A new Texas restaurant or bar liquor license takes a median of 24 days from application to issue at TABC: PourWire measured 144 MB and BG permit applications in five Texas metros filed since June 2026, and half were issued in 18 to 34 days, faster than the 45 to 90 days most licensing guides quote. To look one up, search the TABC Public Inquiry system or TABC's pending applications dataset on the Texas Open Data Portal.
A median of 24 days from submission to the original issue date. Half of applications take 18 to 34 days. Measured by PourWire on 144 MB and BG applications in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Waco-Temple filed since June 2026, matched to TABC's issued license records (as of ). The venue itself usually opens 60 to 120 days after the application, so the pending weeks are when the owner is choosing a POS, insurance, distributors and equipment.
| Code | Permit | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| MB | Mixed Beverage Permit | Spirits, wine and beer by the drink. The full bar. Tracked by PourWire. |
| BG | Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Permit | Wine and beer, no spirits. The permit most new restaurants open on. Tracked by PourWire. |
| FB | Food and Beverage Certificate | Added to an MB when food is the majority of sales. A kitchen-first venue. Tracked by PourWire. |
| BE | Retail Dealer's On-Premise License | Beer only, on premise. Small bars, icehouses and taquerias. |
| LH | Late Hours Certificate | Lets an MB or BE holder serve until 2 a.m. in areas that allow it. |
| BQ | Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Off-Premise Permit | Beer and wine to go. Convenience and grocery stores. |
| P | Package Store Permit | Liquor stores. |
MB, BG and FB applications in the pre-opening window, 200 filed in the last 30 days, newest . Updated daily from TABC.
| Metro | Applications | Last 30 days | Newest filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Travis and Williamson counties |
158 | 30 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Waco-Temple McLennan and Bell counties |
25 | 7 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties |
120 | 62 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Houston Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties |
142 | 68 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| San Antonio Bexar County |
58 | 33 | Oct 22, 2026 |
Search the TABC Public Inquiry system by business name, owner or address, or download TABC's "Pending Original New Primary and Subordinate License Applications" dataset on the Texas Open Data Portal, which lists every application still in review with its permit type, owner, address and submission date. An application drops off that list once the permit is issued.
A median of 24 days from submission to the original issue date, and half of applications take 18 to 34 days. PourWire measured this on 144 MB and BG applications in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Waco-Temple filed since June 2026.
MB is the Mixed Beverage Permit (spirits, wine and beer). BG is the Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Permit (wine and beer only). FB is the Food and Beverage Certificate an MB holder adds when food is most of its sales.
The TABC records are public, so you can check them yourself every week. PourWire pulls them daily, matches each application to a venue and its city permits, estimates the opening window and emails you the new ones with the owner's name and contact. Applications filed in the last 30 days are on the paid feed.