Certificate of Occupancy — City of San Antonio
A San Antonio Certificate of Occupancy from Development Services is required before a restaurant may open and is a prerequisite to the Metro Health food permit.
What it is. The Certificate of Occupancy verifying the building complies with building codes, zoning, and safety regulations. Food service establishments require health department permits, grease-trap inspections, and specialized ventilation as part of occupancy approval. The CofO must be in hand before Metro Health issues the food permit. (For a site in unincorporated Bexar County, occupancy approval involves the Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office rather than City DSD.)
Who issues it. City of San Antonio — Development Services Department (DSD) (City layer); unincorporated Bexar County via the County Fire Marshal.
When you need it. Before opening; it is a prerequisite to the food permit.
How to apply. Complete permitted work; pass building, fire, and health inspections; DSD issues the CofO.
Fees. Per the DSD schedule — see source (⟢ VERIFY).
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.
References
- City of San Antonio — Development Services — https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/DSD — Official source last checked: 2026-07-02
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.