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10 permits · verified 2026-09-28

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

In short

A food truck in Morgan 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 Morgan County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Food Establishment Health PermitMorgan County Board of Health / Morgan County Health Department, Environmental Health$40–$175 by facility type and employee count, per the Morgan County Health Department's own 2016 Environmental Health Fees page: Full-Time Food Establishment Permit $125.00 (1-5 employees), $150.00 (6-9 employees), $175.00 (10+ employees); Part-Time Food Establishment Permit $60.00 (1-5 employees), $70.00 (6-9 employees), $85.00 (10+ employees); Temporary Food Establishment Permit (15 days or fewer per calendar year) $40.00annual for Full-Time and Part-Time permits; up to 15 days per calendar year for a Temporary permit2026-09-28
Food Establishment PermitAlabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging$50–$650 a year, set by the county health department, not by the stateannual — expiring when the privilege licenses expire, or on a date the health officer sets2026-09-03
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and LodgingNo fee5 years for a certification; 12 months for attendance without certification2026-09-03

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 Morgan County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Morgan County General Privilege/Business LicenseMorgan County Commissioner of LicensesVaries — formula on the Morgan County Al pageannual2026-09-28

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

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 food truck in Morgan 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 Morgan 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:

Food Establishment Health Permit: $40–$175 by facility type and employee count, per the Morgan County Health Department's own 2016 Environmental Health Fees page: Full-Time Food Establishment Permit $125.00 (1-5 employees), $150.00 (6-9 employees), $175.00 (10+ employees); Part-Time Food Establishment Permit $60.00 (1-5 employees), $70.00 (6-9 employees), $85.00 (10+ employees); Temporary Food Establishment Permit (15 days or fewer per calendar year) $40.00

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 Morgan County Al permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Morgan County Al?

Permits for a food truck in Morgan County Al, AL come from 6 separate offices: Morgan County Commissioner of Licenses, Morgan County Board of Health / Morgan County Health Department, Environmental Health, 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.

What does a food truck need in Morgan County Al that other businesses do not?

Food Establishment Health Permit

Any restaurant, coffee shop, food truck, or childcare facility that prepares or serves food on-site in Morgan County needs this health permit from the Morgan County Board of Health, which holds genuine statutory authority to set its own fees for county health department services, subject only to Morgan County Commission approval, under Ala. Code §45-52-171 (Act 88-425). This applies countywide, inside every incorporated city and the unincorporated area alike, since a single county health department covers the whole county. The fee figures on record here — a Full-Time permit at $125.00, $150.00 or $175.00 by employee-count tier, a Part-Time permit at $60.00, $70.00 or $85.00, and a $40.00 Temporary permit for events of 15 days or fewer — are the Morgan County Health Department's own published figures, dated 2016 and still linked from the department's site navigation as late as July 2022. The department's dedicated website has since gone offline, and Alabama's state health department does not publish a Morgan-specific fee schedule page as a substitute, so 2016 remains the last published figure for this permit; call the Health Department's Environmental Office at (256) 340-6563, or the main line (256) 353-7021 and ask for Environmental, to confirm the amount currently charged. A childcare facility that prepares or serves food on-site falls under this same Board of Health permit, the general pattern by which Alabama childcare facilities incorporate a local health-department food approval into their operations, separate from and in addition to their state DHR childcare license.

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 Morgan 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 Morgan County Al, AL; what each one involves is set out on the Morgan 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 Morgan County Al?

A food truck and a coffee shop in Morgan County Al, AL need exactly the same 3 permits beyond the ones every business needs.

Permits particular to each business type in Morgan County Al, AL, compared with a food truck
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a food truckOnly a food truck needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops3300
Restaurants4301
Childcare centres2121
Auto repair shops2032
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios0030
Retail stores2032
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

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 Morgan County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Morgan County Health Department Environmental Health Fees (Wayback Machine snapshot dated July 2, 2016, of the department's own former website) — Food Establishment Permit fee scheduleMorgan County Health Department (archived) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  2. Code of Alabama §45-52-171 — Morgan County Board of Health fee-setting authority for health department services, subject to Morgan County Commission approval (Act 88-425)Justia / Code of Alabama 1975 · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Morgan County Health Department contact page — current Main Office (256) 353-7021 and Environmental (256) 340-6563 phone numbersAlabama Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.