, multifamily, and change-of-use projects.
• Mobile-food fire safety outside Austin: use the county’s mobile food vendor fire information. This is a local fire path, separate from the new statewide DSHS mobile-food health license.

No general county zoning does not mean no county permits

Travis County explains that most Texas counties, including Travis County, cannot regulate the use of land and buildings through general zoning the way cities can. Still, state law gives the county authority over specific subjects such as development, floodplain, roads, septic, subdivision, and fire safety. Ask about those specific powers instead of asking only, “Is this zoned for my business?”

Austin and other city rules in Travis County

Austin is the largest city in Travis County, but it is not the whole county. Bee Cave, Lakeway, Lago Vista, Manor, Pflugerville, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, West Lake Hills, and other municipalities can have their own local rules. Confirm the jurisdiction before using an Austin process.

If the business is inside Austin

For a physical location, start with Austin’s small-business permitting page and permit directory. The Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) portal handles some applications, payments, inspections, and uploads. Use Property Profile, zoning resources, and certificate of occupancy guidance for the site. If a formal zoning check is needed, use Austin’s zoning verification process. A prior approval may not cover a new use.

Austin’s FY 2026–27 Development Services fee schedules took effect October 1, 2026. If a permit has a fee, use the current Austin Development Services fee page, not an old screenshot or saved form.

For more city-specific steps, see BLG’s existing Austin business licenses and permits guide.

Examples of Austin-specific checks

• Mobile non-food retail: Austin has a mobile retail establishment permit for covered movable non-food sales or services.
• Short-term rentals: Austin requires a valid operating license for covered STRs. Current STR guidance also says platform rules took effect July 1, 2026. The city’s page contains inconsistent wording about license duration, so verify the current renewal term rather than relying on an older “annual” statement.
• Fixed and temporary food: Austin Public Health fixed-food guidance and temporary-food guidance cover Austin, unincorporated Travis County, and listed interlocal municipalities in different ways.
• Mobile food: beginning July 1, the health license comes from Texas DSHS. Austin Fire still has a separate mobile-food fire permit and inspection path for covered units operating in Austin.
• Contractors and trades: Austin has contractor registration and project-permit processes for covered work.

If the business is in another city or town

Use that municipality’s rules for local zoning, occupancy, building, signs, fire, vending, events, and local operating licenses. Countywide functions can still apply where the law gives the county that role, and state requirements do not disappear because a city permit was issued.

DBA, assumed name, and business name layer

Texas generally uses the term assumed name. A DBA is a name filing, not permission to operate, and it does not replace zoning, tax registration, health/fire approvals, or professional licensing.

Use the Travis County Clerk DBA page and recording forms for the county path. The Secretary of State’s business-structure guidance, business forms, and assumed-name instructions explain the state path for filing entities.

Texas state registrations and taxes

A county guide still needs a state layer. A business can have no general Travis County license and still need Texas filings, taxes, employer accounts, or professional licenses.

Entity registration

Texas LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, professional entities, and other filing entities use the Secretary of State. Since September 29, 2026, online business filings and searches use SOSPortal, which replaced SOSDirect and SOSUpload.

Sales and use tax permit

If you sell taxable goods or taxable services in Texas, use the Comptroller’s Texas Online Tax Registration Application and sales and use tax guidance. Do not assume an online marketplace, home address, or small sales volume automatically removes every Texas sales-tax duty.

Franchise tax

Many Texas filing entities also have franchise-tax account and information-report duties. The Comptroller franchise-tax page has current report-year rules. Even an entity below the no-tax-due threshold may still have a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report obligation.

Employer registration

If you hire employees, check Texas Workforce Commission unemployment-tax requirements and Texas new-hire reporting. TWC moved unemployment-tax registration, reporting, and account functions to the Texas Unemployment System (TxUS) in June 2026, replacing UTR and UTS. Use the current TWC Unemployment Tax Program. Texas also requires covered new hires and rehires to be reported; use the Texas OAG New Hire Reporting guidance and its Employer Website portal.

Federal EIN

Get an employer identification number directly from the IRS EIN page when your business needs one. An EIN is a federal tax identifier, not a local business license.

Professional and industry licenses

Regulated work may require a state license before opening or advertising. Check the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation programs list and the correct board or agency for the occupation. Alcohol businesses use the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission licensing path. Child-care operations should check Texas HHS Child Care Regulation permit types. Health professions, insurance, real estate, and other fields use their own regulators.

The Texas Governor’s Business Permit Office and Start a Business in Texas pages are useful routing tools.

Zoning, home occupation, building, fire, health, food, and industry permits

The permit stack changes with the address and activity. These are routing examples, not a promise that every listed approval applies.

Home-based businesses

Texas law now protects a defined no-impact home-based business from certain municipal barriers. If the business fits the statutory limits on occupancy, traffic, street visibility, and noise, a city may not prohibit it or require a local license, permit, or other approval merely to operate that no-impact home business. The law does not erase health, safety, traffic, waste, pollution, or noise rules, and it preserves private HOA/deed restrictions and municipal STR regulation.

Outside city limits, remember that Travis County generally does not have municipal-style zoning. Still check county development, floodplain, septic, access, fire, or structure rules if the business changes the site or building. Inside a city, verify whether your activity fits the state-protected no-impact category or a separately regulated activity such as child care, food, alcohol, personal services, or an STR.

Storefronts, offices, warehouses, and commercial spaces

Before signing a lease, verify the legal use of the property and whether the existing occupancy approval matches the proposed business. Inside Austin, use zoning/property tools, AB+C, and certificate-of-occupancy guidance. Outside corporate city limits, use Travis County Development Services for covered development work and the appropriate fire authority for fire-code review.

Food businesses, mobile food, and temporary events

Fixed food: Austin Public Health provides the Food Enterprise Operating Permit and plan-review path for Austin, unincorporated Travis County, and several interlocal municipalities, with the application route depending on jurisdiction.

Temporary food: Austin Public Health’s temporary-event program covers public food events in Austin and Travis County and uses its own application rules and timing.

Mobile food: this changed July 1, 2026. Mobile food vendors now need the statewide Texas DSHS mobile-food-vendor license. Austin Public Health’s mobile-food transition page points local vendors to the state process. Local fire approval remains separate: use Austin Fire for covered units in Austin and the Travis County Fire Marshal route where county fire jurisdiction applies.

Contractors, trades, construction, and remodeling

Separate the state occupational license, any local contractor registration, and the project permit. Electrical, air-conditioning/refrigeration, plumbing, elevators, wells, and other work can have different state regulators. Austin has local contractor and project-permit processes; Travis County can require development, floodplain, septic, access, or fire review for covered work outside corporate city limits.

Online sellers, freelancers, and creators

“Online” does not automatically mean permit-free. Check sales-tax registration, assumed name, state professional licensing, and the rules tied to the actual work address. Customer visits, inventory, employees, equipment, signs, noise, or regulated services can change the answer.

Short-term rentals and lodging

Inside Austin, a covered STR needs a current operating license. Platform rules requiring a license-number field and removal of unlicensed listings on city request took effect July 1, 2026. Austin also has hotel-occupancy-tax reporting rules. Other municipalities may use different licensing, tax, fire, or zoning rules, so do not copy Austin’s path to another city.