What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Calhoun County Al?

Grease Trap Requirement and Permit (Onsite Sewage Sites)

ADPH Rule 420-3-1-.22(1), part of the onsite sewage rules, states that any establishment using commercial kitchen equipment shall install a grease trap complying with Rule 420-3-1-.17, unless the local health department determines that the establishment produces little grease waste; the trap must sit outside the building where it can be inspected, pumped and maintained. The Calhoun County Health Department's Environmental Services page (last updated August 20, 2025; (256) 237-4324) lists 'Grease Trap Permits' with its onsite sewage permits. Because the rule is part of the onsite sewage chapter, it applies to a restaurant, coffee shop or childcare kitchen with commercial kitchen equipment on a site served by an onsite sewage system. The page prints no fee.

Retail Spirits/Wine Special License and County Alcohol Tax

Calhoun County is listed Wet on the Alabama ABC Board's own Wet Cities/Counties page, with no dry sub-precincts called out, so retail spirits, wine and on-premise alcohol sales are permitted subject to the requirements below. A restaurant or retail store selling spirits or wine needs a county special license, with the fee set by the county commission, plus an additional percentage sales tax also set by the commission; both are collected under Ala. Code §45-8-22 and Act No. 92-465, and licensees must report purchases monthly by the 20th. Unlike Calhoun's general business license, which the Commissioner of Licenses now issues after the county's 1965 consolidation of Probate Judge functions, §45-8-22 contains its own express carve-out naming the Judge of Probate solely responsible for this specific section — a deliberate exception, not an inconsistency, confirmed by the Judge of Probate's own current webpage listing liquor licensing as an active function, with payments addressed to 1702 Noble Street, Suite 102, Anniston. A business seeking to sell alcohol for on-premise consumption also needs prior approval from the county commission (for unincorporated areas) or the relevant city council (for incorporated areas) before the state ABC Board may issue any on-premise license at all, under Ala. Code §45-8-21.01; a denial can be appealed to Circuit Court within 14 days on an arbitrary-and-capricious standard.

Restaurant Business Privilege License (Ala. Code §40-12-151)

A restaurant, cafe, cafeteria, lunch counter or public eating house in Calhoun County buys this combined state and county license from the Calhoun County Commissioner of Licenses (1702 Noble St., Suite 107, Anniston; 256-241-2900). The county's business-license page states that 'State licenses are purchased at the County office', and Ala. Code §45-8-200.05 makes the Commissioner responsible for collecting and issuing all licenses except marriage licenses, including privilege and store licenses. The figures are the statutory totals printed in the Alabama Department of Revenue's Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses (October 2022), the edition ALDOR's Business License page links on 2026-10-09; the Handbook prints the state and county portions as one amount and notes that under §40-12-2(e) the county levy is 50 percent of the state levy. The Handbook requires a Health Department certificate before this license is issued, counts only inside seating, and lists §40-12-69 (beverages) and §40-12-315 (store) as frequent add-ons. The Commissioner's FAQ states that many state license fees are based on municipal population, so a change of address can change the rate. This license stacks on the county's own §45-8-241 business license and on any city license where the restaurant is inside a municipality.

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee, because Alabama neither examines nor registers anyone — the certificate comes from an accredited private programme at that programme's price. Two limits define who actually needs it. It applies only to priority category 3 and 4 establishments, broadly those handling raw animal foods, cooking to reduce pathogens, or cooling and reheating, plus anyone operating under a variance or a food safety plan; categories 1 and 2 and temporary establishments are exempt. And within those categories it is a hard requirement rather than one option among several, because Alabama expressly declines to adopt the two federal food code paragraphs that would otherwise let a person in charge demonstrate knowledge by other means. Since 2020 a certified or attendance-verified person in charge must be present during all hours of operation. There is no statewide food handler card — the phrase appears nowhere in the rules — though Jefferson and Mobile counties each issue one locally.

Shared with other businesses in Calhoun County Al

• Food Service Establishment Health Permit — Calhoun County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District), The Calhoun County Health Department, an Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Northeastern District field office, requires an annual food service permit for every restaurant, coffee shop, food truck and food-serving childcare facility, but no dollar fee for that permit has ever been published on the department's own site or archived anywhere online. A fee-schedule page exists for the neighboring Etowah County Health Department, within the same ADPH district, but each county department in the district sets and publishes its own schedule rather than sharing a district-wide figure, so Etowah's amounts do not apply to Calhoun. Call the Calhoun County Health Department, Environmental Services, at (256) 237-4324 to get the current fee before applying., annual, permits expire September 30. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
• Store License (Ala. Code §40-12-315, state portion only) — Calhoun County Commissioner of Licenses, $2 a year for one store, state license only under Ala. Code §40-12-315 (October 2022 ALDOR Handbook); each additional store in a chain: 2-5 stores $16, 6-10 $23.50, 11-20 $38.50, over 20 $113.50, annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1 and delinquent November 1, with a 15 percent penalty plus interest. Also required for retail stores, coffee shops, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics, fitness studios and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
• Soft Drink / Coffee Dispensing License (Ala. Code §40-12-69) — Calhoun County Commissioner of Licenses, Combined state and county total under Ala. Code §40-12-69(b) for soft drinks or coffee sold from taps or other dispensing devices, by city population (October 2022 ALDOR Handbook): 25,000 or more $38.50; 15,000 to under 25,000 $31, which covers Anniston (21,564) and Oxford (17,553 in Calhoun County plus 4,516 in Talladega County on ALDOR's Census 2020 by City list); 5,000 to under 15,000 $23.50, which covers Jacksonville (14,385); 'less than 5,000 and in unincorporated places' $16, which covers Piedmont, Weaver, Ohatchee, Hobson City and every unincorporated location. Selling soft drinks only in bottles, cans or other sealed containers falls under §40-12-69(a) at $4.75; the (b) license also covers sealed-container sales., annual, October 1 to September 30; due October 1 and delinquent November 1, with a 15 percent penalty plus interest; a new business starting after April 1 pays half the year's amount. Also required for coffee shops, food trucks, retail stores, fitness studios and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
• Food Establishment Permit — Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging, $50–$650 a year, set by the county health department, not by the state, annual — expiring when the privilege licenses expire, or on a date the health officer sets. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.