10 permits · verified 2026-09-28
What permits do you need to open a food truck in Mobile County Al?
In short
A food truck in Mobile County Al, AL has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services charges $200 one-time filing for the certificate of formation (llc). 5 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a food truck in Mobile County Al
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck) | Mobile County Health Department | $240–$550 MCHD 2026 Schedule of Fees, by operating duration: 0-3 days $240.00; 4-14 days $270.00; more than 14 days $550.00 | tied to the mobile unit's operating duration (0-3 days, 4-14 days, or more than 14 days), per MCHD's fee schedule | 2026-09-28 |
| 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 | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to you | Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging | No fee | 5 years for a certification; 12 months for attendance without certification | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Mobile County Al
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Privilege License | Mobile County License Commission | Varies — formula on the Mobile County Al page | annual; all Business Privilege Licenses expire September 30 each year and renew without penalty October 1 through October 31 | 2026-09-28 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State and County Business Privilege Licenseonly if it applies to you | Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division | Varies — formula on the AL page | annual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services | $200 one-time filing | perpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 2024 | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services | $200 one-time filing | perpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 2024 | 2026-09-03 |
| Corporation Annual Report (abolished)only if it applies to you | Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services | No fee | not applicable — the filing no longer exists | 2026-09-03 |
| Business Privilege Taxonly if it applies to you | Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division | Varies — formula on the AL page | annual — due when the matching federal return is due | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales Tax License | Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division | No fee | annual — renew online between 1 November and 31 December | 2026-09-03 |
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 food truck in Mobile 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 food truck in Mobile County Al, AL, 4 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck): $240–$550 MCHD 2026 Schedule of Fees, by operating duration: 0-3 days $240.00; 4-14 days $270.00; more than 14 days $550.00
Food Establishment Permit: $50–$650 a year, set by the county health department, not by the state
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Mobile County Al permits page and the AL state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Mobile County Al?
Permits for a food truck in Mobile County Al, AL come from 6 separate offices: Mobile County License Commission, Mobile County Health Department, Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division, Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Mobile County License CommissionIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Privilege License251-574-4800www.mobilecountylc.gov
- Mobile County Health DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck)mchd.org/permits
- Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: State and County Business Privilege License2545 Taylor Road, Montgomery, AL 36117 · (334) 353-7827www.revenue.alabama.gov/business-license
- Alabama Secretary of State, Business ServicesIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Formation (LLC), Certificate of Incorporation, Corporation Annual Report (abolished)770 Washington Avenue, Suite 580, Montgomery, AL 36104 · (334) 242-5324www.sos.alabama.gov/business-entities
- Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Business Privilege Tax, Sales Tax LicensePO Box 327710, Montgomery, AL 36132-7710 · (334) 242-1490www.revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/business-tax-online-registration-system
- Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and LodgingIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Establishment Permit, Certified Food Protection Manager201 Monroe Street, Suite 1250, Montgomery, AL 36104 · (334) 206-5373www.alabamapublichealth.gov/foodsafety/food-and-lodging.html
What does a food truck need in Mobile County Al that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a food truck here applies to no other business type we cover in Mobile County Al: Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck).
Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck)
A food truck, trailer, cart or other mobile food unit operating in Mobile County needs a Commissary/Mobile Unit permit from MCHD, priced under the 2026 Schedule of Fees by operating duration: $240.00 for 0-3 days, $270.00 for 4-14 days, and $550.00 for more than 14 days. This applies countywide, and applies in addition to the general Business Privilege License. MCHD's fee schedule frames this permit by duration tier rather than as a single flat annual figure; a food truck operating on a continuing, year-round basis in Mobile County pays the more-than-14-day rate of $550.00 under the schedule's own duration table. The same fee schedule also carries a separate, gross-receipts-based Food Services Processors table ($410.00-$1,380.00) for food-processing businesses generally, so a year-round food-truck operator should confirm with MCHD directly which table applies to their specific operation. A commissary agreement (a base kitchen where the unit is cleaned, stocked and stored) is also required as a precondition of this permit.
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 Mobile 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.
The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Mobile County Al, AL; what each one involves is set out on the Mobile County Al permits 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 food truck compare with other businesses in Mobile County Al?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A food truck also needs Commissary / Mobile Unit Permit (food-truck). A coffee shop needs Limited Food Service Permit (coffee-shop), which a food truck does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a food truck | Only a food truck needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
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 restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Mobile County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Mobile County Health Department — Schedule of Fees, dated January 7, 2026Mobile County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Mobile County Board of Health roster and statutory basis (Code of Alabama §22-3-1 et seq.)Mobile County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Alabama Administrative Code chapter 420-1-5 — the exhaustive list of fees the health department collects at state level, which contains no food establishment feeAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Alabama Administrative Code chapter 420-3-22 — food establishment sanitation, permits issued by the county health officerAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Russell County Health Department — environmental fee schedule, revised 27 March 2025, an example of a state-run county's food permit feesAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Mobile County Health Department — board of health fee schedule, 5 December 2025, an independent county department's food permit feesMobile County Health Department · 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.