What permits do you need to open a food truck in Etowah County Al?

Delicatessen / Off-Premises Food License (Ala. Code §40-12-91)

ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists Food Truck first under §40-12-91 (delicatessen, cooked food sold for off-premises consumption) at $16 combined state and county, with §40-12-69, §40-12-151 and §40-12-153 added by menu, and requires an authorization letter and a copy of the commissary's food permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health. A food truck buys the license from the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337. The figure is the statutory base total from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook; the county's own pages publish no separate fee table. Food trucks also need a mobile food unit permit from the Etowah County Health Department and any license the municipality of operation requires.

Sandwich Shop / Stand License (Ala. Code §40-12-153)

Section 40-12-153 covers sandwich shops, barbecue stands and hot dog stands at $8.50 combined state and county, and the Handbook applies it where the menu is limited and any sides are prepackaged. ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide lists it as an add-on for coffee shops and food trucks; whether it applies to a given business depends on the menu, and the Probate Office at (256) 549-5337 confirms which food classification fits. A business serving full meals falls under the §40-12-151 restaurant license instead. The figure is the statutory base total from the October 2022 ALDOR Handbook; the county's own pages publish no separate fee table.

Temporary Food Service Permit (per event of 14 days or less)

A vendor serving food at a festival, fair or other temporary event in Etowah County needs a temporary food service permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. The fee is $100 per event of 14 days or less under the schedule effective September 1, 2026, up from $75. It applies to food trucks and to restaurants selling food at an event outside their permitted establishment. A late penalty of $75 applies to fees postmarked past the due date under the same schedule. The county business license and any municipal license are separate.

Mobile Food Unit Permit

A food truck or other mobile food unit operating in Etowah County needs a mobile food unit permit from the Etowah County Health Department, 709 E. Broad St., Gadsden, environmental line 256-439-2586. The fee under the county's schedule effective September 1, 2026 is $200 per unit, up from $100. ALDOR's Quick Reference Guide separately requires food trucks to hold an authorization letter and a copy of the commissary's food permit from the Alabama Department of Public Health when buying the Probate Office license. The permit term is not stated on the fee page. The county business license and any municipal license are separate.

Food Establishment Permit

There is no state food permit fee at all — the health department's own rule listing every fee it collects at state level covers lead contractors, milk plants and cluster wastewater, and the word food does not appear in it. The permit comes from the county health officer and the price is the county's. That split is fiscal rather than regulatory: all sixty-seven counties enforce the same state rule, but the state runs sixty-five of the county health departments while Jefferson and Mobile elect their own health officers, hire their own staff and set their own fees, which run several times higher. Russell County charges $75 to $350 by priority category, with a mobile unit at $50 and a temporary at $10 a day; Chilton charges $50 to $100 by seats or floor area; Jefferson charges $250 to $650 by level; Mobile charges $410 or $615 by square footage. Ask your own county rather than working from a statewide figure, because none exists. A restaurant must also produce the health certificate before the county will issue its privilege license.

Shared with other businesses in Etowah County Al

• Certified Food Protection Manager — Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging, No fee, 5 years for a certification; 12 months for attendance without certification. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.