Etowah County
Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell)
In short
Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) issues 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft Drink / Coffee Dispensing License (Ala. Code §40-12-69(b)) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | Combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-69(b), by city population: 25,000 or more $38.50; 15,000 to under 25,000 $31; 5,000 to under 15,000 $23.50; under 5,000 and in unincorporated places $16. Selling only sealed-container soft drinks falls under §40-12-69(a) at $4.75. | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Delicatessen / Off-Premises Food License (Ala. Code §40-12-91) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | $16 a year, combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-91, cooked food sold for off-premises consumption | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Salon / Barbershop Licenses (Ala. Code §40-12-61, §40-12-58, §40-12-124) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | Combined state and county totals: beauty shop under §40-12-61, owner $16 plus $6 for each additional operator; barbershop under §40-12-58, $4.75 for the first chair plus $3.75 for each additional chair; independent operator not in a §61 shop under §40-12-124, $8.50. | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Sandwich Shop / Stand License (Ala. Code §40-12-153)only if it applies to you | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | $8.50 a year, combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-153, sandwich shops, barbecue stands and hot dog stands | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Restaurant Business Privilege License (Ala. Code §40-12-151) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | Combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-151, by the population tier of the city and by inside seating (10 or fewer seats / 11-20 / 21-35 / over 35). Outside a city, in the tier for 'all other places of 5,000 and under whether incorporated or not': $8.50 / $12.25 / $16 / $23.50. In a city of 15,000 to under 40,000 such as Gadsden (33,945 in the 2020 Census): $12.25 / $19.75 / $38.50 / $53.50. City of 5,000 to under 15,000: $8.50 / $16 / $23.50 / $38.50. City of 40,000 or more: $16 / $23.50 / $46 / $76. These are the statutory base totals from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook. | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest; a business starting after April 1 pays half | 2026-09-29 |
| Store License (Ala. Code §40-12-315, state portion only) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | $2 a year for one store, state license only under Ala. Code §40-12-315; the statute provides that no license fee is due or payable for the use of any county | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Contractor Privilege License (Ala. Code §40-12-84) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | $16–$376 a year, by gross contract amount, combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-84: $5,000-$10,000 $16; $10,000-$20,000 $23.50; $20,000-$50,000 $38.50; $50,000-$100,000 $76; $100,000-$150,000 $226; $150,000-$200,000 $301; over $200,000 $376 | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 2026-09-29 |
| Veterinary License and Probate Office Filing (Ala. Code §40-12-178, §34-29-84) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | $6 state license under Ala. Code §40-12-178, which carries no county portion (no license is paid to the county), plus a $1 fee under Ala. Code §34-29-84 to file the state veterinary license with the probate office of each county of practice. | annual for the §40-12-178 license, not due until two years' practice; the $1 filing is made when the state license is filed with the probate office | 2026-09-29 |
| Auto Garage / Repair Shop License (Ala. Code §40-12-54) | Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) | Combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-54: $8.50 for the first man plus $7.50 for each additional man, counting the maximum number of workers at any time. | annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1, delinquent November 1 with a 15 percent penalty plus interest | 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
Soft Drink / Coffee Dispensing License (Ala. Code §40-12-69(b))
The ALDOR Handbook states that the §40-12-69(b) license is required for sales of coffee, and the Quick Reference Guide lists it as the coffee shop's primary section (with §315, §151 and §153 as add-ons by menu). A restaurant that dispenses soft drinks from taps or dispensers also buys it. The tiers use the last US census population of the city where the business sits; Gadsden (33,945 in 2020) falls in the 25,000-or-more tier at $38.50, and an unincorporated location falls in the under-5,000-and-unincorporated tier at $16. The figures are the statutory base totals from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook. The county's own pages publish no fee table, so call the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 for the amount due at purchase.
Delicatessen / Off-Premises Food License (Ala. Code §40-12-91)
ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists Food Truck first under §40-12-91 (delicatessen, cooked food sold for off-premises consumption) at $16 combined state and county, with §40-12-69, §40-12-151 and §40-12-153 added by menu, and requires an authorization letter and a copy of the commissary's food permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health. A food truck buys the license from the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337. The figure is the statutory base total from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook; the county's own pages publish no separate fee table. Food trucks also need a mobile food unit permit from the Etowah County Health Department and any license the municipality of operation requires.
Salon / Barbershop Licenses (Ala. Code §40-12-61, §40-12-58, §40-12-124)
ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists a beauty shop or salon under §40-12-61, a barbershop under §40-12-58 and a nail salon under §40-12-124, and points to the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering for occupational licensing. The shop owner pays $16 plus $6 per additional operator; a barbershop pays $4.75 for the first chair plus $3.75 for each additional chair; an independent operator working outside a §61 shop pays $8.50. The figures are the statutory base totals from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook. Issued by the Etowah County Probate Office at (256) 549-5337; a municipal business license is separate.
Sandwich Shop / Stand License (Ala. Code §40-12-153)
Section 40-12-153 covers sandwich shops, barbecue stands and hot dog stands at $8.50 combined state and county, and the Handbook applies it where the menu is limited and any sides are prepackaged. ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists it as an add-on for coffee shops and food trucks; whether it applies to a given business depends on the menu, and the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 confirms which food classification fits. A business serving full meals falls under the §40-12-151 restaurant license instead. The figure is the statutory base total from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook; the county's own pages publish no separate fee table.
Restaurant Business Privilege License (Ala. Code §40-12-151)
A restaurant in Etowah County buys its combined state and county license from the Probate Office, 800 Forrest Ave., Suite 122, Gadsden (business-license phone (256) 549-5337; checks payable to the Probate Judge). ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists restaurants under §40-12-69 and §40-12-151, and the Handbook requires a Health Department certificate before the §151 license is issued; only inside seating counts toward the seat tiers. The figures shown are the statutory base totals from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook, with state and county portions printed as one amount. The county's own pages publish no fee table, so call the Probate Office for the amount due at purchase. Businesses inside a municipality also need that city's separate business license; Gadsden runs its own through its Revenue Department.
Store License (Ala. Code §40-12-315, state portion only)
The store license under §40-12-315 is $2 for one store ($1 plus a $1 fee), and by the statute's own text no license fee is due or payable for the use of any county, so it has no county portion. Chains pay more: two to five stores add $16 each, six to ten $23.50, eleven to twenty $38.50 and over twenty $113.50. ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists §315 as an add-on for restaurants, coffee shops, auto garages, veterinarians and salons that sell merchandise, and as the base license for a gift shop or general retailer. It is issued through the Etowah County Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 together with any other Title 40 license the product line requires. Municipal business licenses are separate.
Contractor Privilege License (Ala. Code §40-12-84)
Section 40-12-84 is issued by the Judge of Probate of the county of the contractor's principal office, and one county's license covers the contractor statewide. The amount depends on the contractor's gross contracts, from $16 at $5,000 to $10,000 up to $376 above $200,000, printed as combined state and county totals in the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook. The county's own pages publish no fee table, so call the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 for the amount due at purchase. This privilege license is separate from the state contractor license issued by the state licensing boards, and from any municipal license and building permit where the work is inside a city.
Veterinary License and Probate Office Filing (Ala. Code §40-12-178, §34-29-84)
Two separate charges apply. The §40-12-178 veterinary license is $6 and is a state fee only: by its text no license is paid to the county, and it is not due until the veterinarian has practised two years. Separately, Ala. Code §34-29-84 requires a veterinarian licensed by the state board to file that license with the probate office of the county of residence and of each county where the veterinarian is to practise, for a $1 fee, which covers the Etowah County Probate Office at 800 Forrest Ave., Suite 122, Gadsden, (256) 549-5337. A clinic that sells merchandise may also need the §40-12-315 store license.
Auto Garage / Repair Shop License (Ala. Code §40-12-54)
ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists an auto repair shop or garage under §40-12-54 (with §53 and §315 as add-ons), at $8.50 for the first man and $7.50 for each additional man as a combined state and county total, needed for each location. The worker count is the maximum number working at any one time. The Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 issues it. The figures are the statutory base totals from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook; the county's own pages publish no separate fee table. A garage inside a municipality also needs that city's business license.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Etowah County
- Phone
- (256) 549-5337
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.
- Alabama Department of Revenue — Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses, October 2022, with the fee schedule for each business typeAlabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 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 §34-29-84, statewide $1 veterinary license filing with the probate officeJustia (Code of Alabama) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Etowah County Business License department pageEtowah County Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County State & County Business License ApplicationEtowah County Probate Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Other offices serving Etowah County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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