Food Establishment Permit (Harris County Public Health) — Unincorporated Harris County
Food establishments in unincorporated Harris County (outside Houston city limits) are permitted by Harris County Public Health after a plan review and inspection.
What Is the Harris County Food Permit?
If the address is in unincorporated Harris County (or another Harris city that uses HCPH), the food permit comes from Harris County Public Health (HCPH), Environmental Public Health Division — not the City of Houston.
Process
You must complete the Plan Review process for your operation, confirm water source and sewage disposal, and obtain approvals from any other agencies with jurisdiction — HCPH won't schedule the initial inspection until those are accepted. Apply via the HCPH Food Establishment portal (713-274-6300).
Renewal: Annual.
What SpoonSeal tracks
The document(s) you upload for this requirement, with automatic renewal/expiration tracking (Current, Due Soon, Expired). Where the city publishes health-inspection results (e.g., NYC and Chicago), SpoonSeal syncs them automatically; elsewhere they can be added manually.
Stay ahead of this requirement
SpoonSeal stores your documents, tracks expirations, and reminds you before anything lapses — so you are always inspection-ready.
Get started free →This guide is informational and not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with the official agency linked above.