San Antonio, TX Local Taxes & Fees: Business Tax Classification (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- Half of the state occupation tax and fee
- License issued by
- Tax assessor-collector's office
- Annual due date
- Before June 1 each year
- License expires
- Midnight, last day of May
- Payment rule
- No partial payments accepted
- Nonpayment remedy
- Lien on stock/fixtures, seizure after 10 days
Summary
San Antonio levies a local occupation tax on every business, profession or occupation equal to half the state's occupation tax and fee for that classification. Operators must buy a license from the tax assessor-collector before opening, renewed annually by June 1.
Sec. 31-17. It shall be the duty of every person pursuing a business, profession or occupation within the city, upon which there is or may be levied an occupation tax by the city council, before commencing, engaging in or pursuing same, to procure a license from the office of the tax assessor-collector. The license shall be valid to midnight of the last day of May following issuance of the license. Sec. 31-18. There is hereby levied upon every person within the limits of the city pursuing a business, profession or occupation, a tax equal to one-half (½) of the tax imposed by the state upon each such business, profession or occupation and a tax or fee charge of one-half (½) of any fee so charged by the state which under the statutes and the constitution of the state may be imposed by the city.
Full Breakdown
City Code Chapter 31, Article II sets a general occupation tax tied directly to the state's own business classifications: Sec. " Because the amount rides on the state's occupation-tax schedule, the tax owed depends entirely on how the state classifies the operator's business. Sec. " Sec. 31-19 makes the tax due the day the person first engages in the business and payable annually, in advance, before June 1. Sec. 31-20 bars the assessor-collector from accepting partial payments; the full period's tax must be paid at once.
Once issued, the license carries a serial number matched to the receipt (Sec. 31-22) and must be posted "in a conspicuous place at his place of business" (Sec. 31-24). Sec. 31-16 tasks city police with reporting to the tax assessor-collector anyone running a taxed business without the required license, giving the ordinance a direct enforcement arm beyond the finance office.
Violations & Fines
Unpaid occupation taxes become a lien on the business's stock and fixtures under Sec. 31-27; the tax assessor-collector may seize and sell enough of that property to cover the tax and all costs of the proceeding after ten days' notice. Operating without the license police report under Sec. 31-16 exposes the business to that lien-and-seizure remedy. A license can also be revoked outright by city council, after notice and a hearing, for violating the anti-discrimination admission rule in Sec. 31-25.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a city license just to operate a business in San Antonio?
How is the San Antonio business tax amount set?
When does my occupation tax license expire and renew?
What happens if I don't pay the occupation tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Antonio
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