7 published records
Business licenses and permits in Morgan County, Alabama
Morgan County's licensing structure runs through several distinct county offices. The Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses (Kate Terry) — a local-act-created office (Ala. Code §§45-52-200 to 45-52-200.04, Act 88-322) distinct from the Probate Judge — administers the general Title 40-12 privilege/business license and the contractor county privilege license countywide, in every incorporated city (Decatur, Hartselle, Falkville, Eva, Priceville, Trinity) and the unincorporated area alike; Morgan County has enacted no distinct county-specific numeric fee schedule of its own beyond the statewide Title 40-12 category amounts, apart from a flat $2.00 mail fee. The Morgan County Barbers' Commission (Ala. Code §§45-52-30 to 45-52-30.07, Act 82-864) is a real, independent, Governor-appointed local barber-licensing board, structurally parallel to the Jefferson and Mobile County barber commissions recorded on this site, and its licensing reach is countywide, including inside every incorporated city, based on the complete absence of any incorporated/unincorporated carve-out anywhere in its enabling statute. The Morgan County Board of Health has its own statutory fee-setting authority (Ala. Code §45-52-171, Act 88-425) over food-establishment and other health permits, though its own published fee figures date to 2016 and its former dedicated website has since gone offline. Under the Code of Alabama, §45-52-260 of the Morgan County local acts is captioned 'Zoning and Planning' but its entire text reads 'Reserved', so the Code provides no county-level zoning ordinance, and development in unincorporated Morgan County instead needs three separate permits (floodplain, septic, driveway) from the County Engineer/Highway Department and Health Department, with a $300 penalty for skipping them. A veterinarian practicing in or residing in Morgan County must separately file their state license with the Morgan County Probate Office for a $1 fee under the statewide statute Ala. Code §34-29-84. Morgan County is dry by default; Decatur, Hartselle, Priceville and Trinity are wet by local option, while Falkville, Eva and all unincorporated territory remain dry.
What are you opening in Morgan 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
- 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 Morgan County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County General Privilege/Business License | Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses | Every person, firm or corporation engaged in a business, vocation, occupation or profession described in Title 40, Chapter 12 of the Code of Alabama must obtain a Morgan County privilege license, priced by the specific statewide Title 40-12 classification that applies to that business (for example, a different section prices restaurants than prices retail stores). Morgan County's own local acts creating the Commissioner of Licenses office (§§45-52-200 to 45-52-200.04) govern administration and procedure, not the dollar amounts themselves, and no distinct Morgan-County-specific numeric fee schedule superseding the statewide Title 40-12 category amounts was found. A flat $2.00 mail fee is added on top of all other required fees for any motor vehicle tag, boat license, or business license issued by mail. | annual | 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.
What do these permits involve in Morgan County?
Morgan County General Privilege/Business License
Every business operating anywhere in Morgan County needs this general privilege license from the Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses — currently Kate Terry — an office created by a local act (Ala. Code §§45-52-200 to 45-52-200.04, Act 88-322) that is separate and distinct from the Probate Judge; the Probate Office's own webpage directs business-license visitors to the Commissioner of Licenses' own separate site instead of handling the license itself. This license applies countywide: inside every incorporated city (Decatur, Hartselle, Falkville, Eva, Priceville and Trinity) as well as the unincorporated area. The current business license application form, titled 'Morgan County, Alabama Business License Application' and signed by Kate Terry as Commissioner of Licenses, cites Code of Alabama §40-12-2 as the statutory basis for the license and directs applicant payment to the Morgan County License Commissioner. The dollar amount owed is set by the specific statewide Title 40-12 classification for the business in question rather than by a distinct Morgan County fee table; a $2.00 mail fee is added on top of any tag, boat license, or business license fee when the transaction is completed by mail. A separately created office, the Morgan County License Inspector (§45-52-201), performs the enforcement/inspection duties of the statewide license-inspector statute (§40-12-10) specifically within Morgan County.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Morgan County, Alabama Business License Application (revised 2023-02-27) — signed by Kate Terry, Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses, citing Code 40-12-2 as the statutory basisMorgan County Commissioner of Licenses · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Code of Alabama §45-52-200 — Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses (Licensing Officer), local act creating the office (Act 88-322), distinct from the Probate JudgeJustia / Code of Alabama 1975 · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
- Code of Alabama §45-52-200.02 — flat $2.00 mail fee added to any motor vehicle tag, boat license, or business license issued by mail (Act 88-322 §3)Justia / Code of Alabama 1975 · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
Who issues business permits in Morgan County?
Permitting in Morgan County is split across 6 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.
Morgan County issuing agencies
- Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control BoardSole issuing authority for retail alcohol licenses statewide; Morgan County is classified 'Dry - Contains Wet Cities' with Decatur, Hartselle, Priceville and Trinity wet by local option · Requires local-governing-body approval as part of every license application2 permits
- Morgan County Commissioner of LicensesGeneral Title 40-12 privilege/business license, countywide — every incorporated city (Decatur, Hartselle, Falkville, Eva, Priceville, Trinity) and the unincorporated area alike · Contractor county privilege license, priced by the statewide §40-12-84 gross-contracts tier table, countywide · Motor vehicle tag and boat license issuance; a flat $2.00 mail fee applies to any of these issued by mail2 permits
- Morgan County Barbers' CommissionLicenses barbers, apprentice barbers, barber instructors and barber colleges/schools, countywide, including inside every incorporated city · Operates under Ala. Code §§45-52-30 to 45-52-30.07 (Act 82-864, 3rd Sp. Sess.), separate from and in addition to the state Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering1 permit
- Morgan County Board of Health / Morgan County Health Department, Environmental HealthFood establishment, mobile/temporary food, and related permits, countywide, with independent fee-setting authority subject to Morgan County Commission approval (Ala. Code §45-52-171) · Sewage disposal (septic tank) permits for unincorporated-area development1 permit
- Morgan County Engineer's Office / Highway DepartmentFloodplain determination and permitting for development in unincorporated Morgan County · Driveway permits for unincorporated county roads; ties into the Health Department for the companion septic tank permit1 permit
- Morgan County Probate OfficeRecording/filing point for state-issued professional licenses required to be filed with the probate office of the county of residence or practice, including veterinary licenses under Ala. Code §34-29-84 · A distinct office from the Commissioner of Licenses, per the local acts (§§45-52-200 to 45-52-200.04) that carved the licensing function out of the Probate Judge's office1 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.