Food Dealer's Permit (Houston Health Dept) — Houston

What Is the Food Dealer's Permit?

No one may operate a food establishment in Houston without a valid Food Dealer's Permit from the City of Houston Health Department (HHD) — for establishments inside city limits. New builds and remodels submit plans to the Houston Permitting Center for review; HHD then inspects before issuing the permit (pre-opening inspection: 832-393-5100).

SB 1008 — Texas Food Code Alignment

As of September 1, 2025, Houston enforces the FDA Model Food Code + Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) (the old Houston Food Ordinance was repealed under SB 1008), with fees aligned to Texas DSHS.

The permit is not transferable between locations or owners — a change of ownership requires a new pre-opening/change-of-ownership inspection (schedule within 30 days of the ownership documents). Permits must be posted publicly.

Renewal: Annual — valid one year from issue; a renewal invoice is mailed 30–45 days before expiration.

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.