Retail Buildout Checklist for Houston Strip Centers
Strip centers are where a lot of Houston small businesses open their doors: boutiques, phone stores, salons, mattress shops, tutoring centers, pharmacies and service counters. The suites look alike from the parking lot, but each one hides its own surprises behind the storefront glass. A retail buildout goes faster and costs fewer change orders when the tenant, landlord and contractor work through the same checklist before anyone picks up a hammer.
This checklist is general information for retail tenants and small landlords. It is not legal, design or code advice, and it does not cover restaurants, medical uses or other specialized occupancies, which carry extra requirements. Your architect, engineers and the City of Houston decide what applies to your suite. If you are new to the process, our overview of tenant improvement in Houston explains the basics.
1. Walk the shell before you sign
The lease will describe the condition the landlord delivers, but the words "shell," "vanilla shell" and "second-generation space" mean different things in different centers. Walk the suite with your contractor and check:
- Storefront and doors. Is the glass intact, does the entry door work, and is the hardware usable for people with limited hand strength?
- Rooftop HVAC unit. Ask for its age, size and service records, and who replaces it if it fails during your term.
- Electrical service. Find the suite's panel and meter and confirm the capacity for lighting, displays, signs and equipment.
- Plumbing. Locate the water line, the sewer connection and any existing restroom. Moving a restroom across a slab means saw-cutting and trenching.
- Demising walls. Check that the walls between you and the neighbors run full height to the roof deck where required, and note any open gaps.
- Ceiling and roof. Look for stained ceiling tiles or deck rust that point to roof leaks.
- Back door and receiving. Confirm there is a rear exit and a practical path for deliveries.
2. Read the landlord's tenant criteria
Most centers have a tenant criteria or design manual that controls storefront changes, sign size and style, roof penetrations, approved roofers, work hours, dumpster use and insurance requirements for contractors. Many landlords require their own roofer to make any new roof penetration so the roof coverage stays intact. Get the manual early, because it can change your design and your schedule. Have the lease spell out who pays for what, including any landlord allowance and which items count against it.
3. Confirm the use, the parking and the certificate of occupancy
In the City of Houston, a certificate of occupancy is required before a commercial building or an individual lease space may be occupied, or when changes are made to the existing occupancy classification. The Permitting Center's certificate of occupancy page says a new certificate is needed when square footage, occupant load or the occupancy use changes, and lists the fee as $94.00 to $537.12 depending on conditions. If you are taking a suite that last held a similar store, the path may be simpler than if you are converting a former office or warehouse bay.
Parking is the other half of the use question. The city's off-street parking ordinance, Chapter 26 of the Code of Ordinances, requires sufficient off-street parking for buildings when they are developed or redeveloped, with a table of required spaces by use. A change from general retail to a higher-demand use can trigger a parking review, so raise the question with the landlord before you commit.
4. Build the permit package
Interior retail fit-outs inside city limits generally go through the Permitting Center's buildout permit, which lists plan review and inspection as required, a processing time of 15 business days and a valid period of 6 months. The city's Commercial Prerequisite Checklist (Form CE-1105) is the best preview of what reviewers expect. Among other items, it calls for:
- An asbestos survey for modifications to existing buildings.
- A Texas Elimination of Architectural Barriers project number for projects exceeding $50,000 (CE-1105).
- An energy code compliance report with a COMcheck inspection checklist for tenant improvements.
- A hazardous materials or high-piled storage statement for retail facilities where those conditions may apply.
- Separate permits for fire alarm, fire sprinkler, signs and electronic locks.
For the step-by-step sequence, see our guide to the buildout permit process in Houston.
5. Plan accessibility from the parking lot in
Retail customers arrive by car, so accessibility starts at the parking space. Texas projects check both the federal 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and the Texas Accessibility Standards. TDLR's accessibility FAQ explains that projects with a total estimated cost of $50,000 or more must be submitted for registration and review, while smaller projects still have to comply with the standards.
Items that come up often in strip-center suites:
- Accessible parking spaces and an accessible route to your entry, including curb ramps.
- Entry door width, threshold height, closing force and hardware.
- A lowered section of the checkout counter.
- Aisle widths between fixtures and displays.
- Fitting rooms, if you have them, with at least one accessible room.
- An accessible restroom if the suite has one.
Our ADA buildout checklist for Houston covers these items in more depth.
6. Storefront, glass and signs
Your storefront is your billboard, so the sign usually lands on the critical path. Houston's Sign Administration office says permits must be obtained before signs are erected, altered or repaired, that the street category from which a sign is viewed helps set its allowed height, size and lighting, and that electrical signs need a final electrical inspection before the sign inspector's final. Add the landlord's sign criteria on top of the city rules. Order the sign early, because fabrication and permitting often take longer than the interior work.
7. Power, lighting and data on the sales floor
Retail lighting does a lot of selling. Plan general lighting, accent lighting on displays, and storefront lighting that reads well from the parking lot at night. Then plan the circuits behind it:
- Dedicated outlets for point-of-sale stations, display cases and any coolers.
- Floor or wall outlets where island displays will sit.
- A small equipment area for the network rack, security recorder and phone gear.
- Low-voltage cabling for cameras, door contacts, music and digital displays.
Keep lighting controls and the energy code report in step, since lighting power and controls are part of the compliance check.
8. Back of house
Shoppers never see the stockroom, but staff live in it. Check the plan for:
- Stockroom shelving and a clear path from the rear door to the sales floor.
- A break area and staff storage.
- A janitor sink or mop sink if your use requires one.
- Restrooms that match your occupant load and use.
- Secure storage for cash handling and high-value inventory.
9. Schedule and opening checklist
- Before the lease: shell walk, tenant criteria, use and parking check.
- Design: space plan, fixture layout, lighting and power plan, accessibility review.
- Permits: buildout permit package, separate sign and fire alarm permits as needed.
- Construction: demolition, framing, rough-ins, inspections, ceilings, finishes, fixtures.
- Before opening: final inspections, certificate of occupancy, sign installation, punch list.
FAQ
Do I need a new certificate of occupancy for a strip-center suite?
Often, yes. Houston requires one before a lease space is occupied and when the use, occupant load or square footage changes. Confirm with the Permitting Center for your suite.
Can I order my storefront sign before the buildout permit is approved?
You can usually start design and fabrication, but the sign needs its own permit before it goes up, and it has to meet the landlord's sign criteria.
Who handles roof penetrations for a new exhaust fan or HVAC change?
Check the lease. Many landlords require their own roofer so the roof coverage terms stay intact.
Does a small retail buildout still have to meet accessibility standards?
Yes. Smaller projects may skip state registration, but they still have to comply with the Texas Accessibility Standards.
What causes the most delays in a retail buildout?
Incomplete permit submittals, late sign orders, surprises in the shell condition, and use changes that trigger extra review.
Planning a retail buildout in Houston? BPC Development LLC provides free on-site estimates in Houston, TX. Call (281) 301-4737.