Etowah County
Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District)
In short
Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) issues 4 permits we publish for Etowah County, last verified 2026-09-29. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Service Establishment Permit (Categories 1-4) | Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) | Effective September 1, 2026, by Priority Category: Category 1 $100; Category 2 $150; Category 3 $500; Category 4 $600. Fees are based on Priority Category rather than annual income, replacing the schedule adopted November 16, 2007. | the ADPH fee schedule page does not state a permit term | 2026-09-29 |
| Temporary Food Service Permit (per event of 14 days or less)only if it applies to you | Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) | $100 per event of 14 days or less, fee effective September 1, 2026 (fee code 631; previously $75) | per event, up to 14 days | 2026-09-29 |
| Mobile Food Unit Permit | Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) | $200 per mobile food unit, fee effective September 1, 2026 (fee code 677; previously $100) | the ADPH fee schedule page does not state a permit term | 2026-09-29 |
| Commercial Onsite Sewage (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) | $300 per application, one-time, for a commercial conventional (code 606) or commercial engineered (code 610) system; an expedited application adds $150 (code 615) | one-time, per application | 2026-09-29 |
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
Food Service Establishment Permit (Categories 1-4)
A restaurant or coffee shop serving food in Etowah County needs a food service permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. The county's fee schedule, revised effective September 1, 2026 (page updated August 6, 2026), sets four Priority Category fees: $100, $150, $500 and $600. The county classifies each applicant into a category; the schedule does not assign business types to categories, so ask the Environmental office which category applies. The permit term is not stated on the fee page. Plan review of a new or remodelled establishment is a separate $200 fee on the same schedule. Older third-party pages show the pre-September 2026 fees.
Temporary Food Service Permit (per event of 14 days or less)
A vendor serving food at a festival, fair or other temporary event in Etowah County needs a temporary food service permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. The fee is $100 per event of 14 days or less under the schedule effective September 1, 2026, up from $75. It applies to food trucks and to restaurants selling food at an event outside their permitted establishment. A late penalty of $75 applies to fees postmarked past the due date under the same schedule. The county business license and any municipal license are separate.
Mobile Food Unit Permit
A food truck or other mobile food unit operating in Etowah County needs a mobile food unit permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. The fee under the county's schedule effective September 1, 2026 is $200 per unit, up from $100. ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide separately requires food trucks to hold an authorization letter and a copy of the commissary's food permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health when buying the Probate Office license. The permit term is not stated on the fee page. The county business license and any municipal license are separate.
Commercial Onsite Sewage (Septic) Permit
A new commercial site in Etowah County that is served by an onsite septic system needs a sewage permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. Under the schedule effective September 1, 2026, a commercial conventional system application is $300 (previously $200) and a commercial engineered system application is $300; an expedited review adds $150. A conventional application sewage permit (code 602) is $200 on the same schedule. The permit applies only where the business is not on a public sewer.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Etowah County
- Phone
- 256-439-2586
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.
- ADPH Etowah County Health Department contact pageAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Alabama Department of Revenue Quick Reference Guide (Oct. 2022) — Title 40-12 classification codes by business typeAlabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Code of Alabama §45-28-170.01, Fees for services (Etowah County Board of Health, Act 86-283)law.justia.com (Code of Alabama mirror) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County environmental health fee schedule, Priority Category 1-4 food-service fees effective 9/1/2026 (a comparable ADPH-district county's own published figures, used only to illustrate the statewide fee structure; not Tuscaloosa's own fee page, which publishes no dollar figures)Alabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
Other offices serving Etowah County
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.