Business license · Texas

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Texas?

The short answer. Texas does not require a general state business license. A business in Texas may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Texas Business License at a Glance

General state business license	No general state license
City or county licenses	Local governments license some activities (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	State licensing boards (see Trade licenses)

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked September 30, 2026. See the sources.

Does Texas Require a State Business License?

Texas does not require a general state business license.

A business in Texas may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Texas's own guide to business licenses and permits is Texas Business Permit Office (Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide).

City and County Business Licenses

Texas law lets a municipality license and regulate certain businesses, such as motor vehicle and parts dealers, hawkers, peddlers, pawnbrokers, theaters and other shows, and a municipal license may not be issued for more than one year. The Governor's Business Permit Office says many cities and counties may have additional permitting requirements.

Where Texas points businesses for local requirements.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Texas licenses regulated occupations and business activities through many state agencies and boards, such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Texas Optometry Board. The Governor's Business Permit Office publishes a guide listing more than 300 business types and the state agencies that license them. Look up Texas license requirements.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

See trade and business license requirements by state for every trade we cover.

Worth Knowing in Texas

Texas's Business Permit Office says the certificate of formation from the Secretary of State, or an assumed name certificate from the county clerk, fills the role a general business license plays in other states.

Other Texas Registrations to Check

Texas articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit, for a business that sells taxable goods or services.
Texas resale certificate, to buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it.
How to get an EIN, the federal tax ID most LLCs need to open a bank account or hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Texas does not require a general state business license. A business in Texas may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.
: Texas law lets a municipality license and regulate certain businesses, such as motor vehicle and parts dealers, hawkers, peddlers, pawnbrokers, theaters and other shows, and a municipal license may not be issued for more than one year. The Governor's Business Permit Office says many cities and counties may have additional permitting requirements.
: Texas licenses regulated occupations and business activities through many state agencies and boards, such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Texas Optometry Board. The Governor's Business Permit Office publishes a guide listing more than 300 business types and the state agencies that license them.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's law and agencies say about a general state business license, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you which licenses your own business needs: that turns on what the business does, where it operates, and what its city or county requires, and fees and exemptions change between our reviews. Confirm your own position with the state agency named on this page, the city or county where the business is located, and any state board that licenses your trade before you open.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Texas sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

gov.texas.gov/business/page/business-permits-officeOffice of the Governor, Texas Economic Development and Tourism, Business Permit Office
gov.texas.gov/business/page/start-a-businessOffice of the Governor, Start a Business (Step 6, Business Licenses and Permits by Business Type)
gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/Texas_Licenses_Permits_Guide.pdfTexas Business Licenses & Permits Guide 2026-2027 (updated December 2025)
tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/LG/htm/LG.215.htmTexas Local Government Code chapter 215, Municipal Regulation of Businesses and Occupations

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.