Business Licensing & Operations in Mobile, AL (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Mobile, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Mobile bars new adult entertainment enterprises within 1,000 feet of a church, school, park, or home and within 2,000 feet of another adult business, on top of an individual entertainer permit.
Mobile Adult Business Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsMobile City Code § 64-4-4(B)(1)
The establishment, enlargement, expansion, increase, reconstruction, resumption or structural alteration of any adult entertainment enterprise is prohibited: (a) If the adult entertainment enterprise is within one thousand (1,000) feet of any existing church, school, park, residentially zoned (R-1, R-2, R-3) area or residential structure; or (b) Within two thousand (2,000) feet of any existing ...
Massage Establishments
Anyone operating a massage parlor in Mobile must hold a city business license under the privilege license schedule before opening. The license can be revoked for any violation of Chapter 8, Article III, following notice and a city council hearing, and a revoked operator is barred from reapplying for twelve months, city or police jurisdiction wide.
Massage Parlor License Required in Mobile, Alabama
Some RestrictionsMobile City Code §§ 8-61, 8-63
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a massage parlor as herein defined without first having acquired from the city a business license for the operation of the business as required by the privilege license schedule of the city. ... Any license issued hereunder by the city may be revoked by the city upon the violation of any section, requirement or provision of this article by the lice...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Tattoo and tattoo-parlor businesses in Mobile, Alabama must buy an annual business license under NAICS code 812197 before opening, priced at 0.40% of gross receipts with a $120 minimum, and are flagged in the city's own schedule as requiring a Board of Health inspection before that license issues.
Mobile Tattoo Parlor Business License Rule
Some RestrictionsMobile City Code § 34-42 (Schedule of Licenses, NAICS 812197)
812197 Tattooing or tattooing parlors - Board of Health inspection required 0.0040 [Sec. 34-42(a):] Each and every person, wherever located, who engages in any business within the corporate limits, shall pay an annual license according to the attached schedule of licenses, which is located at the end of this chapter. (b) Police jurisdiction. Each and every person, wherever located, who engages ...
Tobacco Retail License
Every vape shop in Mobile must hold a city business license plus a $150 annual vapor-product registration, and pay a 10-cent-per-milliliter excise tax on top of standard sales tax.
Mobile Vape Retailer License Required
Some RestrictionsMobile City Code § 34-165
Each person desiring to engage in the wholesale or retail sale of consumable vapor products in the city and/or in its police jurisdiction must first obtain a business license from the city under the provisions of its current business license ordinance, and any accompanying resolution adopted thereto, as well as the additional license. The amount of excise tax provided for herein shall be additi...
Secondhand Dealers
Mobile requires every dealer in secondhand articles to register with the police chief before opening, keep serialized purchase records, and hold each item 15 days before resale or alteration.
Mobile Secondhand Dealer Registration
Significant RestrictionsMobile City Code § 53-2
Every dealer in secondhand articles described in section 53-3 shall promptly before the beginning of business register his name, address and every place where he plans to carry on business or stores property with the chief of police in a book kept for that purpose.
Pawnbrokers
Mobile requires every pawnbroker to post a $1,000 city bond, keep a detailed log of pawned goods, and report transactions to police.
Mobile Pawnbrokers Must Post $1,000 Bond
Significant RestrictionsMobile City Code § 53-102
No person shall carry on or conduct the business or calling of a pawnbroker in the city unless he gives a bond for one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), payable to the city and approved by the city, conditioned that he will in every particular conform to the provisions of this article and any other regulation which may be passed concerning pawnbrokers. Every person injured by him in any dealing or ...
Towing Companies
Mobile requires wrecker companies to hold a city permit, pass a vehicle inspection, carry required insurance, and show three years of local operating history before joining the tow rotation list.
Wrecker Company Permits in Mobile, Alabama
Significant RestrictionsMobile City Code § 63-16
No wrecker company shall participate in the wrecker selection list without undergoing a vehicle inspection, submitting an application for a wrecker permit for each wrecker to be operated, and providing proof of insurance with applicable policy limits in accordance with section 63-7 of this chapter. The requirement for a permit hereinabove described is a requirement separate and apart from, and ...
Looking for Mobile County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Mobile city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Mobile County →