Beaumont Health Inspection Fees Reshaped by New State Laws

Changes impact what establishments can be inspected and how much the city can charge for permits and fees.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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New state laws in Texas have changed what establishments Beaumont Public Health can inspect and what it can charge for permits and fees. The city can no longer permit or inspect certain businesses like nonprofits, nursing homes, daycares, and food trucks, but must now charge inspection fees for schools. The city also had to adjust its event permit fees, going from a single $220 permit to requiring each vendor to obtain a temporary food permit costing $22-$52 depending on the event length.

Why it matters

These changes to health inspection laws and fees in Beaumont will impact small businesses, event organizers, and the city's ability to ensure public health and safety, as the city can no longer inspect certain high-risk facilities like nursing homes that previously fell under its jurisdiction.

The details

The Texas legislature passed the Food Truck Freedom bill and made changes to the state health and safety code, which took effect in September 2025. This led Beaumont Public Health to add new inspection fees of $150 and $200 for reinspections, which some City Council members felt were too high for local businesses. The Council later voted to only charge the inspection fee to businesses without permits. The city also had to increase its permit fees by $75 per tier and change its event permit structure, going from a single $220 permit to requiring each vendor to obtain a temporary food permit costing $22-$52 depending on the event length.

  • The changes to the state health code took effect in September 2025.
  • The full Food Truck Freedom bill won't take effect until July 1, 2026.
  • Beaumont Public Health presented the new fee changes to the City Council during a workshop in October 2025.
  • The Council unanimously voted to amend the fees in December 2025.

The players

Beaumont Public Health

The local health department in Beaumont, Texas that is responsible for inspecting establishments and setting permit and inspection fees.

Kenneth Coleman

The director of Beaumont Public Health.

Cory Crenshaw

A Ward I City Council member in Beaumont who criticized the high permit fee increases.

Texas Legislature

The state government body that passed the new laws impacting health inspections and fees in Beaumont.

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What they’re saying

“I do not believe that we should be raising fees from $250 a year to $400 a year for all restaurants across the city. It's tough times out there for our restaurant owners, and I just think that this was an extremely poorly executed situation.”

— Cory Crenshaw, Ward I Council member (beaumontenterprise.com)

“My main concern is just dealing with what we had to deal with this year. (There were) a couple of nursing homes that we had to go and close down their kitchen (because they had) no hot running water or rodent infestations, and now we have no legal authority to even inspect those facilities anymore.”

— Kenneth Coleman, Public Health Director (beaumontenterprise.com)

What’s next

The Beaumont City Council will continue to monitor the impact of the new health inspection fee changes and may need to make further adjustments to support local businesses.

The takeaway

The new state laws in Texas have significantly limited Beaumont's ability to inspect high-risk facilities like nursing homes, while also forcing the city to restructure its health inspection fees in a way that has drawn criticism from local business owners struggling with the economic impacts of the pandemic.