Opening a real estate or property business in Texas takes three layers of approval. Every business clears a state baseline (form your entity, get your EIN, register for tax), then secures its industry license — which in this field is almost always a personal or entity professional credential from TREC, TALCB, or TDI rather than a storefront permit — and finally, if you keep a physical office, passes the local permits (occupancy, fire, signage). This page walks all three layers for the five real estate & property business types.
Every Texas business starts here, regardless of type. Form your entity, get your federal EIN, and register for the taxes that apply to you. Most of these have no or minimal fees, of course we highly recommend you confirm the current amount with each agency before filing as believe it or not things change.
This is where cleaning businesses diverge. General cleaning is not a licensed occupation in Texas — commercial janitorial, residential maid service, and window/pressure washing need no state license. The exception is hazmat / biohazard work: asbestos, mold, and hazardous-waste handling are tightly regulated by TDLR, DSHS, and TCEQ. Expand your business type:
To run a home inspection company in Texas, the owner who performs inspections must hold a TREC Real Estate Inspector License — and to inspect independently and sponsor other inspectors, the senior Professional Inspector (PI) tier. There is no separate business-entity license; the license is personal to the inspector.
In Texas there is no separate property-manager license. Leasing, renting, and collecting rent for an owner are defined as real estate brokerage, so a property management company must hold a TREC Business Entity Broker License with a qualifying Designated Broker.
Each individual who performs appraisals must hold a TALCB Real Estate Appraiser Credential (Trainee, Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, or Certified General). TALCB does not license the appraisal firm itself — authorization flows from the credentialed appraiser(s) on staff. A firm that engages other appraisers to fill client orders may instead need Appraisal Management Company registration.
A brokerage entity holds its own TREC Business Entity Broker License, separate from any individual license, and must name a Designated Broker who owns at least 10% of the entity (or carries $1M E&O insurance). Each agent working under the firm holds a separate Sales Agent License.
A title company acts as a Title Insurance Agent licensed by the TDI and must be appointed by at least one title insurance underwriter — it cannot operate independently. Each office also needs at least one licensed Escrow Officer to handle closing funds.
Most real estate and property businesses run from an office rather than a customer-facing storefront, so the local layer is usually lighter than for retail or food. But if you lease or build out physical office space, you still need local occupancy and fire sign-off, and any exterior signage needs a permit. These vary by city and county — the table shows common permit types with example portals (Austin and Dallas).
This is where you go for exact, current fees and to file applications.
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