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Huntsville, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Tobacco Retail License (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

License issuer
City finance department
Cigarette/cigarillo fee
$0.10 per pack
Cigar fee
$0.03 per cigar sold individually
Max penalty
$500 fine, 6 months jail
Records retention
3 years, city-inspectable

Summary

Huntsville requires a city license and per-package privilege fee -- tax stamps for cigarettes -- before any dealer can sell tobacco products within city limits, enforced by the finance department.

If any person shall engage in or continue in any business for which a privilege fee is imposed by article II of this chapter as a condition precedent to engaging or continuing in such business, he shall apply for and obtain from the city finance department a license to engage in and to conduct such business for the current tax year upon the condition that he shall pay the privilege license fee accruing to the city finance department under the provisions of this article.(b)The amount of privilege license fees provided for in this article shall be additional to and cumulative of all amounts required to be paid under article II of this chapter and to all other licenses and taxes levied by law as a condition precedent to engaging in any business taxable under this article, except as in this article otherwise specifically provided.(c)No provision of this article shall be construed as relieving any person from the payment of any license or privilege fee imposed by law.(d)No license shall be issued under the provisions of the article to any person who has not complied with the provisions of this article. (Ord. No. 04-68, § 4, 1-22-2004; Ord. No. 25-388, § 18, 5-22-2025)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 2).

Full Breakdown

Huntsville requires every dealer selling, storing, or delivering tobacco products in the city to obtain a business license from the city finance department and pay a per-package privilege fee -- Sec. 15-302. Retailers must buy tax stamps from the finance director and affix one to each cigarette pack before sale, per Sec. 15-304. Fees run $0.10 per pack of cigarettes or cigarillos, $0.03 per individual cigar, and $0.10 per package of other tobacco products under Sec. 15-301. Dealers must keep sales invoices and records for three years for city inspection (Sec. 15-306).

Violations & Fines

Selling tobacco without paying the license fee or affixing required stamps is a misdemeanor -- $25 to $500 fine per offense, up to 6 months in city jail, each day a separate offense (Sec. 15-307).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tobacco retailers need a city license in Huntsville?
Yes -- Sec. 15-302 requires anyone selling, storing, or delivering tobacco products to get a license from the city finance department and pay the privilege fee.
How is Huntsville's tobacco license fee collected?
Mainly through tax stamps: dealers buy stamps from the city finance director and must affix one to every cigarette package before it's sold, stored, or delivered (Sec. 15-304).
What happens if a Huntsville dealer sells unstamped cigarettes?
It's a misdemeanor under Sec. 15-307 -- a fine of $25 to $500 per offense, up to 6 months in jail, with each day of violation counted separately.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Huntsville

All Huntsville rules

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