Portal update: The City's online permitting and inspections portal now runs on a new version with more ways to sign in. Every customer has to set up a fresh account, including people who already had one before late April 2025.
Staff in the Health and Environment Division take part in the review of every commercial building permit and every Certificate of Occupancy (CO). Each set of plans is checked to make sure the project protects public health and meets city ordinances along with state and federal rules.
How Our Plan Review Works
New buildings need a building permit, and so does almost any other construction work: remodels, renovations, rehab projects, retrofits, additions and demolitions. Before a business or facility can open, it must also pass its Certificate of Occupancy inspections.
When the division reviews a set of plans, staff look for:
- A completed asbestos survey
- Any place where the building's plumbing could cross-connect with the public water system
- Sampling points for industrial wastewater that will enter the sanitary sewer
- Grease traps, when the use calls for one
- Conformance with local, state and federal standards
Information for Health-Regulated Businesses
Our staff are involved at several stages of development review, from backflow prevention devices and four-compartment sinks to confirming that an asbestos survey is on file. The Business Health Establishment Information page collects the resources that help applicants get through review smoothly.
For an overview of how development works in Fredville, see the Planning and Development pages. If you are opening a new company here, the Starting a Business section walks through the other steps.
Permits We Issue
The division permits and inspects the kinds of businesses and facilities below.
Alcohol Permits
Needed before you sell, distribute or store beer, wine, liquor or any other alcoholic beverage.
Asbestos Abatement
Get the asbestos survey packet and review what a survey has to include.
Auto-Related Businesses (ARB)
Request an ARB permit along with a certificate of occupancy, and fill in the solid waste verification form.
Childcare Permits
See how the childcare permit categories differ, then submit the application that matches your program.
Cross-Connection / Backflow Testing
Register to test backflow devices in Fredville and review the fees and other requirements.
Food Service Permits
Any business that stores, sells or hands out food (or alcohol) in Fredville can find the permits it needs here.
Gas Drilling
Read about gas well activity in Fredville, complete the required forms and applications, or reach the staff who handle drilling questions.
Liquid Waste Hauler
A Liquid Waste Hauler Permit covers anyone who generates, transports or disposes of liquid waste. See what is required and how to apply.
Municipal Setting Designations
Ask the City for a resolution supporting a Municipal Setting Designation.
On-Site Sewage
You need an On-Site Sewage Facility Permit before any such system is built, altered or repaired.
Swimming Pools Permit
Anyone planning to build or run a public pool or spa must first obtain a Swimming Pool/Spa Permit.
Water Wells
Learn what a Water Well Permit requires and how to apply for one.
Garbage Collection for Business
Compare commercial trash service options and sign up for the one that suits your business.
Group Homes
Register a group home and find related information.
Permits & Applications
Every application form for public health and environmental activities in Fredville, gathered in one place.
Brownfields
All over the country, former industrial and commercial properties sit empty, and some of them are polluted. Lenders, investors and developers often avoid these properties because they worry about being held responsible for contamination someone else caused, so they build on untouched land, known as "greenfields," instead. The neglected properties left behind are called "brownfields." They can threaten the health and safety of nearby residents, wear down community pride and attract illegal dumping.
The City built its brownfield redevelopment program in partnership with two regulators: the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It helps residents and property owners cooperate to prevent, assess, clean up and reuse these sites safely, sustainably and without delay.
Environmental Site Assessments
CERCLA, the federal Superfund law, calls for an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) whenever commercial or industrial real estate is purchased. The law makes landowners financially responsible for environmental problems tied to hazardous substances stored on, or released from, their property. An ESA is used to:
- Find existing or possible environmental hazards
- Note resources with special natural, cultural, recreational or scientific value
- Recommend whether more investigation is needed
Cities must follow the same rules, so the Health and Environment Department carries out environmental assessments on the City's behalf.
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know
EPCRA, the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know statute adopted in 1986, set emergency planning duties for industry and for federal, state and local governments, along with public reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals. Texas runs its part of this effort through the Tier II Chemical Reporting Program, overseen by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The state program aims to safeguard people and the environment in two ways: by keeping accurate, up-to-date information on hazardous chemicals and their health effects available, and by making sure regulated facilities follow the laws and rules that apply to them.
Contact Info
Health and Environment
100 Civic Center Drive, 2nd Floor, Fredville, TX 75999
Main line: (555) 010-1261
Fax line: (555) 010-2536
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.