Birmingham
City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division
In short
City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division issues 7 permits we publish for Birmingham, last verified 2026-09-08. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Business License — Mobile Food Services | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 7223, the same graduated gross-receipts table as Schedule 216 (restaurants): under $5,000 $60, rising to $720 at $90,000–$100,000, then $720 plus 0.2% of the excess above $100,000. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Merchandise (Retail) | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 165: $60 flat where prior-year gross receipts are $30,000 or less, or 0.2% of gross receipts (minimum $60) above that. Certain named retail sub-categories carry their own separate schedule instead — for example, clothing shops and boutiques are Schedule 091. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Building Contractor | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 068, graduated by prior-year gross receipts from work performed inside city limits: under $50,000 $250, rising in steps to $1,500 at $1,500,000–$2,000,000, then plus 0.1% of the excess above $2,000,000, capped at a $25,000 maximum tax. A contractor with an office in the city but no work performed there pays a flat $350. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Restaurants and Cafes | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 216, graduated by prior-year gross receipts: under $5,000 $60, rising in steps to $720 at $90,000–$100,000; above $100,000, $720 plus 0.2% of the excess. No license is issued without a current, valid health department permit on file at application. | annual — calendar year, all licenses expire December 31 regardless of purchase date | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 124 (Hairdressers or Beauty Parlors): $30 per operator, owner counted as the first. Schedule 032 (Barber Shop): $30 per chair set up, whether operated or not, plus $30 per manicurist. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Veterinary Surgeon | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedule 246, the same graduated professional-services table used for attorneys, accountants and engineers: under $5,000 $60, rising in steps to $300 at $25,000–$30,000, then plus 0.4% of gross receipts above $30,000. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License — Automotive Repair Shop | City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division | Schedules 215B (indoor) and 215C (indoor and/or outdoor), by number of workers: 1 worker $60, 2 to under 4 $120, 4 to under 6 $180, 6 to under 10 $240, 10 to under 15 $300, 15 or more $360. | annual — calendar year | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Municipal Business License — Mobile Food Services
Requires a valid mobile food services permit or certificate from the city's Traffic Engineering Department before this license can be issued.
Municipal Business License — Merchandise (Retail)
Schedule 165 is the generic merchandise category; confirm with the Tax and License Division whether a specific retail line of business has its own named schedule instead, since the ordinance runs to roughly three hundred schedules by trade.
Municipal Business License — Building Contractor
On top of, not instead of, the state general contractor or home builder board license recorded at the state layer.
Municipal Business License — Restaurants and Cafes
Renewal is due January 1, delinquent after February 15 for general business licenses. A new business's first-year fee is based on a sworn affidavit estimating the first 90 days' gross receipts; later years use the prior year's annualised figure. The ordinance document carries a static 'effective 01/01/16' header despite plainly containing content added well after that date, so no per-amendment revision date could be confirmed — treat these figures as current as of April 2026 publication by the Alabama Department of Revenue and confirm with the Tax and License Division (205-254-2198) for a large or unusual filing.
Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop
This is on top of, not instead of, the state cosmetology/barbering board's own shop license and the state beauty-parlour or barber-shop privilege license recorded at the state layer.
Municipal Business License — Veterinary Surgeon
On top of, not instead of, the state veterinary board's own premises permit recorded at the state layer.
Municipal Business License — Automotive Repair Shop
Requires written zoning compliance verification from Planning, Engineering and Permits before the license is issued.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Birmingham
- Phone
- (205) 254-2198
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Birmingham — business license year, renewal, and delinquency datesCity of Birmingham, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Birmingham Business License Code, Ordinance 97-183 as amended, listing of schedules by number (hosted by the Alabama Department of Revenue)City of Birmingham, republished by the Alabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Other offices serving Birmingham
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Alabama jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.