LaunchPath

Flagship channel-state reference guide

Start WooCommerce in Texas: full reference guide

Use this page when you want the complete dense version: all sections, all appendices, and the full official source directory in one scrollable reference surface.

Last verified: April 26, 2026 Reference mode Dense appendix

Built from reviewed public pages for Texas, IRS, FinCEN, Houston, WooCommerce. Use it as a first-pass guide, then verify the official links that match your setup.

How to use this page

Dense appendix modeFull source directory attachedLast verified April 26, 2026

This version favors completeness over pacing. Use it when you need the appendix, the dense source trail, or the full long-form reference in one place.

Best reading order

  1. Use the fast-answer and official-links sections first if you only need the main route and source trail.
  2. Open the entity, setup, tax, and local sections only where your exact launch path actually branches.
  3. Use the full source directory last as the appendix, not the starting point, unless you already know the exact agency task.
Fast answer appendix Official links first Full source directory
Back to the guided journey

Reference mode

Everything in one dense page

The guided journey is the easier starting point. This page keeps the full accordion guide and source appendix when you want the complete research-backed reference view.

Best when you need

  • The full section map in one scroll without the lighter journey framing.
  • The appendix and official-source directory preserved next to the answer sections.
  • A clearer audit trail before you print, compare, or cross-check another route.

Still better handled in the journey

  • First-pass reading when you want the shortest, safest beginner route.
  • Deciding what to do first before you need the full appendix.
  • Switching states or platforms quickly without reading the full dense version.
Reference map
Start here Fast answer If you want to open WooCommerce in Texas, you usually need to do five things in order: Everyone 5 steps

If you want to open WooCommerce in Texas, you usually need to do five things in order:

  1. Choose your setup: sole proprietorship vs single-member LLC.
  2. Get your federal and Texas direct-seller registrations in place before launch.
  3. Verify Houston or other local permit, county, deed-restriction, and home-business rules before storing inventory, enabling Local Pickup, or creating regular carrier traffic from home.
  4. Build the WooCommerce stack you will actually use: hosting, WordPress, the WooCommerce plugin, payment processor, taxes, shipping, checkout, policies, and fulfillment.
  5. Launch only after the product, tax, shipping, local, and compliance setup is actually ready.

Practical first-launch recommendation

If you are testing casually with minimal risk, sole proprietor can work.

If you intend to build a real WooCommerce business, single-member LLC is usually the better long-term path.

Avoid these first-launch mistakes

  • Buying inventory or launching before getting the Texas permit branch in place
  • Assuming a direct WooCommerce store counts as marketplace-facilitated sales
  • Using a public-facing name without handling the correct county-clerk or Secretary of State assumed-name branch

Texas-specific friction

A normal WooCommerce store is a direct-sales channel, so the Texas sales-tax permit branch is real pre-launch work.

  • A normal WooCommerce store is a direct-sales channel, so the Texas sales-tax permit branch is real pre-launch work.
  • Texas keeps sole-proprietor assumed-name filing at the county level but moves filing-entity assumed names to the Secretary of State.
  • Form 01-339 is not step one. First resolve the actual registration branch.
  • Texas entities may also pick up the annual franchise-tax and PIR cycle plus business-personal-property rendition.
  • Houston adds a real local branch for home-based inventory, Local Pickup, recurring carrier traffic, deed restrictions, and activity-specific permit screening.

WooCommerce-specific friction

WooCommerce storefront setup does not replace Texas registration work.

  • WooCommerce storefront setup does not replace Texas registration work.
  • There is no one universal WooCommerce hosting, payment, tax, analytics, or fulfillment stack.
  • WooPayments is optional, separate, country-limited, and policy-limited.
  • Automated tax is extension-driven and can override core tax behavior once enabled.
  • Shipping labels are not the same thing as live checkout rates.
  • WordPress.com hosted-plan and plugin eligibility must be re-checked on the action date if you choose that hosting path.

Insurance reality

No public WooCommerce-wide insurance threshold or mandatory seller-wide coverage minimum was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.

  • No public WooCommerce-wide insurance threshold or mandatory seller-wide coverage minimum was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.
  • That does not mean insurance is optional from a business-risk standpoint.
  • For physical products, commercial general liability and product liability coverage become more important as sales volume, inventory, and claim risk increase.
  • Separate hosts, payment providers, carriers, 3PLs, or wholesale partners can still impose their own insurance requirements.
Back to top Next: Quick-start checklist
Checklist Quick-start checklist Use the research-backed checklist groups before you spend, before your first sale, and before launch goes live. Everyone 3 groups

Do these before you spend money

  • Pick your entity.
  • Pick your business name.
  • Decide your product lane.
  • Decide whether you will ship from home, offer Local Pickup, or hand inventory to a 3PL.
  • Avoid regulated or high-risk categories for your first launch unless you deliberately want a harder compliance build.
  • Confirm the product is lawful to sell in Texas and is not blocked by your chosen host, gateway, carrier, or other key service provider.
  • Make sure you can document sourcing, brand rights, invoices, and supplier legitimacy where relevant.

Do these before your first sale

  • Form the business or file the assumed-name branch if needed.
  • Get an EIN from the IRS if applicable.
  • Open a dedicated business bank account.
  • Register for the Texas sales-tax permit branch before direct retail sales of taxable merchandise.
  • Resolve the Form 01-339 resale branch before buying inventory tax-free for resale.
  • Check local permits, county rules, deed restrictions, and home-based-business facts.
  • Create the site, install WooCommerce, and complete payment and verification setup.

Do these before launch goes live

  • Finish the payment-processor setup.
  • Configure tax settings, shipping zones, checkout, policy pages, domain, analytics, and fulfillment workflow.
  • Confirm the product fits Texas law and your chosen payments and shipping stack.
  • Launch with one or two low-risk products you can fulfill reliably.
  • Run a real test order before accepting public traffic.
Back to top Next: Official links you will use first
Choose your setup Entity choice Compare the sole-proprietor and single-member LLC paths before banking, tax setup, and platform onboarding. Everyone 2 options

Sole proprietor

Best for: Best if you want the cheapest and simplest start.

What it means

  • Texas does not require a Secretary of State formation filing for a sole proprietor operating under the owner's own name.
  • If the public business name is something else, Texas uses a county-clerk assumed-name filing rather than a state entity filing.
  • Business income generally runs through your personal tax return unless facts later change the tax treatment.
  • You usually do not get a liability shield.

Why someone chooses it

  • Faster launch
  • Lower up-front filing cost
  • Fewer entity-maintenance steps

Main downside: Personal liability

single-member LLC

Best for: Best if you want a more durable setup for a real business.

What it means

  • You file Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company (Form 205) with the Texas Secretary of State.
  • The filing fee is $300, and the filing includes the registered agent, registered office, and initial mailing address.
  • The company agreement is kept internally and is not filed with the Secretary of State.
  • Standard Texas LLCs do not file an ordinary annual report with the Secretary of State, but they do follow the annual Comptroller franchise-tax and PIR cycle.

Why someone chooses it

  • Liability protection
  • Cleaner setup for banking, vendors, bookkeeping, contracts, and scaling
  • Better fit for holding inventory, hiring help, and signing host, gateway, or 3PL agreements

Main downside: Higher setup friction and recurring maintenance than a sole proprietorship

Back to top Next: What to do in order
Main path What to do in order The full end-to-end setup path, kept in the same order as the researched guide. Everyone 15 steps

  1. Step 1: Choose a low-risk launch model

    Main guide step 1

    For a first launch, stay inside the safest lane:

    Why it matters: Practical rule: If the product touches health, safety, children, dangerous goods, alcohol, medical claims, or high intellectual-property risk, slow down and do category-specific compliance research before buying inventory or launching ads.

    • simple general merchandise
    • low-breakage, low-return items
    • products with clean invoices and brand-rights support
    • no high-risk categories from food, supplements, cosmetics, medical claims, batteries-heavy hazmat, alcohol, children's products
    • no products that require specialized approvals unless the guide is explicitly built for them

  2. Step 2: Choose your name and brand approach

    Main guide step 2

    You need to decide whether you are:

    Why it matters: Important:

    • operating under your own legal name,
    • using an assumed business name,
    • reselling other brands,
    • creating your own brand,
    • or using a private-label path.
    • Your website name does not replace the legal name, bank record, or tax registrations behind the business.
    • Your host, payment provider, bank, and tax details still need to match real-world records.
    • If you plan long-term brand control, start keeping trademark-clearance and sourcing records early.

  3. Step 3: Form the business

    Main guide step 3

    If you choose sole proprietor: If you operate under your own legal name, Texas generally does not require a Secretary of State formation filing.

    • If you choose sole proprietor: If you operate under your own legal name, Texas generally does not require a Secretary of State formation filing.
    • If you choose sole proprietor: If you use another public-facing name, file the assumed-name branch with the county clerk in each required county.
    • If you choose sole proprietor: The reviewed Texas Secretary of State guidance says sole proprietors file in each county where a business office is maintained, or in each county where business is conducted if no Texas business office is maintained.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Do this in order:
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Check Texas name availability and naming rules before filing.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: File Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company (Form 205) with the Texas Secretary of State. The current public fee is $300.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Keep the company agreement internally and get the EIN.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: If your public brand differs from the LLC legal name, also file Assumed Name Certificate (Form 503) with the Secretary of State.
    • If you choose single-member LLC: Track the annual Texas Comptroller filing cycle after formation.

  4. Step 4: Get your EIN

    Main guide step 4

    Use the IRS online EIN application after the business is formed if you picked an LLC.

    Why it matters: For many sole proprietors, an EIN is optional if there are no employees, but it is still useful for banking, vendor forms, and payment-provider setup.

  5. Step 5: Open banking and bookkeeping

    Main guide step 5

    Do this right away:

    • Open a business checking account.
    • Use one account and one card for business only.
    • Save every receipt, invoice, shipping bill, extension bill, payment-fee statement, and tax record.
    • Build a tax folder, a supplier folder, and a platform-operations folder from day one.

  6. Step 6: Register for Texas tax, seller permit, or resale setup

    Main guide step 6

    Important nuance:

    • Texas sales-tax registration runs through the online tax-registration system or Form AP-201.
    • The Texas Comptroller says there is no fee for a sales and use tax permit, but a security bond may be required.
    • A normal WooCommerce store is your own direct-sales website, so this is the direct-seller branch, not a marketplace-only shortcut.
    • The Texas Comptroller says permit holders file returns even if they have no taxable sales or purchases to report.
    • If you want to buy inventory tax-free for resale, Texas uses Form 01-339, and the public guidance says the certificate uses the purchaser's Texas taxpayer number.
    • For the beginner-safe path, resolve the sales-tax permit branch first and then use Form 01-339 if the facts support resale purchases.
    • WooCommerce tax settings do not replace registration, and an automated tax extension does not decide whether you legally owe Texas tax.
    • Texas local sales tax can change by location. Use the Texas Comptroller local tax guidance and rate locator when you validate store settings and shipping destinations.

  7. Step 7: Check local permits, county rules, and home-business limits

    Main guide step 7

    Texas does not use one statewide local-business-license form for every county or city.

    Why it matters: Do this before operating: Houston branch: Practical local rule: If you will store inventory at home, let buyers pick up orders, or create recurring UPS, USPS, FedEx, or other carrier traffic from the address, get an address-specific local answer before launch.

    • check the state startup guide and permit guide,
    • contact the county clerk if you need an assumed-name filing,
    • contact the city or county where you will operate,
    • ask whether inventory storage, Local Pickup, signage, or repeated commercial deliveries change the local answer,
    • and check the local appraisal-district branch if you will hold taxable business personal property in Texas.
    • The City of Houston says it does not have zoning, but development is still governed by ordinances and subdivision rules.
    • Houston's location guidance says home-based businesses should check whether the activity is allowed under existing deed restrictions.
    • Houston's permit and licensing pages say not every business activity is licensed, but some activities do require city permits or licenses through the city permit and business-licensing systems.

  8. Step 8: If you hire employees, handle payroll registrations and insurance

    Main guide step 8

    If you do not hire anyone yet, skip this for now.

    Why it matters: If you hire:

    • TWC says liable employers must register within 10 days of becoming liable for unemployment tax.
    • TWC says the first $9,000 paid to each employee in a calendar year is taxable for Texas unemployment-tax purposes.
    • TWC says quarterly wage reports and payments are due by the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter.
    • TWC's 2026 public tax-rate page shows the entry-level rate at 2.70%.
    • Texas new-hire reporting goes to the Office of the Attorney General within 20 calendar days after wages begin.
    • Texas private employers usually may choose whether to carry workers' compensation, but non-subscribers have notice and filing duties.

  9. Step 9: Create your store and payment stack

    Main guide step 9

    Have these ready:

    Why it matters: Platform registration flow: Practical beginner path:

    • government-issued ID
    • phone number
    • email address
    • bank account information
    • tax information
    • business registration details if you formed an entity
    • Texas sales-tax account information for tax setup
    • proof of address or identity if your host or payment provider asks for it
    • Start with one website, one primary payment stack, one shipping workflow, and one fulfillment method.
    • If WooPayments fits the business and product, it is the cleanest beginner path because it is tightly integrated into WooCommerce.
    • If WooPayments is unavailable, unsupported for the product, or rejected during verification, use one alternative gateway and finish that branch fully before launch.
    • Choose the hosting path first: self-hosted WordPress on the provider you pick, or a compatible WordPress.com paid plan that supports the plugin stack you want.
    • Install WordPress, install the WooCommerce plugin, and run the onboarding wizard and setup checklist.
    • Enter store details, location, products, customer-account settings, payments, shipping, taxes, and design basics.
    • Choose the payment processor you will actually use. WooPayments is optional, not universal, and it is a separate product from a generic Stripe gateway.
    • Complete any identity, bank, tax, or business verification that the selected payment processor requires before launch.

  10. Step 10: Choose the right WooCommerce stack

    Main guide step 10

    WooCommerce does not work like a single all-in-one hosted plan with one mandatory monthly platform fee.

    Why it matters: Public WooCommerce pricing reviewed on April 26, 2026 said: For a standard Texas beginner store, the safe baseline is: If you use WordPress.com hosting: What not to do on day one:

    • core WooCommerce is free and open source,
    • there is no platform fee and no platform revenue share,
    • hosting is chosen separately,
    • and many advanced features branch into extensions rather than core.
    • one host with SSL
    • one WordPress install
    • core WooCommerce
    • one payment gateway
    • core shipping zones and methods
    • one simple fulfillment workflow
    • re-check the current choose-a-host, plugins, and Commerce plan pages on the action date before assuming plugin or ecommerce eligibility,
    • because public April 2026 hosting materials changed and you should not assume every paid plan supports the same WooCommerce workflow or convenience features.
    • do not assume label tools equal live checkout rates,
    • do not assume automated tax equals legal registration,
    • do not buy several premium extensions before you know which core gaps actually matter,
    • and do not build a complicated 3PL, subscriptions, or multi-warehouse flow before validating the first product.

  11. Step 11: Decide whether you need branding and IP work on day one

    Main guide step 11

    No public mandatory WooCommerce brand-registry-style program was identified in the reviewed public sources.

    • No public mandatory WooCommerce brand-registry-style program was identified in the reviewed public sources.
    • What matters first is whether you own the rights to what you are selling and whether your product, copy, and images comply with law and the rules of your host, gateway, and other stack providers.
    • If you are reselling other brands, keep invoices and authorization records where relevant.
    • If you are building your own brand, start trademark planning early, but do not let that stop a low-risk validation launch.

  12. Step 12: Configure tax, checkout, shipping, policies, domain, analytics, and fulfillment

    Main guide step 12

    Core checkout and account settings are configurable in WooCommerce, including guest checkout, account creation, and privacy-policy notices.

    • Core checkout and account settings are configurable in WooCommerce, including guest checkout, account creation, and privacy-policy notices.
    • For taxes, you can use core manual tax settings or an automated extension path such as WooCommerce Tax.
    • If you enable automated taxes, official WooCommerce Tax docs say the extension can override parts of the core manual tax setup.
    • That automation does not replace your Texas permit or tell you whether you legally owe tax.
    • Core shipping starts with Shipping Zones plus Flat Rate, Free Shipping, and Local Pickup.
    • Local Pickup is still a direct sale from your own store. It is not a marketplace shortcut, and it can create a stronger Houston permit or home-business branch.
    • WooCommerce Shipping labels are a separate workflow from customer-facing live checkout rates.
    • If you need live checkout rates, treat that as a separate extension decision instead of assuming the label tool already solved it.
    • Add your return, privacy, terms, and shipping-policy pages before launch.
    • Connect your domain and make sure the site is running correctly over HTTPS.
    • Turn on the analytics path you actually plan to use only after the store address, checkout, and privacy notices are set correctly, because analytics tooling can vary by host and extension stack.

  13. Step 13: Complete the fulfillment and operations branch

    Main guide step 13

    Use the WooCommerce-specific version of this section:

    Why it matters: Home-fulfillment versus Local Pickup versus 3PL split:

    • set shipping zones first,
    • add the core shipping methods you actually want customers to see,
    • finish checkout, account, and policy settings,
    • enter Texas tax information only after registration details are ready,
    • decide whether you will fulfill from home or use a 3PL,
    • and run test orders before launch.
    • If you fulfill from home, your city or county may care about inventory storage, commercial deliveries, local pickup, customer visits, and recurring carrier traffic.
    • If you enable Local Pickup, treat that as a separate local branch, not just another shipping-method toggle.
    • If you use a 3PL, that can reduce home-occupation pressure, but it does not remove Texas registration work or the need to check whether the business is still being operated from a Houston home address.
    • If the 3PL stores inventory outside Texas, treat multistate tax and registration questions as a separate follow-up branch before expanding.

  14. Step 14: Confirm product and category eligibility before scaling

    Main guide step 14

    WooCommerce core is software, not a marketplace approval gate, so there is no public universal catalog-approval program identified for a normal store launch.

    • WooCommerce core is software, not a marketplace approval gate, so there is no public universal catalog-approval program identified for a normal store launch.
    • That does not mean every product is allowed everywhere in the stack.
    • If you use WooPayments, review its prohibited and restricted business list before sourcing or launching.
    • Re-check carrier, host, tax-extension, and other app rules if you later move into regulated, age-restricted, hazardous, or higher-risk products.

  15. Step 15: Launch with a compliance-first operating routine

    Main guide step 15

    Once live, keep these habits:

    • reconcile payouts, fees, refunds, and chargebacks
    • maintain invoices and supplier records
    • keep tax reserves separate
    • review tax settings when products, locations, or fulfillment facts change
    • monitor shipping errors, plugin renewals, and extension costs
    • avoid mixing personal and business spending

Best practical order for the LLC launch path

  1. Choose the product lane first.
  2. Choose the entity name and confirm it is distinguishable.
  3. File Form 205.
  4. Get the EIN.
  5. Open the bank account.
  6. Get the Texas sales-tax permit before relying on direct storefront sales or resale treatment.
  7. File Form 503 if the operating name differs from the LLC name.
  8. Check local deed restrictions, permits, Local Pickup, and any Houston or county branch before storing inventory or using a home as a fulfillment base.
  9. Build the WordPress and WooCommerce store plus payment setup.
  10. Finish tax, shipping, policy-page, domain, and test-order setup.
  11. Decide on self-fulfillment or one simple 3PL path.
  12. Track the April 15 personal-property-rendition branch if applicable, the May 15 franchise-tax and PIR cycle, and any sales-tax, TWC, or DWC obligations on a calendar.
Back to top Next: Texas tax stack
State filing and tax Texas tax stack Keep the Texas registration, tax, and maintenance rules together while you launch. Everyone 7 checks

1. EIN

A typical single-member LLC needs an EIN.

  • A typical single-member LLC needs an EIN.
  • A sole proprietor commonly needs one once employees are hired and may still want one for operations even when not strictly required.

2. Texas sales tax, seller permit, or equivalent registration

Texas uses the online sales-tax registration system or Form AP-201.

  • Texas uses the online sales-tax registration system or Form AP-201.
  • There is no permit fee, but a security bond may be required.
  • You must obtain a permit if you are engaged in business in Texas and sell taxable goods or taxable services.
  • A seller needs a permit for each active place of business as Texas defines that term.
  • Permit holders must file sales-tax returns even when they have no taxable sales or purchases to report.
  • For local tax setup, use the Texas Comptroller local tax guide and rate locator rather than assuming the store plugin default is correct.

3. Marketplace or platform tax rule

Marketplace providers engaged in business in Texas must collect, report, and remit state and local sales and use tax on marketplace sales.

  • Marketplace providers engaged in business in Texas must collect, report, and remit state and local sales and use tax on marketplace sales.
  • That is not the default WooCommerce rule. A normal WooCommerce checkout is direct sales, so the founder still needs the Texas permit and its own filing path.
  • If a Texas seller later also sells through a marketplace provider, Texas still says the Texas seller needs an active sales and use tax permit even if the marketplace provider certifies it will collect and remit tax.
  • Remote-seller inventory-storage guidance has a separate warehouse and safe-harbor branch, but that is not the beginner baseline for a Texas-based WooCommerce store.

4. Resale purchases or exempt purchasing

Texas uses Form 01-339, Texas Sales and Use Tax Resale Certificate.

  • Texas uses Form 01-339, Texas Sales and Use Tax Resale Certificate.
  • The purchaser's Texas taxpayer number appears on the certificate.
  • A copy of a sales-tax permit is not a substitute for a resale certificate.
  • Sellers should keep resale certificates in their books and records for at least 4 years.

5. Entity tax treatment

Texas LLCs are subject to state franchise-tax laws.

  • Texas LLCs are subject to state franchise-tax laws.
  • The legal formation of the entity, not its federal tax classification, drives Texas franchise-tax filing responsibility.
  • A sole proprietorship that is not legally organized in a liability-limiting form is not a taxable entity for Texas franchise-tax purposes.

6. Entity filing-fee or franchise-tax rule

The Texas franchise-tax annual due date is May 15.

  • The Texas franchise-tax annual due date is May 15.
  • For reports due in 2026, the no-tax-due threshold is $2.65 million.
  • Effective for reports due on or after January 1, 2024, the No Tax Due Report is discontinued.
  • A taxable entity at or below the no-tax-due threshold still files PIR or OIR.
  • Separate Texas local-tax maintenance can also apply: business owners must report a rendition of personal property to the county appraisal district, and the general property deadline is April 15.

7. If the founder changes entity type later

Texas says a new sales-tax permit is needed if ownership changes.

  • Texas says a new sales-tax permit is needed if ownership changes.
  • If you operate as a sole proprietor and then form an LLC or corporation, Texas treats that as a change of ownership.
  • The new entity must obtain its own permit, and the obsolete sole-proprietor permit should be closed if no longer needed.
Back to top Next: WooCommerce account and operations
Platform setup WooCommerce account and operations Use this section for the WooCommerce-specific account, plan, eligibility, and operations work. Everyone 5 steps

  1. Step 9: Create your store and payment stack

    Platform step 1

    Have these ready:

    Why it matters: Platform registration flow: Practical beginner path:

    • government-issued ID
    • phone number
    • email address
    • bank account information
    • tax information
    • business registration details if you formed an entity
    • Texas sales-tax account information for tax setup
    • proof of address or identity if your host or payment provider asks for it
    • Start with one website, one primary payment stack, one shipping workflow, and one fulfillment method.
    • If WooPayments fits the business and product, it is the cleanest beginner path because it is tightly integrated into WooCommerce.
    • If WooPayments is unavailable, unsupported for the product, or rejected during verification, use one alternative gateway and finish that branch fully before launch.
    • Choose the hosting path first: self-hosted WordPress on the provider you pick, or a compatible WordPress.com paid plan that supports the plugin stack you want.
    • Install WordPress, install the WooCommerce plugin, and run the onboarding wizard and setup checklist.
    • Enter store details, location, products, customer-account settings, payments, shipping, taxes, and design basics.
    • Choose the payment processor you will actually use. WooPayments is optional, not universal, and it is a separate product from a generic Stripe gateway.
    • Complete any identity, bank, tax, or business verification that the selected payment processor requires before launch.

  2. Step 10: Choose the right WooCommerce stack

    Platform step 2

    WooCommerce does not work like a single all-in-one hosted plan with one mandatory monthly platform fee.

    Why it matters: Public WooCommerce pricing reviewed on April 26, 2026 said: For a standard Texas beginner store, the safe baseline is: If you use WordPress.com hosting: What not to do on day one:

    • core WooCommerce is free and open source,
    • there is no platform fee and no platform revenue share,
    • hosting is chosen separately,
    • and many advanced features branch into extensions rather than core.
    • one host with SSL
    • one WordPress install
    • core WooCommerce
    • one payment gateway
    • core shipping zones and methods
    • one simple fulfillment workflow
    • re-check the current choose-a-host, plugins, and Commerce plan pages on the action date before assuming plugin or ecommerce eligibility,
    • because public April 2026 hosting materials changed and you should not assume every paid plan supports the same WooCommerce workflow or convenience features.
    • do not assume label tools equal live checkout rates,
    • do not assume automated tax equals legal registration,
    • do not buy several premium extensions before you know which core gaps actually matter,
    • and do not build a complicated 3PL, subscriptions, or multi-warehouse flow before validating the first product.

  3. Step 11: Decide whether you need branding and IP work on day one

    Platform step 3

    No public mandatory WooCommerce brand-registry-style program was identified in the reviewed public sources.

    • No public mandatory WooCommerce brand-registry-style program was identified in the reviewed public sources.
    • What matters first is whether you own the rights to what you are selling and whether your product, copy, and images comply with law and the rules of your host, gateway, and other stack providers.
    • If you are reselling other brands, keep invoices and authorization records where relevant.
    • If you are building your own brand, start trademark planning early, but do not let that stop a low-risk validation launch.

  4. Step 12: Configure tax, checkout, shipping, policies, domain, analytics, and fulfillment

    Platform step 4

    Core checkout and account settings are configurable in WooCommerce, including guest checkout, account creation, and privacy-policy notices.

    • Core checkout and account settings are configurable in WooCommerce, including guest checkout, account creation, and privacy-policy notices.
    • For taxes, you can use core manual tax settings or an automated extension path such as WooCommerce Tax.
    • If you enable automated taxes, official WooCommerce Tax docs say the extension can override parts of the core manual tax setup.
    • That automation does not replace your Texas permit or tell you whether you legally owe tax.
    • Core shipping starts with Shipping Zones plus Flat Rate, Free Shipping, and Local Pickup.
    • Local Pickup is still a direct sale from your own store. It is not a marketplace shortcut, and it can create a stronger Houston permit or home-business branch.
    • WooCommerce Shipping labels are a separate workflow from customer-facing live checkout rates.
    • If you need live checkout rates, treat that as a separate extension decision instead of assuming the label tool already solved it.
    • Add your return, privacy, terms, and shipping-policy pages before launch.
    • Connect your domain and make sure the site is running correctly over HTTPS.
    • Turn on the analytics path you actually plan to use only after the store address, checkout, and privacy notices are set correctly, because analytics tooling can vary by host and extension stack.

  5. Step 13: Complete the fulfillment and operations branch

    Platform step 5

    Use the WooCommerce-specific version of this section:

    Why it matters: Home-fulfillment versus Local Pickup versus 3PL split:

    • set shipping zones first,
    • add the core shipping methods you actually want customers to see,
    • finish checkout, account, and policy settings,
    • enter Texas tax information only after registration details are ready,
    • decide whether you will fulfill from home or use a 3PL,
    • and run test orders before launch.
    • If you fulfill from home, your city or county may care about inventory storage, commercial deliveries, local pickup, customer visits, and recurring carrier traffic.
    • If you enable Local Pickup, treat that as a separate local branch, not just another shipping-method toggle.
    • If you use a 3PL, that can reduce home-occupation pressure, but it does not remove Texas registration work or the need to check whether the business is still being operated from a Houston home address.
    • If the 3PL stores inventory outside Texas, treat multistate tax and registration questions as a separate follow-up branch before expanding.
Back to top Next: Local permits and Houston branch
Local branch Local permits and Houston branch These local and city checks can still change the answer even after the state and platform path is clear. Location-specific 2 branches

Local permits and location checks

Texas pushes many permit and location questions down to counties, cities, appraisal districts, and activity-specific agencies.

  • Texas pushes many permit and location questions down to counties, cities, appraisal districts, and activity-specific agencies.
  • For any place where the business will operate:
  • use the 2026-2027 Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide,
  • contact the county clerk if you need a sole-proprietor assumed-name filing,
  • contact the city or county office where the business will operate,
  • ask zoning, permitting, planning, or code offices whether home activity, storage, carrier traffic, or Local Pickup trigger review,
  • and check the county appraisal district if you will hold taxable business personal property in Texas.
  • Typical local risk areas:
  • assumed-name filing
  • home occupation restrictions
  • deed restrictions
  • zoning or no-zoning misunderstandings
  • inventory storage
  • delivery or carrier traffic
  • fire-code or building-code triggers
  • appraisal-district rendition duties

Houston Appendix

If the business operates in Houston, add one more review layer.

  • If the business operates in Houston, add one more review layer.
  • The City of Houston says it does not have zoning, but development is still governed by ordinances and subdivision rules.
  • Houston's business-location guidance says that if you are considering a home-based business, you should check whether it is allowable under existing deed restrictions.
  • Houston's deed-restriction guidance says deed restrictions may legally prohibit some businesses from operating from a home.
  • Houston's permits and inspections page says not every business activity is licensed, but some activities do require city permits or licenses through the Houston Permitting Center and permit portal.
  • Houston's business-licensing page lists activity-specific licenses rather than a universal ecommerce license, so ordinary WooCommerce sellers need activity screening, not assumptions.
  • The Harris County Clerk assumed-name branch is the local search and filing path for unincorporated Houston-area businesses in Harris County. The current clerk page says the filing term can be 1 to 10 years and lists notarized filing at $24.00 for the first owner plus $0.50 for each additional owner, or non-notarized filing at $25.00 for the first owner plus $0.50 per additional owner and a $1.00 witnessing fee per filed document.
  • HCAD's public personal-property-rendition guide is the local branch for business property located in Harris County.
  • Public-record caveat: Houston's startup guide says all entity types must file a DBA, but the Texas Secretary of State's statewide assumed-name guidance is narrower and says LLCs and corporations file with the Secretary of State, not the county clerk. This pack follows the state filing rule first and treats the city wording as overbroad.
  • Public-record caveat: the reviewed Houston pages do not give one clean city-level yes-or-no answer on whether a plain home-based general-merchandise ecommerce seller needs a standalone city permit. Treat that narrow permit answer as unverified unless the address, inventory pattern, or specific business activity triggers a known permit branch.
  • If the Houston-area address is outside Harris County, replace the Harris County example with the actual county clerk and appraisal-district branch for that address.
Back to top Next: Employees and insurance
Optional branch Employees and insurance Use this branch if you plan to hire or need the insurance follow-up that comes with scaling. Only if hiring or scaling 5 branches

1. Employer registration

TWC says liable employers must register within 10 days of becoming liable for unemployment tax.

  • TWC says liable employers must register within 10 days of becoming liable for unemployment tax.
  • The first $9,000 paid to each employee in a calendar year is taxable for Texas unemployment-tax purposes.
  • TWC says quarterly wage reports and payments are due by the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter.
  • For 2026, TWC says the entry-level unemployment-tax rate is 2.70%.
  • Texas new-hire reporting goes to the Office of the Attorney General within 20 calendar days of the date wages begin.

2. Workers' compensation

Texas private employers can choose whether to carry workers' compensation in most cases.

  • Texas private employers can choose whether to carry workers' compensation in most cases.
  • All Texas governmental entities must have workers' compensation coverage.
  • Private employers on certain government building or construction projects must provide workers' compensation for workers on the public project.
  • If a private employer does not provide coverage, it becomes a non-subscriber.
  • Non-subscribers must:
  • post a notice of no coverage in the workplace,
  • give written notice of no coverage to new employees,
  • file notice of no coverage with DWC between February 1 and April 30 each year,
  • file again after hiring the first employee or after terminating a workers' compensation policy,
  • and, if they have at least 5 employees, report covered workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths with more than one day of lost time.
  • TWC says liable employers must register within 10 days of becoming liable for unemployment tax.
  • Texas private employers usually may choose whether to carry workers' compensation, but non-subscribers have notice and filing duties.

3. Disability, paid leave, or similar coverage

No separate Texas statewide private-employer disability-insurance or paid-leave registration requirement was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.

  • No separate Texas statewide private-employer disability-insurance or paid-leave registration requirement was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.
  • Re-check if your workforce facts are unusual or if local rules change.

4. Exemption certificate if applicable

No Texas public equivalent to a New York CE-200-style broad employer exemption certificate was identified in the reviewed sources for an ordinary WooCommerce business.

  • No Texas public equivalent to a New York CE-200-style broad employer exemption certificate was identified in the reviewed sources for an ordinary WooCommerce business.
  • Public-project building or construction work has separate workers' compensation certificate and notice mechanics, but that is outside this pack's default storefront path.

Insurance reality

No public WooCommerce-wide insurance threshold or mandatory seller-wide coverage minimum was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.

  • No public WooCommerce-wide insurance threshold or mandatory seller-wide coverage minimum was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026.
  • That does not mean insurance is optional from a business-risk standpoint.
  • For physical products, commercial general liability and product liability coverage become more important as sales volume, inventory, and claim risk increase.
  • Separate hosts, payment providers, carriers, 3PLs, or wholesale partners can still impose their own insurance requirements.
Back to top Next: Ongoing compliance calendar
Stay compliant Ongoing compliance calendar Keep the recurring compliance checks and live-operating routine visible after launch. Everyone 5 groups

Before first sale

  • Finish entity or assumed-name setup.
  • Get the EIN if applicable.
  • Open the bank account.
  • Register for the Texas direct-sales-tax branch if you will make retail sales.
  • Resolve the local permit, deed-restriction, and home-based-business branch.
  • Complete site and payment verification.

Before first live launch

  • Finish the hosting, payment, tax, shipping, and fulfillment branch.
  • Confirm product and payment-processor eligibility.
  • Build accurate store pages, policies, and contact details.
  • Run a full checkout test.

Monthly

  • Reconcile payouts, fees, refunds, and chargebacks.
  • Review cash reserves for sales tax and income tax.
  • Review hosting, plugin, and shipping costs.
  • Check for store errors, failed payouts, or expired extensions.

Quarterly

  • File Texas sales-tax returns on the cadence the Comptroller assigns, including zero returns if you remain registered.
  • If you have employees, file payroll-tax reports and deposits on the cadence assigned to the unemployment account and any federal payroll accounts.
  • Review whether new channels, 3PL changes, or inventory moves created new state or local obligations.

Annual or periodic

  • File annual federal and Texas income-tax returns as applicable.
  • If you formed an LLC, file the annual Texas franchise-tax and PIR cycle each year by May 15 or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or legal holiday.
  • Report business personal property to the appraisal district by April 15 if the business owns taxable personal property used to produce income.
  • If you operate in Houston, re-check the deed-restriction, permit-screening, and address-specific home-business pages before each material operating change.
  • Re-check insurance, hosting, gateway, and extension contracts before scaling into higher-risk products or larger fulfillment volumes.
Back to top Next: Common mistakes
Avoid these Common mistakes These are the repeated beginner errors called out in the research pack. Everyone 8 mistakes

Common Mistakes New Operators Make

  • Buying inventory or launching before getting the Texas permit branch in place
  • Assuming a direct WooCommerce store counts as marketplace-facilitated sales
  • Using a public-facing name without handling the correct county-clerk or Secretary of State assumed-name branch
  • Turning on Local Pickup before resolving the Houston or county address answer
  • Assuming WooPayments is automatic or the same thing as a generic Stripe gateway
  • Assuming shipping-label tools automatically provide live checkout rates
  • Turning on automated tax before legal registration and address settings are correct
  • Launching home fulfillment without checking Houston or other local delivery, pickup, deed-restriction, and traffic rules

Practical first-launch recommendation

If you are testing casually with minimal risk, sole proprietor can work.

If you intend to build a real WooCommerce business, single-member LLC is usually the better long-term path.

Back to top Next: Full official source directory
Full appendix Full official source directory Every official source row from the research pack, kept in its full table structure. Everyone 46 rows

Source group

Statewide Start

Office of the Governor

State start-here page

Form / portal State startup guide
Fee None for the page
Timing First planning step
Who needs it Everyone

Official Texas startup page that says a general business license is not required and routes founders to structure, taxes, permits, and employer requirements.

Open official link

Texas Secretary of State

State business portal

Form / portal Business startup hub
Fee Varies by filing
Timing Before entity filing and for later state filings
Who needs it Filing entities

SOS startup hub for structure selection, state forms, and tax and employer links.

Open official link

Office of the Governor

State small business support hub

Form / portal Business Permit Office
Fee None for the page
Timing Optional early planning
Who needs it New Texas businesses

Official guide that says Texas does not require a general business license and points users to the current business-permits guide.

Open official link

Source group

Entity Choice and Formation

Office of the Governor

Compare business types

Form / portal Startup guidance
Fee None for the page
Timing First decision
Who needs it Everyone

Texas says sole proprietorships and partnerships generally file assumed names with the local county clerk, while incorporated entities use the Secretary of State.

Open official link

Texas Secretary of State

Formation hub

Form / portal Forms index
Fee Varies
Timing Before launch
Who needs it Filing entities

Central SOS forms index for business-formation, assumed-name, amendment, and other filing forms.

Open official link

Texas Secretary of State

Default entity formation filing

Form / portal Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company (Form 205)
Fee $300
Timing At formation
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Form 205 instructions confirm the LLC filing fee, registered-agent requirement, and initial mailing-address requirement.

Open official link

Texas Secretary of State

Immediate post-filing requirement

Form / portal Internal company agreement; no separate public filing identified
Fee None identified
Timing Immediately after formation
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

SOS says it does not accept company agreements or other internal governing documents for filing.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Ongoing entity maintenance

Form / portal Annual franchise-tax filing plus PIR or OIR
Fee Varies by tax position
Timing Due each year
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Texas franchise-tax filings are an annual Comptroller cycle rather than a standard SOS annual report.

Open official link

Source group

Sole Proprietor and Local Name Filings

Texas Secretary of State

Sole proprietor baseline

Form / portal County-clerk assumed-name branch
Fee Varies by county
Timing First setup step
Who needs it Sole proprietors

SOS says sole proprietors using an assumed name file with the county clerk in each county where a business office is maintained, or each county where business is conducted if no business office is maintained.

Open official link

Harris County Clerk

County or local clerk lookup

Form / portal Assumed names filing and search
Fee Harris County: $24.00 notarized first owner plus $0.50 each additional owner, or $25.00 non-notarized first owner plus $0.50 each additional owner and $1.00 witnessing fee
Timing Before using a trade name in Harris County
Who needs it Sole proprietors and general partnerships using a Houston-area DBA

Harris County says unincorporated assumed-name filings can run from 1 to 10 years. If the address is outside Harris County, use the actual county clerk instead.

Open official link

Source group

Federal and State Tax Setup

IRS

EIN overview and online application

Form / portal Online EIN application
Fee Free
Timing Early in setup
Who needs it LLCs, employers, founders who want an EIN

IRS says you can get an EIN directly from the IRS for free.

Open official link

IRS

EIN paper form

Form / portal Form SS-4
Fee Free
Timing If not applying online
Who needs it Founders using mail or fax

IRS reference page for the current SS-4 form and instructions.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

State tax registration

Form / portal Texas Online Tax Registration Application or AP-201
Fee None
Timing Before direct taxable sales, resale use, or when a Texas tax account is otherwise needed
Who needs it Businesses needing Texas tax accounts

Comptroller says new applicants can apply online and that the permit itself has no fee.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Registration instructions

Form / portal Sales-tax permit FAQ
Fee None for the page
Timing During registration
Who needs it Sales-tax applicants

Comptroller says a permit is required for Texas sellers engaged in business, the permit may require a bond, sellers need a permit for each active place of business, and permit holders must file returns even when no tax is due.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Marketplace or platform tax rule

Form / portal Remote sellers and marketplace guidance
Fee None for the page
Timing Before and after launch
Who needs it Founders comparing direct-store and marketplace branches

Texas distinguishes remote sellers from Texas sellers and says Texas sellers still need a permit even if they also sell through a marketplace. A direct WooCommerce checkout is the ordinary direct-sales branch.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Resale or exemption certificate

Form / portal Form 01-339, Texas Sales and Use Tax Resale Certificate
Fee None for the form
Timing After registration if applicable
Who needs it Resale purchasers and other covered exempt buyers

Comptroller says the resale certificate requires the purchaser's Texas taxpayer number and that a permit copy is not a substitute.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Recordkeeping and local-rate guidance

Form / portal Local tax guide and rate-locator links
Fee None for the page
Timing During setup and ongoing
Who needs it Direct-store sellers collecting Texas tax

Use the state local-tax guide and rate-locator tools when validating store tax settings and shipping destinations.

Open official link

Source group

Entity Tax Maintenance

Texas Comptroller

Entity tax treatment

Form / portal Guidance page
Fee None for the page
Timing During planning and annually
Who needs it single-member LLC founders

Comptroller explains that taxable entities formed in Texas or doing business in Texas file franchise tax, while a sole proprietorship not legally organized to limit liability is not a taxable entity.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Recurring entity tax filing or fee

Form / portal Franchise-tax report plus PIR or OIR
Fee Varies by tax position
Timing May 15 each year; the 2026 due date is May 15, 2026
Who needs it Taxable entities including standard LLCs

The 2026 forms page says the No Tax Due Report is not available for 2026 reports and that entities at or below the threshold still file PIR or OIR.

Open official link

Texas Comptroller

Business personal property rendition

Form / portal Rendition statement
Fee None to file; penalties can apply if late or false
Timing Property generally due April 15
Who needs it Businesses with taxable personal property used to produce income

Texas says business owners must report a rendition of personal property to the appraisal district, with a written extension to May 15 available in many cases.

Open official link

Source group

Federal Reporting

FinCEN

BOI or other federal reporting status

Form / portal BOI guidance page
Fee None
Timing Check before filing
Who needs it Everyone forming an entity

As of April 26, 2026, FinCEN says all U.S.-created domestic entities and their beneficial owners are exempt from BOI reporting under the March 26, 2025 interim final rule.

Open official link

Source group

Employees, Payroll, and Insurance

Texas Workforce Commission

Employer registration

Form / portal TWC unemployment-tax account registration
Fee None stated on reviewed pages
Timing When first becoming an employer or when UI liability begins
Who needs it Businesses hiring employees

TWC says liable employers register within 10 days, the first $9,000 per employee is taxable, and quarterly wage reports and payments are due by the last day of the month following each quarter.

Open official link

Texas Workforce Commission

Tax-rate table

Form / portal TWC tax-rate table
Fee None for the page
Timing Before hiring and annually
Who needs it Businesses hiring employees

TWC's public 2026 rate page shows the entry-level rate at 2.70%.

Open official link

Texas Office of the Attorney General

New-hire reporting

Form / portal Employer website portal or Texas new-hire reporting form
Fee None for the page
Timing Within 20 calendar days after wages begin
Who needs it Businesses hiring employees

Texas requires employers to report new hires and rehires, and the OAG is the designated state agency.

Open official link

Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation

Workers' compensation

Form / portal Coverage verification and subscriber categories
Fee Premium-based or varies
Timing Before or at hiring
Who needs it Employers

TDI says private employers can choose coverage in most cases, governmental entities must carry coverage, and non-subscribers are a distinct reporting category.

Open official link

Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation

Non-subscriber reporting

Form / portal Employer e-file and DWC notices
Fee None for the filing path stated on the page
Timing Between February 1 and April 30 annually, after hiring the first employee, and after terminating a policy
Who needs it Employers without workers' compensation coverage

TDI says non-subscribers must post and deliver notices, file notice of no coverage, and report certain injuries if they have at least 5 employees.

Open official link

Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation

Exemption certificate if applicable

Form / portal Notice 8 for government building or construction projects
Fee None for the notice itself
Timing Only when that public-project rule applies
Who needs it Government-project contractors, not the default storefront path

The reviewed Texas public sources did not identify a broad ordinary-employer exemption certificate comparable to a CE-200-style form.

Open official link

Source group

Platform Setup

WooCommerce

Platform registration guide

Form / portal Onboarding wizard and setup checklist
Fee Core plugin is free
Timing Before launch
Who needs it All WooCommerce operators

Public docs say the onboarding wizard and checklist cover products, payments, shipping, taxes, marketing, and store personalization.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Platform pricing

Form / portal Pricing page
Fee Core plugin free; hosting and extensions vary
Timing During planning and later
Who needs it All WooCommerce operators

Public pricing reviewed on April 26, 2026 said core WooCommerce has no platform fee and no revenue share, while hosting and extensions are separate costs.

Open official link

WordPress.com Support

Hosted-plan and plugin eligibility

Form / portal Hosting and plan-feature pages
Fee Varies by plan
Timing Before choosing WordPress.com hosting
Who needs it Founders considering WordPress.com hosting

Public pages reviewed on April 26, 2026 support plugin use on paid plans and position the Commerce plan as the dedicated ecommerce path, but hosted-plan feature availability should still be re-checked on the action date.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Payment-processor setup

Form / portal WooPayments setup flow
Fee No setup fee or monthly fee on the reviewed public docs; processing fees vary
Timing During payment setup
Who needs it Founders considering WooPayments

Public docs say WooPayments is optional, requires a supported country and HTTPS site, uses a Stripe Express account plus a WordPress.com account connection, and has separate verification and policy limits.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Brand or IP program

Form / portal Documentation hub
Fee None for the page
Timing Optional
Who needs it Brand owners and resellers

Reviewed public sources did not identify a mandatory public brand-registry-style program for a normal WooCommerce store.

Open official link

Source group

Fulfillment, Logistics, or Store Operations

WooCommerce

Store-setup overview

Form / portal Setup checklist
Fee Core plugin free
Timing Before launch
Who needs it WooCommerce storefront operators

Public docs say the setup checklist drives products, payments, shipping, taxes, and store design.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Category, compliance, or product restriction guide

Form / portal Policy pages
Fee None for the pages
Timing During sourcing and setup
Who needs it Operators using WooPayments

Public pages say product restrictions can come from the payment stack even though WooCommerce core itself is software.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Shipping setup

Form / portal Core shipping settings
Fee Core shipping methods included
Timing During launch setup
Who needs it Operators shipping physical goods

Public docs say core shipping starts with shipping zones plus Flat Rate, Free Shipping, and Local Pickup.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Shipping labels and live-rate caveat

Form / portal WooCommerce Shipping labels
Fee Varies by label purchase
Timing During launch setup
Who needs it Operators buying labels through Woo

Public docs show label purchases are a separate workflow from customer-facing live rates and use a connected WordPress.com account.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Tax automation

Form / portal Automated tax extension flow
Fee Extension-driven
Timing During launch setup
Who needs it Operators considering automated tax

Public docs say automated taxes can override core manual tax settings once enabled.

Open official link

WooCommerce

Fulfillment workflow

Form / portal Core fulfillment workflow
Fee Core feature
Timing During launch setup and ongoing
Who needs it Operators fulfilling orders directly

Public docs support self-fulfillment, partial fulfillment, and tracking, while more advanced workflows can branch into extensions or provider integrations.

Open official link

Source group

Insurance Checkpoint

WooCommerce

Platform insurance threshold or requirement

Form / portal Public docs and policy pages
Fee Premium varies if you buy insurance
Timing Re-check before scaling physical-product risk
Who needs it WooCommerce operators selling physical goods

No public WooCommerce-wide insurance minimum or threshold was identified in the reviewed public sources as of April 26, 2026; separate hosts, gateways, carriers, or 3PLs may still impose their own requirements.

Open official link

Source group

Houston Branch

City of Houston

City tax or permit warning

Form / portal Business-location guidance
Fee None for the page
Timing If business is in Houston
Who needs it Houston-based businesses

Houston says it does not have zoning, but home-based businesses should still check whether the use is allowed under existing deed restrictions.

Open official link

City of Houston

City startup guide

Form / portal Startup guide
Fee None for the page
Timing First local planning step
Who needs it Houston-based businesses

Houston's startup guide covers entity registration, sales-tax permits, EINs, and property-tax rendition. Its DBA wording is broader than the state SOS rule, so this pack uses the state rule first where they differ.

Open official link

City of Houston

City permit screening

Form / portal Houston permit portal and permits guidance
Fee Varies
Timing If a city permit or inspection applies
Who needs it Houston-based businesses

Houston says not every business activity is licensed, but some permits and licenses run through the Houston Permitting Center and permit portal.

Open official link

City of Houston

City business-licensing screen

Form / portal Business-licensing page
Fee Varies by license
Timing If a specific licensed activity applies
Who needs it Houston-based businesses

The city licensing page lists activity-specific licenses such as street vendors, game rooms, donation boxes, and noise permits, so a general ecommerce seller should screen by activity instead of assuming blanket city licensing.

Open official link

City of Houston

Deed-restriction enforcement guidance

Form / portal FAQ page
Fee None for the page
Timing Before operating from home
Who needs it Houston-based businesses

Houston's legal FAQ explains how deed restrictions work and why address-specific deed restrictions can block some home-based business activity.

Open official link

Harris County Clerk

Harris County assumed-name branch

Form / portal Assumed names search
Fee None for search; filing fee separate
Timing Before using a Harris County trade name
Who needs it Sole proprietors and general partnerships in Houston / Harris County

Local search tool for unincorporated assumed names in Harris County. If the Houston-area address is outside Harris County, use the actual county clerk instead.

Open official link

Harris Central Appraisal District

Harris County appraisal-district branch

Form / portal Rendition guidance
Fee None for the guide
Timing Before the April 15 rendition deadline if business property is in Harris County
Who needs it Businesses with taxable personal property in Harris County

Use the local appraisal-district guide for the county-specific rendition branch if the business stores taxable property in Harris County.

Open official link
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