Restaurant Build-Out Timeline in San Antonio: Approvals in Order

A restaurant build-out in San Antonio runs on more approvals than almost any other tenant improvement. The building department, the health department, the fire marshal and the sewer utility each review a piece of the kitchen, and the last approval gates the rest. The schedule is set less by how fast walls go up than by how complete the drawings are and how cleanly each approval hands off to the next. Plan your schedule around these approvals in the order they happen.

Before the lease: read the space for a kitchen

A second-generation restaurant space may already have a hood, a grease interceptor and the utilities a kitchen needs. A retail shell usually has none of them. Before signing, check electrical service, gas supply, water and sewer size, roof access for exhaust and make-up air units, and the landlord's rules on roof penetrations, grease and odors. Then confirm the use and certificate of occupancy path.

The City's grease ordinance requires the operator to keep interceptor pumping and inspection records on site for five years, so ask the landlord or the previous tenant for them. If you plan to sell alcohol, DSD's Getting Started page notes that locational requirements apply and points you to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, so check that before you commit to the address.

Tenant Improvements: What to Check Before You Sign a San Antonio Lease

The tenant improvement process in San Antonio runs through zoning, certificate of occupancy, landlord questions, accessibility, permits and inspections, in that order. Settle those first with what to check before you sign a San Antonio commercial lease, then layer the food-service approvals below on top.

Restaurant build-out timeline: the approval tracks at a glance

Health plan review shapes the kitchen layout

The City of San Antonio's Metro Health Food and Environmental Health Services division reviews and approves construction plans for food establishments and issues their licenses, and DSD's plan review page lists health as a Metro Health discipline within the commercial plan review. DSD's Information Bulletin 139 (revised August 2014; confirm current requirements with Metro Health) says a health review is conducted for any business that sells or serves food and drink, and lists design items to settle before plan submittal, including:

• a minimum three-compartment utensil sink with drainboards, sized for the largest utensil, wherever food or beverages are prepared

• handwashing sinks in each food preparation area, server station and warewashing area, plus within or next to restrooms

• a janitorial or mop sink, or a curbed, sloped floor drain, with hot and cold water and backflow protection

• a dumpster enclosure used for cleaning that has hot and cold water and drains to sanitary sewer through a grease trap

• for spray-type dish machines that sanitize with hot water, a booster heater or an approved recirculation system that keeps rinse water at 180 degrees Fahrenheit or higher

These items drive plumbing rough-in and water heating, so they need to be on the drawings before the first trench is cut. The plumbing itself is performed and permitted by licensed plumbers; see commercial plumbing coordination in San Antonio.

Grease: SAWS rules apply from day one

The San Antonio Water System's Fats, Oils and Grease program applies to food service and food processing establishments inside the city limits and the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The FOG ordinance (City Ordinance 2011-05-12-0378; check SAWS for current text) requires every food service establishment to send waste from sinks, dishwashers, drains and other fixtures that can carry grease into a properly maintained interceptor that meets the City's plumbing code, and requires new establishments to have that interceptor in place before discharging. It also requires:

• pumping each interceptor at least every 90 days, and within two working days when floating material, sediment and grease reach 25 percent of the interceptor's wetted height

• a SAWS-permitted liquid waste hauler for interceptors larger than 100 gallons

• an inspection at least once per calendar year by a licensed plumber or other SAWS-approved professional, with a written, photographed report, and correction of any defects within 90 days

• records of every pumping, cleaning and inspection kept on the premises for five years

The ordinance also prohibits putting enzymes, emulsifiers or bacteria that dissolve or emulsify grease into an interceptor. Settle interceptor size and location during design; they affect the site, the slab and ongoing maintenance.

Hood and fire suppression: a separate fire permit

The San Antonio Fire Department's fixed pipe submittal requirements (updated June 2025) say a permit must be obtained from the Fire Marshal's Office before installing any automatic fixed pipe extinguishing system, with construction documents prepared by a registered design professional. For kitchen systems, the plans must show pipe length and fittings, nozzle size, type, number and distance from the cooking surface, fusible link locations, and the dimensions of the cooking surface, hood and duct. The floor plan must also show the location of the automatic gas or electric shut-off, the manual pull station and the distance to exits, and the submittal cites NFPA 17A and NFPA 96 among the governing standards.

If the cooking line or appliance layout changes after approval, the same document says as-built drawings must be submitted for review before final inspection. Because nozzle layout depends on the exact cooking line, the equipment schedule has to be final before the suppression plans are drawn.

The installer has to be licensed at the state level. The Texas Department of Insurance's fire extinguisher licensing page says a Type K license covers pre-engineered systems that protect a cooking area, and that an individual license is issued only to someone employed by a company holding a Fire Extinguisher Certificate of Registration. Ask your suppression subcontractor for both. DSD's commercial permit process page adds that fire sprinkler and fire alarm permits are separate from the building permit. The hood's exhaust fan and make-up air are mechanical work handled by licensed HVAC contractors; see commercial HVAC coordination.

Power and gas: bring CPS Energy in early

Cooking lines, walk-in coolers and make-up air often need more electrical or gas capacity than a retail shell has. CPS Energy's commercial renovation steps say new, relocated or removed service goes through its Customer Engineering Department, which assigns a designer. CPS Energy sets and locks the electric meter until it receives the city's permit inspections, and it cannot set a gas meter until required gas permit inspections are received. Electrical work is performed and permitted by licensed electricians; see commercial electrical coordination.

Accessibility for dining rooms and restrooms

Metro Health's Food Establishment License page says food establishments must meet the Texas Accessibility Standards and that the ADA may also require items such as Braille menus. Plan entrances, the route through the dining room, counters and restrooms to the 2012 Texas Accessibility Standards. TDLR's Architectural Barriers FAQ says projects with costs of $50,000 or more must submit a full set of construction documents for review, while smaller projects must still comply with TAS.

Restaurant construction cost: what drives the budget

Restaurant construction cost depends far more on what the space already has than on its square footage, so any number quoted before a walk-through is a guess. These are the items that move the budget most:

• Hood, exhaust and make-up air. New ductwork, roof penetrations, curbs and units, plus the suppression system and its permit.

• Grease interceptor. Size and location, and whether the slab or site has to be cut to reach the sewer.

• Plumbing fixture count. Every sink IB 139 requires, plus floor drains and water heating for dish machines.

• Utility capacity. Electrical service, gas supply and any CPS Energy design and service work.

• Walk-ins and specialty equipment. Lead times, electrical connections and floor loading.

• Finishes. Durable, cleanable floors, walls and ceilings in the kitchen and a dining room that fits your concept; see commercial flooring installation and commercial painting in San Antonio.

• Accessibility. Restroom and entrance upgrades in older spaces.

• Time. Rent during construction and review cycles adds up, so every resubmittal has a cost.

Plan for operating costs too. Metro Health sets the annual food establishment permit fee by gross annual food sales.

Final approvals happen in a fixed order

Metro Health's Food Establishment License page says a valid certificate of occupancy must be presented to purchase a food permit, that the owner or operator is responsible for making sure building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, environmental, health and fire inspections are made and approved, and that the permit is purchased through Development Services before the business opens. In practice the closing sequence is:

1. Trade and building final inspections

2. Fire inspection of the hood suppression and alarm interface

3. Health inspection

4. Certificate of occupancy

5. Food establishment permit, then opening

DSD's Certificate of Occupancy page notes that a restaurant may get a temporary certificate to train staff and move in equipment before the full certificate. Line up staffing requirements in the same window: Texas DSHS certified food manager guidance says food establishments may be required to employ a certified food manager.

What sets the pace

• Drawing completeness at first submittal, especially the equipment schedule

• Plan review comments and resubmittals across building, fire and health

• Lead times on hoods, walk-in coolers and specialty equipment

• Utility or landlord upgrades to power, gas or sewer

• Roof condition where exhaust fans and make-up air units will sit; see commercial roof replacement planning

Ask for a written schedule that shows every review and inspection as a milestone, and update it as comments come back. For how building and trade permits fit together, see the San Antonio building permit guide.

Next step: map the approvals before you sign

If you are weighing a space for a restaurant build-out and want the approval path mapped before you sign, call (210) 796-3695, request an estimate or book an estimate consultation. 214 Veteran Solutions is a veteran-owned contractor in San Antonio that plans and manages commercial build-outs and coordinates the licensed trade contractors a restaurant needs, for spaces across San Antonio and nearby cities.