5 published records
Business licenses and permits in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile County runs its own independent health department rather than being run by the state, with a current (January 2026) food-permit fee schedule. A business in the unincorporated Police Jurisdiction ring around the city pays half the in-city business license rate.
What are you opening in Mobile?
- 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
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.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
Permits that apply to every type of business in Mobile
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Mobile Building, Engineering and Environmental Services (Build Mobile) | $100 a temporary Certificate of Occupancy, or a change of occupancy where no work is performed and no permit is issued; no separate fee where a building permit is already being issued for the same work | one-time, per issuance | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Mobile Building, Engineering and Environmental Services (Build Mobile) | $5.50 per $1,000 of valuation for the first $50,000, then $4.50 per $1,000 above that, for new construction, additions, alterations and repairs alike (a $25 minimum applies, with no fee at all for $1,000 or under unless an inspection is required). Commercial valuation is set from the construction contract or notarized documentation rather than a fixed per-square-foot table. Plan review is a $100 base, escalating to $200, $500, $1,000 and $2,000 on repeated re-submittals. Reinspection is $50/$75/$100 for the first, second and third-or-later visit; weekend or after-hours inspection is $200 for up to four hours. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| Municipal Business License | City of Mobile Revenue Department | A NAICS-classified percentage of gross receipts, with a floor of $120 plus a $10 issue fee and an $8 zoning fee (about $138 total) for any classification not assigned a higher rate in the schedule. A business in the Police Jurisdiction (the unincorporated band outside city limits where the city still asserts partial authority) pays half the in-city rate. | annual — calendar year, all licenses expire December 31, delinquent after January 31 | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Mobile?
Certificate of Occupancy
Zoning, tree, fire-final and engineering as-built sign-offs are all required before either a Certificate of Occupancy or a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy issues.
Commercial Building Permit
Cite buildmobile.org, not cityofmobile.gov's own /pdf/permit_fee_schedule.pdf link — that city-hosted copy still serves the superseded 2006 ordinance this 2022 ordinance replaced. The dollar figures matched where compared, but buildmobile.org is the current, legally operative source.
Municipal Business License
The City's Schedule of Licenses, which sets the NAICS-code-by-NAICS-code percentage rate above this floor, sits in the City Code on Municode; the City's business-license pages cited here do not reproduce those rates. Confirm the actual rate for a specific classification with the Revenue Department (251-208-7462) before budgeting for anything beyond the floor. A restaurant/food business must also present an MCHD inspection report, and a business inside city limits must present a Zoning Approval Certificate and a Fire Inspection Report, before this license issues.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Mobile — Building Codes Permit Fee Schedule Ordinance 28-052, adopted November 8, 2022City of Mobile, Build Mobile · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Mobile — Commercial Certificate of Occupancy FAQ, February 2024City of Mobile, Build Mobile · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Mobile — Revenue FAQ, quoting City Code sections 34-44 (minimum license fee) and the license year and renewal deadlinesCity of Mobile, Revenue Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Mobile — Business License Tax Application, revised April 5, 2024, including the City Limits/Police Jurisdiction rate distinctionCity of Mobile, Revenue Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Who issues business permits in Mobile?
Permitting in Mobile 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.
Mobile issuing agencies
- City of Mobile Building, Engineering and Environmental Services (Build Mobile)Commercial building permits · Certificates of occupancy · Zoning and Planning Commission applications3 permits
- City of Mobile Revenue DepartmentBusiness license1 permit
- Mobile County Health Department, Food and Lodging ProgramFood establishment permits1 permit
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.