How to Get Your Alabama Business License

Do I Need an Alabama Business License?

The short answer here is: yes. If you own and operate a small business, then you'll typically need a business license. You also may see the license referred to as an Alabama privilege license. You also may need different permits depending on your business.

You can likely narrow down what you need on the Alabama Department of Revenue's website?.

Beyond needing a state of Alabama business license for compliance reasons, securing that license will do you a lot of good as a business owner. Having a business license can:

• Make it easier for you to rent space for an office, storefront, or other business location
• Help you with the process of applying for loans, grants, or financing
• Show potential customers that you're trustworthy
• Allow you to open other locations
• And more

If you're moving forward and applying for your Alabama business license, you'll have to walk through a number of steps before you can reap the above benefits. We'll go over the process in the next section.

How to Get a Business License in Alabama

Remember how we mentioned that getting a state of Alabama business license was a bit difficult?

This is the part we were talking about. We recommend reading through all of these steps first, then taking action one step at a time, as there are different considerations to keep in mind, depending on what you do, where you live, etc.

1. Know what municipality your business is located in.

Whether or not you need a business license or permits, as well as how many you'll need, often depends on where exactly you do business.

If you're looking for a business license in one town/city, then you typically need to only follow through with application requirements for that one local area. However, if your business serves more than one local area, you'll have to apply for business licenses in all locations.

First, decide which municipality or municipalities your business will serve. You can find yours in the Alabama League of Municipalities website directory here.

2. Determine if you need a regulatory license.

On top of needing an Alabama business license, you may be required to get a regulatory license first. This will depend on your specific profession or trade.

You can check to see if you'll need a regulatory license by going to your profession board. For example, if you're a cosmetologist, you would go here. If you're a general contractor, you can go here.

Finding the board for your profession is simple, and you can usually find it by typing "Alabama (PROFESSION) board" into Google or your search engine of choice.

3. Look up your code section.

Just as regulatory licenses are specific to certain trades and professions, so are state of Alabama business licenses. In many cases, each trade or profession has its own code corresponding to a separate license.

You can look for your code in the Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses. The Handbook is hefty and has a lot of legal jargon, but try not to be put off by it.

When you have it open, skip ahead to Chapter 12, page 21, to look for your Alabama business license code number.

Keep in mind that depending on the nature of your business and what you do, you may need to apply for more than one license.

4. Contact your local probate office.

Each county has a different office where you'll have to apply for a probate. You can find your county's probate office number in the directory here. Unfortunately, you will have to call your probate office, rather than contacting them online. As a result, you may want to give yourself time for the call, in case you're put on hold.

Each office should be able to let you know how to apply for a probate in their county.

Keep in mind that if you do business in more than one county, you will most likely have to apply for multiple probates.

Other Things to Know About Your Alabama Business License

Mark your calendar to renew your Alabama business license.

This is a process that you'll have to take care of each year (but that's OK, because we are here to walk you through!).

The Alabama business license year runs from October 1st to September 30th of the following year, meaning that you must renew your license each October.

If you don't renew your license by October 31st, you'll be subject to a 15% penalty (non-waivable) plus interest.

Some counties may mail reminders, but not all will, so we suggest you mark your calendars.

You also may need a municipal license.

We know this may be confusing, but a business license isn't necessarily the same as a municipal license. You'll need a business license depending on which county you're conducting business in, but you also may need a separate municipal license.

Call your local county office (in the directory linked above) to find out if you'll need a municipal license in addition to your business license and permits.

If you sell your business, transfer the license.

If you sell your business, the state of Alabama typically allows you to transfer your business license. You can transfer the license within your county for a $1.00 transfer fee.

How Much Is a State of Alabama Business License?

How much you'll pay for your business license usually depends on a variety of factors, including (but not limited to):

• The population of the municipality where your business is located
• The amount of money invested in your business
• How much money your business is expected to make
• Or more

Each business license will likely have a different fee, depending on your profession. You can look for your profession's Alabama business license fee here.

In addition to the fee you find in the linked document above, you'll also be charged a $1.00 issuance fee. Beyond that, you may have to pay additional fees (e.g., for mailing), depending on where you live. This is the information that's current in present time (when the article was published), so we suggest you always double check the fees charged by the state before moving forward.

Keep in mind that if your business is seasonal and doesn't begin operations until after April 1st, you may be eligible to apply for a half-year license.

You can determine if you qualify for a half-year license by reading the Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses. Scroll to page 13, and you'll see the specifics under clause 40-12-25, titled "License for Part of Year."

If you are a disabled veteran and/or a veteran of World War II, you may be eligible for a discount on your Alabama business license fees. You can find more information in the handbook here, on page 16-19.

If you still have questions, you can contact your county probate office using the County Probate Office Directory.

Alabama Business License + Insurance: What You Need to Know

The rules around business insurance in Alabama may differ depending on your trade. For example, if you're a contractor, you may need an Alabama contractor's license, and applying for that may require you to have business insurance.

Regardless of what's required, having business insurance can be beneficial for you and your business.

As experienced as you may be and no matter how careful you are, there is still the chance that accidents could happen. You never know when something could go wrong — and it would be awful for one accidental misstep to result in your losing a customer, or worse — result in a lawsuit.

We recommend looking into a business insurance policy for your small business because it can:

• Protect you from lawsuits involving third-party property damage, injury, and more
• Help protect your business and personal finances if legal action is necessary
• Secure a sense of authority in your business for potential customers
• And more

Just like you can display on your storefront or website that you have a business license, you also can show proof to your customers that you're insured. Being able to demonstrate that you are prepared is a way to earn and secure your customers’ trust.

Speaking of preparation — if you plan on hiring any employees, then Alabama will require you to apply for workers compensation insurance. You can learn more about what's needed and how to apply here.

Getting a State of Alabama Business License Is Worth It

There's no beating around the bush here: getting an Alabama business license isn't easy.

There are so many factors that go into your business license:

• How large your company is
• Which county and city/town where you're located
• Whether or not you'll operate in multiple counties or towns
• If you have a physical location
• And more

Because there are so many variables that go into the application process when getting a business license, it takes a lot of attention to detail and patience to get through the process.

When it's all said and done, though, you can let the administrative work rest. Securing your state of Alabama business license is one necessary step, and once you're finished, you can focus on the real reason you're here: doing what you love!