15 published records
Business licenses and permits in Etowah County, Alabama
Etowah County, Alabama, seat Gadsden, issues its general business license through the Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell) under Ala. Code Title 40, Chapter 12, as one combined state and county license valid October 1 to September 30. The county publishes no fee table of its own, so the amounts listed here are the statutory base totals from the Alabama Department of Revenue's October 2022 Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses; the veterinary and store licenses have no county portion. Ala. Code §45-28-200 separately authorizes the County Commission to levy an additional annual business fee of $10 to $300 under a schedule it promulgates, and no such schedule appears on the county's pages. Health permits come from the Etowah County Health Department, an ADPH Northeastern District office operating under a genuine local fee-setting act (Ala. Code §45-28-170.01) with a fee schedule effective September 1, 2026. The County Engineer administers the floodplain development permit and, with the Commission, the subdivision regulations. Etowah is Wet countywide per the Alabama ABC Board. Twelve incorporated municipalities — Gadsden, Attalla, Boaz, Glencoe, Hokes Bluff, Rainbow City, Southside, Altoona, Reece City, Ridgeville, Sardis City and Walnut Grove — each run their own business license and permit regime that stacks on top of the county's.
What are you opening in Etowah County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Who issues business permits in Etowah County?
Permitting in Etowah County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Etowah County issuing agencies
- Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell)Issues the combined state and county business licenses under Title 40, Chapter 12, Code of Alabama 1975, valid October 1 to September 30 · Files state-issued veterinary licenses under Ala. Code §34-29-849 permits
- Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District)Permits food service establishments, mobile food units, temporary food events and onsite sewage systems under the county's Environmental Fee Schedule · Fee-setting authority rests with the Etowah County Board of Health under Ala. Code §45-28-170.014 permits
- Etowah County Engineering Department (County Engineer, Floodplain Administrator)Administers the Floodplain Development Ordinance and permit for Special Flood Hazard Areas in Etowah County · Handles county subdivision plat review under the Commission's Subdivision Regulations2 permits
Other Alabama jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.