Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner / License Department
In short
Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner / License Department issues 2 permits we publish for Tuscaloosa County, last verified 2026-09-28. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business/Privilege License (Title 40-12) | Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner / License Department | Alabama's Title 40-12 privilege license has no single generic 'business license' line item — each business type or category carries its own fee, and many are tiered by the population of the nearest incorporated municipality (a worked example, the junk dealer/car crusher license, is recorded separately below with its full tier table). Code of Alabama §40-12-2(e) fixes the county's share of every Title 40-12 license at 50% of the corresponding state license amount, added on top of the state amount. The License Commissioner's own guidance states that fees are determined by 'the exact nature and type of business being conducted' rather than a flat countywide rate. | annual; license year October 1-September 30; renewal window October 1-31; online renewal available via the Tuscaloosa County Online Business License Portal | 2026-09-28 |
| Junk Dealer and Car Crusher License (Title 40-12, §40-12-116)only if it applies to you | Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner / License Department | Population-tiered annual junk dealer license, priced by the population of the largest city within ten miles of the dealer's location: $226 where that city has 50,000 or more residents (this applies to any junk dealer near the City of Tuscaloosa); $113.50 for 20,000-49,999; $76 for 10,000-19,999; $46 for 3,000-9,999; $31 for 1,000-2,999; $16 for under 1,000 or unincorporated. These figures already include the county's statutory 50% add-on under §40-12-2(e). Separately, anyone operating car-crushing equipment, other than a licensed junk dealer, dismantler or recycler, owes an additional flat $300 per year. | annual; same Title 40-12 license year as the general county business license, October 1-September 30 | 2026-09-28 |
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
County Business/Privilege License (Title 40-12)
Every person, firm, company or corporation engaged in a business, vocation, occupation or profession described in Title 40, Chapter 12 of the Code of Alabama owes this privilege license, administered by the Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner and applying countywide — in the unincorporated county and inside every municipality alike. Business-license transactions are processed only at the License Department's Main Office, not at the Northport, Skyland or Vance satellite offices. A business operating inside the city limits of Tuscaloosa, Northport, Moundville, Brookwood or Vance, or the town limits of Coaling, Coker, Lake View or Woodstock, additionally owes that municipality's own business license on top of this county license; Moundville genuinely straddles the Hale/Tuscaloosa county line, so it is correctly listed among the stacking municipalities even though most of the town sits in Hale County. The license year runs October 1 through September 30, with a renewal window of October 1-31 and an online renewal portal. Because Title 40-12 prices each business category separately rather than charging one flat countywide fee, no single dollar figure applies to 'a general business' — a contractor, retailer or restaurant should confirm its own category's fee with the License Department at (205) 464-8233. This is a real, current phone number confirmed directly from the county's own staff directory; a different number sometimes listed for the License Commissioner on third-party directories is not used here.
Junk Dealer and Car Crusher License (Title 40-12, §40-12-116)
Junk dealers and car-crushing-equipment operators in Tuscaloosa County — including auto-repair and salvage businesses that buy, sell or process scrap vehicles or parts — are licensed through the ordinary statewide Title 40-12 privilege-license schedule under Code of Alabama §40-12-116, administered by the same Tuscaloosa County License Commissioner who issues the general business license, not through a separate county ordinance. A junk dealer's fee is set by the license tier of the largest city within ten miles of the dealer's location; a dealer operating near the City of Tuscaloosa (population over 50,000) owes the top tier, $226 a year, while a dealer far from any incorporated city pays the bottom tier, $16 a year. Operating car-crushing equipment, apart from an already-licensed junk dealer, dismantler or recycler, adds a separate flat $300-a-year fee. A different, state-run program also reaches scrap and salvage businesses: Alabama's secondary metals recycler registration through the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (scrap.alabama.gov), a $250-a-year public-safety registration with daily transaction-reporting duties under Code of Alabama §13A-8-30 — that registration is a separate state law-enforcement requirement that stacks on top of, and does not replace, this Title 40-12 license.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Tuscaloosa County
- Phone
- (205) 464-8233
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
- Business Privilege Tax / business license overviewAlabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Tuscaloosa County business licenses page (renewal window, online portal, municipal license stacking)Tuscaloosa County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Tuscaloosa County government staff directory (confirms License Commissioner phone (205) 464-8233)Tuscaloosa County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Tuscaloosa County License Department overview (fee determined by business type; Main Office processing only)Tuscaloosa County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
Other offices serving Tuscaloosa County
- Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board
- Tuscaloosa County Public Works Department (Floodplain Administrator; Subdivision Coordinator)
- Alabama Department of Human Resources, Child Care Services Division
- Alabama Department of Public Health, Tuscaloosa County Health Department (West Central District field office)
- Tuscaloosa County Probate Office
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
- Restaurants in Tuscaloosa County
- Coffee shops in Tuscaloosa County
- Retail stores in Tuscaloosa County
- Salons and barbers in Tuscaloosa County
- Food trucks in Tuscaloosa County
- Fitness studios in Tuscaloosa County
- Childcare centres in Tuscaloosa County
- Contractors and trades in Tuscaloosa County
- Auto repair shops in Tuscaloosa County
- Veterinary clinics in Tuscaloosa County
Alabama jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.