Opening obstacles From the cover
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After a year of navigating county require- ments, 21 year-old Edgar Gomez opened Son’s Bakery in June. Gomez said as a rst-time business owner he struggled to nd resources willing to provide benecial information. After leasing the space, Gomez said he soon realized it needed several required enhance- ments to pass inspections, including a grease trap, water heater and kitchen ceiling tiles. “Because of my age, it was a lot more dicult because I didn’t know where to begin,” he said. “What I didn’t know is that you needed to nd a place that already had certain things.” Established business owners expanding with new locations, such as Connie’s Frozen Custard, said they also struggle navigating busi- ness permit requirements. While business oor plans don’t have to be professionally done per county requirements, Connie’s co-owner Keri Jackman said she hired an architect to create the oor plan for a new location. She submitted the required permits to begin the site’s build-out at the new location at Towne Lake in July, and it took four weeks to complete, Jackman said. Connie’s is now awaiting re marshal inspections. “What we’re hearing is that the re marshal inspection is the one that’s hanging most people up,” she said. “So that turnaround time is supposed to be three to four weeks, but we’ve been told it can sometimes now be 12 to 16 weeks.” Meanwhile, Gomez said the re marshal inspection for Son’s Bakery was completed in a week.
Prospective business owners in Texas can follow these steps to get started:
Scott Jeansonne, director of the Environmental Public Health Division for the Harris County Public Health Department, said there were some signicant statewide changes to food safety permitting implemented during this year’s legislative session. As a result, public health ocials are updating local regulations to comply with state statutes for small businesses, dened by the U.S. Small Business Administration as any for-prot company with fewer than 50- 250 employees, depending on industry. Per Senate Bill 1008, the HCPHD and other local health departments can no longer charge higher than the state health department for a permit, Jeansonne said. Another update shared for approval with the Harris County Commissioners Court Aug. 26 includes plans to extend temporary food vendor permits from 14 days to one year. Jeansonne said House Bill 2844 requires all permits and food truck inspections to be performed by the state health department. The bill promotes regulatory consistency across the state to reduce barriers for small mobile food vendors, according to the nonprot Texas Policy Research. The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Oce also made signicant updates Jan. 1 to the Harris County Fire Code to require business owners to get a permit from the Harris County Engineer’s Oce before making substantial changes.
1 Write a business plan: Outline the main purpose and value proposition. 2 Choose the location: The business location will depend on the type of business operated. Consider looking at area zoning ordinances. 3 Finance the business: There are several options to fund a business, including an owner’s own savings, bank or micro loans, federal loans and crowdfunding. 4 Register the business: Sole proprietorships and partnerships need to register and le the business name with the local county clerk’s oce. 5 Analyze tax responsibilities: The potential tax responsibilities include taxes from federal, state and local tax authorities. 6 Research required business licenses and permits: Necessary licenses, permits, certications, registrations or authorizations vary depending on the business. 7 Investigate employer requirements: If planning to employ sta, there are federal and state employer requirements.
Some of the most common business permits in Harris County include:
A sales tax permit ( No fees needed ) Fire code & operational permits from Harris County Engineering Department, including a re marshal inspection ( $300 annually ) Local health department permit required for food establishments ( $420 annually in Harris County ) Water & plumbing inspection ( varies ) Stormwater and drainage quality permits ( $500 annually )
Total small businesses vs. new business applications Total small businesses in Harris County
SOURCE: TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT
+7.5%
125,000 100,000 75,000 50,000 25,000
Notable quotes
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“Although [delays] can be frustrating for the customer, we do understand they paid a lot of money to this company and have them put in a system that’s going to protect their investment.” TODD MITCHELL, CHIEF OF THE
“We are an enforcement agency. We do cite violations. We do issue citations, but our No. 1 goal is to educate food establishments and food establishment employees to basically prevent further violations in the
New Harris County business applications
125,000 100,000 75,000 50,000 25,000
+71.5%
foodborne health system.” SCOTT JEANSONNE, DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION FOR THE
PREVENTION REGULATORY DIVISION, HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE
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HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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