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10 permits · verified 2026-09-29

What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Etowah County Al?

In short

A auto repair shop in Etowah County Al, AL has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District) charges $300 per application, one-time, for a commercial conventional (code 606) or commercial engineered (code 610) system; an expedited application adds $150 (code 615) for the commercial onsite sewage (septic) permit. 5 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-29 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Etowah County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
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 interest2026-09-29
Commercial Onsite Sewage (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youEtowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District)$300 per application, one-time, for a commercial conventional (code 606) or commercial engineered (code 610) system; an expedited application adds $150 (code 615)one-time, per application2026-09-29
Garage and Repair Shop Privilege LicenseAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division$8.50 for the first man including the issuance fee, then $7.50 for each additional man, counted at the year's maximum headcountannual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November2026-09-03
Store Licenseonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division$2 for a single store including the issuance fee, then $16 each for stores two to five, $23.50 for six to ten, $38.50 for eleven to twenty and $113.50 each beyond thatannual — 1 October to 30 September2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

AL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
State and County Business Privilege Licenseonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Corporation Annual Report (abolished)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business ServicesNo feenot applicable — the filing no longer exists2026-09-03
Business Privilege Taxonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — due when the matching federal return is due2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionNo feeannual — renew online between 1 November and 31 December2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a auto repair shop in Etowah County Al?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a auto repair shop in Etowah County Al, AL, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

5 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Auto Garage / Repair Shop License (Ala. Code §40-12-54): 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.

Garage and Repair Shop Privilege License: $8.50 for the first man including the issuance fee, then $7.50 for each additional man, counted at the year's maximum headcount

Store License: $2 for a single store including the issuance fee, then $16 each for stores two to five, $23.50 for six to ten, $38.50 for eleven to twenty and $113.50 each beyond that

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Etowah County Al permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Etowah County Al?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Etowah County Al, AL come from 5 separate offices: Etowah County Probate Office (Judge of Probate Scott W. Hassell), Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District), Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a auto repair shop need in Etowah County Al that other businesses do not?

2 of the 4 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Etowah County Al: Auto Garage / Repair Shop License (Ala. Code §40-12-54) and Garage and Repair Shop Privilege 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.

Garage and Repair Shop Privilege License

Alabama has no licensing board for auto repair — the revenue department's own list of every state board requiring a license contains no auto repair, auto body, mechanic or garage entry, and title 34 has no chapter for the trade. But a license is still required, and it is easy to miss because it is a tax license rather than an occupational one. Garages and shops where vehicles are repaired, painted, trimmed or welded for the public pay by headcount, counted at the maximum number of men employed at any point in the license year, with owners who work in the shop counted as men. It is needed for each location, including a service station or someone working from home, and the revenue department reads it to cover window tinting, fitting parts and tyres, motorcycle repair, alarm fitting and disabled vehicle lifts, but not oil changes, wheel alignment or farm machinery repair. A mechanic working exclusively from a truck at the customer's premises is outside it. Note also what is not needed: a dealer license, since every dealer class turns on selling or preparing for resale, so a shop that repairs customers' vehicles and returns them to their owners falls outside all of them.

Shared with other businesses in Etowah County Al

  • Commercial Onsite Sewage (Septic) Permit — Etowah County Health Department (Alabama Department of Public Health, Northeastern District), $300 per application, one-time, for a commercial conventional (code 606) or commercial engineered (code 610) system; an expedited application adds $150 (code 615), one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, contractors and trades, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Store License — Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, $2 for a single store including the issuance fee, then $16 each for stores two to five, $23.50 for six to ten, $38.50 for eleven to twenty and $113.50 each beyond that, annual — 1 October to 30 September. Also required for retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across AL and are covered on the AL state page.

How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Etowah County Al?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 2 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Auto Garage / Repair Shop License (Ala. Code §40-12-54) and Garage and Repair Shop Privilege License. A retail store needs Store License (Ala. Code §40-12-315, state portion only), which a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Etowah County Al, AL, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Retail stores3221
Salons and barbers3132
Veterinary clinics3132
Coffee shops6135
Contractors and trades6135
Restaurants7136
Food trucks6046

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Etowah County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Etowah County Business License department pageEtowah County Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  4. Alabama Department of Revenue — the complete list of state regulatory boards requiring permits or licenses, which contains no auto repair boardAlabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

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