Alcohol Permit (TABC) — Houston
Serving alcohol in Houston requires a TABC permit applied through AIMS, plus a Food and Beverage Certificate for most restaurants and local sign-off.
Overview
Texas alcohol licensing is a state function through the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), applied in the AIMS portal, with local (city/county) certification.
Common Restaurant Permits
- Mixed Beverage Permit (MB) — spirits/wine/beer on-premise
- Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Permit (BG) — wine + malt
Most restaurants attach a Food and Beverage Certificate (FB), which requires that alcohol sales not exceed 60% of gross receipts and that multiple entrées be available whenever alcohol is sold.
Key Requirements
The application requires local city/county certification, and the location must be in a precinct that voted wet for your beverage type (Texas local option elections). Home-rule cities may impose a 300-foot distance from schools/childcare. A conduct surety bond applies to new MB/BG applicants.
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.