Start an LLC in San Antonio
A San Antonio LLC is a Texas LLC, formed by filing Form 205 with the Texas Secretary of State. The state fee is $300, and there is no separate city or county formation filing. What San Antonio adds is local: where Bexar County records unincorporated DBAs, a sales tax rate built from four pieces, and the City's rules on when a space needs a new certificate of occupancy.
We do not have a San Antonio office. Lone Star LLC Attorney serves Texas statewide from Houston, and formation filings go to the Secretary of State online.
Statewide Steps for a San Antonio LLC
The state-level steps do not change in Bexar County. A San Antonio LLC appoints a registered agent with a physical Texas registered office, files Form 205, keeps a company agreement with its records, gets an EIN from the IRS, and files a Public Information Report with the Texas Comptroller by May 15 each year. For report years 2026 and 2027 the franchise tax report itself applies only above $2,650,000 in annualized total revenue.
Each step is laid out on How to Start an LLC in Texas.
Bexar County Points LLCs to the State
The Bexar County Clerk's assumed name page says it directly: to create an LLC or corporation, contact the Texas Secretary of State. The same goes for an LLC's DBA. An LLC files Form 503, the assumed name certificate, with the Secretary of State for $25, and has done so without a county filing since House Bill 3609 took effect on September 1, 2019.
The county clerk handles certificates for unincorporated assumed business names, such as a sole proprietor or general partnership doing business in Bexar County. The clerk's process:
- Search first, using the County Clerk's Official Public Records Search online, or ask staff in the Assumed Name/DBA office to search.
- File at the Assumed Name/DBA Office in the Paul Elizondo Tower (101 W. Nueva, Ste. 112), at the Southside Annex (3505 Pleasanton Rd.), or at a Records on the Run location.
- The certificate must be notarized or acknowledged by a deputy in the County Clerk's office before filing, and each business partner signs in front of the notary.
- Online submissions are held for five days and are completed and paid for in person.
Bexar County's published pages list different amounts for the filing fee, so confirm the current fee on the Bexar County Clerk's assumed name page before paying.
San Antonio Sales Tax: Four Pieces, 8.25% Total
San Antonio's local sales tax is split more ways than Houston's, Dallas's, or Austin's. The Texas Comptroller's city rate table lists the City of San Antonio in Bexar County at a total of 8.25%, made up of:
- 6.25% state sales and use tax
- 1.125% City of San Antonio
- 0.375% San Antonio ATD (advanced transportation district)
- 0.5% San Antonio MTA (metropolitan transit authority)
The local pieces add up to 2%, the maximum Texas allows for local jurisdictions. A San Antonio business that sells taxable goods or services applies to the Comptroller for a sales tax permit, which has no fee. See Texas Sales Tax Permit.
Certificate of Occupancy in San Antonio
The City of San Antonio's Development Services Department, at 1901 S. Alamo, handles certificates of occupancy. Whether a new LLC needs one depends on what the space was used for before.
Same use, new owner. Development Services says that when ownership of an existing building or tenant space changes and the type of use remains basically the same, a new certificate of occupancy is not required. The owner can request a name change on the existing certificate. The City's FY 2027 development fee schedule, revised September 2026, lists the commercial certificate of occupancy DBA name change fee at $57.50.
Change of use. A change of use requires a new certificate. The City's examples include changing a clothing store to a hair salon, adding a coffee counter to a bookstore, and turning an office into a restaurant. The FY 2027 fee schedule lists a commercial certificate of occupancy with no construction at $230.00.
Uses that always need a new certificate. Because of location requirements, the City lists certain businesses that always require a new certificate of occupancy, including alcohol sales, bed and breakfasts, boarding homes, live entertainment, and salvage yards.
Development Services also helps verify a property's zoning and platting before a business commits to a location. Current forms and fees are on the City of San Antonio Development Services site.
Registered Agent and Address Options
Every Texas LLC lists a registered office on the public record. Our monthly plans all include Texas registered agent coverage, starting with Standard at $14.99 a month, so that line does not have to be a home address.
Virtual Office+, at $49.99 a month, adds a business address with mail handling at 1800 St. James Place in Houston. It is a Houston address, not a San Antonio one, and it will not stand in for a San Antonio storefront or a certificate of occupancy. See Texas Registered Agent and Texas Virtual Office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I register an LLC in San Antonio?
With the Texas Secretary of State, not the city or Bexar County. The LLC is formed by filing Form 205 for $300. Bexar County's own assumed name page directs LLC and corporation formation to the Secretary of State.
What is the sales tax rate in San Antonio?
The Texas Comptroller lists 8.25% for the City of San Antonio in Bexar County: 6.25% state, 1.125% City of San Antonio, 0.375% San Antonio ATD, and 0.5% San Antonio MTA.
Do I need a new certificate of occupancy if I buy an existing San Antonio business?
Not if the use stays basically the same. San Antonio Development Services says a change of ownership with the same use does not require a new certificate of occupancy; the owner can request a name change on the existing certificate. The FY 2027 fee schedule lists that DBA name change at $57.50.
Does Lone Star LLC Attorney have a San Antonio office?
No. We serve Texas statewide from our office in Houston. Virtual Office+ provides a Houston business address, not a San Antonio one.