5 items, in order: certificate of formation (llc) or an assumed name certificate, employer identification number (ein), sales and use tax permit, certificate of occupancy and unemployment tax account.
How to open a business in Texas
5 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page.
What licenses do you need to open a business in Texas? 5, in the order to get them
These are the steps every business in Texas takes. A license specific to your kind of business comes from the agency that regulates it; if one of the twenty named businesses is close to yours, its page lists those too.
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 15, 2026.
Step 1 of 4Set up the business. Now: Certificate of formation (LLC) or an assumed name certificate
0 of 5 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Log in to save it to your account and pick it up anywhere.
Set up the business0 of 2
Forming an entity is a choice, not a license. Most owners form an LLC for the liability shield; a sole proprietor only needs the county filing when trading under a name other than their own.
- Fee
- Premium only
- Renewal
- Premium only
- Official page
- sos.state.tx.us
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Before the first hireOpens after step 3
Then pick the place
- The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the businesses already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
- The full reportWhether the rules allow a business at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
Have an address in mind?
Check the address freeNo account. The business check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Texas Secretary of State Form 205 and Form 503 instructions; Dallas County Clerk assumed names page; IRS EIN page; Texas Comptroller sales tax permit FAQ; City of Dallas certificate of occupancy page and DSD fee schedule; Texas Workforce Commission new employer page. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.