NAICS 236118

What permits does a contractor or trade need?

In short

We hold 2328 verified records for a contractor or trade across 463 jurisdictions, counting statewide registrations, a median of 4 per place. The most widely required is the general business license, held in 236 of them, with a median fee of $100. The exact set depends on your city and county, so the table below shows the spread rather than a single national figure.

The permits a contractor or trade usually carries

Each row groups the permits of one type, whatever the local name. 1637 differently named permits fall into 189 types; the 25 most widely required are shown here.

Permit types this business carries, with how many covered jurisdictions require each, the middle half of published fees, the median fee and the usual renewal term
Permit type	Jurisdictions	Typical fee (middle half)	Median fee	Usual term
General business licensealways applies in 97 of 236	236	$50 – $155	$100	not applicable
Contractor licensealways applies in 85 of 212	212	$80 – $260	$173	not applicable
Commercial alteration permitalways applies in 95 of 150	150	$60 – $160	$100	one-time, per project
Building permitalways applies in 43 of 136	136	$75 – $600	$500	per permit
Certificate of occupancyalways applies in 103 of 129	129	$75 – $207	$110	issued once per qualifying occupancy
Onsite sewage system permitalways applies in 2 of 72	72	$200 – $551	$350	per permit
Zoning verification letteralways applies in 3 of 57	57	$50 – $200	$100	one-time, per request
New commercial construction permitalways applies in 29 of 49	49	$100 – $1,000	$276.75	not stated in the published fee schedule
Right of way permitdepends on premises or set-up	37	$150 – $1,500	$500	per permit
Fire inspection permitalways applies in 19 of 35	35	$25 – $181	$90	not stated
Site plan review permitalways applies in 2 of 34	34	$100 – $550	$275	one-time, per application
Floodplain development permitdepends on premises or set-up	30	$50 – $150	$150	per project
Zoning permitalways applies in 10 of 30	30	$50 – $270	$200	per application
Conditional use permitdepends on premises or set-up	29	$350 – $3,970	$600	one-time, per application
Sign permitalways applies in 4 of 27	27	$100 – $450	$200	per sign
Contractor registrationalways applies in 10 of 25	25	$50 – $100	$75	1 year from issuance
Fire protection system permitalways applies in 6 of 24	24	$100 – $200	$160	per permit
Occupational license taxalways applies in 20 of 24	24	$16 – $376	$30	annual; due October 1, delinquent November 1 (§40-12-26); purchased once and valid statewide, so payment in one county satisfies this requirement elsewhere in Alabama for the same license year
Demolition permitdepends on premises or set-up	21	$100 – $350	$150	not stated in the published fee schedule
Home occupation permitdepends on premises or set-up	21	$65 – $425	$150	not applicable
Zoning variance permitdepends on premises or set-up	20	$250 – $750	$350	one-time, per application
Commercial building permitalways applies in 3 of 17	17	$200	$200	per project
Fire inspection certificatealways applies in 11 of 17	17	$53 – $205	$90	annual
Land development permitdepends on premises or set-up	17	Set by formula	—	per permit for the erosion control and watershed permits; the stormwater control inspection recurs annually for as long as the control structure is in place
Plan review feealways applies in 6 of 15	15	$25 – $171	$25	one-time, per project

164 further permit types are each held in fewer jurisdictions. They are listed, with their fees and sources, on the page for each jurisdiction below.

Do the requirements change between cities?

Substantially. 1 permit type is held in at least half of the 463 jurisdictions we cover for a contractor or trade; the other 188 appear in fewer. The categories of permit are broadly consistent nationally, but the issuing agency, the fee, the renewal term and the filing order all change at city and county level. This is why a national checklist is a starting point rather than an answer.

General business license: 252 published fees, from $0 to $550,000. Half fall between $50 and $155, and the median is $100.

Contractor license: 121 published fees, from $10 to $3,500. Half fall between $80 and $260, and the median is $173.

Commercial alteration permit: 26 published fees, from $30 to $4,000. Half fall between $60 and $160, and the median is $100.

Contractors and trades by state

We publish a full permit list for a contractor or trade in 412 jurisdictions across 50 states and DC. Each state page lists them all.

Contractors and trades by city

Showing the 12 jurisdictions where we publish the most. See all 412.

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.