Anyone who wishes to have a nursery in the State of Alabama must be certified by the State. Those seeking certification must complete an application including a nursery stock source list and pay the appropriate fee. Those applying to be a nursery grower must be inspected prior to their approval. Your City/County government may have additional requirements, such as a business license.

No, only live plants with roots.

Yes. All sellers of live plants must be certified.

The Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) does not currently have a Hobbyist classification for nursery growers. Any grower with gross sales under $100,000.00 will pay the minimum fee of $50.00 for their certification and be inspected annually.

If you purchase plants then resell them to the homeowner, even at cost, you are selling live plants and therefore you must be certified. Holding a nursery dealer certificate also ensures that you are purchasing from certified nursery stock sources.

Maybe. If you are growing and selling from the same physical location, a nursery growers’ certificate will cover both operations. However, if you are selling from a separate location, such as craft fairs, farmers markets, or a retail location, you will need to have a separate dealer’s certification.

Yes. Even though the physical location may change, or your store exist in cyberspace, you must still be certified to sell live plants.

The growers permit, issued by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, for the Farmers Market Authority, only certifies that the person selling the plants, fruits, and vegetables, is the person that grew them. This permit does not replace the need to have a nursery growers’ certificate, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Industries.

No. House plants in a vehicle or inside a closed container truck will not need to be declared or inspected.

It depends.  House plants are generally not required to be inspected prior to moving to Alabama, provided none of those plants are on the noxious weed list.  Outdoor plants you are relocating to Alabama, will need a certificate of inspection indicating that they are apparently disease and pest free.  In addition, no soil may be included with the plant. No citrus trees, regardless of whether they are indoor or outdoor, may be brought into Alabama.  Even with a certificate, homeowner’s citrus trees are prohibited from being imported into Alabama.

We encourage all sellers who ship plants out of state to research the agriculture laws for the State they are shipping to and what restrictions and/or compliance agreements that would be required. Any nursery shipping, transporting or carrying plants across state lines must use shipping tags with all shipments out of state. These are available through the Plant Protection office. They may request a digital shipping tag and/or purchase adhesive shipping tags to accompany their shipments. Prior to being issued shipping tags, all nurseries, dealer and growers, will need to be inspected. Tags are good until December 31^st of the current certificate year.

Certain plants are prohibited in the State of Alabama and therefore, those nurseries cannot ship those plants into our state.

Certified nursery growers typically require the buyer to be a registered nursery or landscape professional (i.e., have a nursery number issued by the Department of Agriculture) before they will sell at wholesale prices. Individual homeowners or people not engaged in the selling of live plants, are not allowed to apply for a nursery dealer’s certificate for the sole purpose of buying plants wholesale for their personal use.

Plants for resell should not be purchased from uncertified sources as they run the risk of spreading disease and plant pest. You should only purchase from plant sources that have been certified and inspected.

If you sell live plants, plants with a root system and in soil, you are required to have a nursery dealer certificate. If you only sell cut flowers, you do not. Please call if you have questions about the plants you carry.

All nurseries are subject to inspection at any time. Nursery growers are inspected once a year (more often if required) when plants are present. Nursery dealers are typically inspected once every 2 – 3 years. However, dealers who deal in a large volume of plants will be inspected every year, like growers. In addition, all dealers who ship will be inspected prior to being issued shipping tags and will be subject to annual inspections, like growers.

Homeowners should consult their County Cooperative Extension Agent or a local nursery for information about treating or combating plant pest/diseases. Nursery grower/dealers should contact their inspector, who may refer them to an appropriate agency for additional assistance.

Yes

No

We would prefer that you not pay in person as we are not set up to accept payment in person. If you must pay in person, please call ahead and make an appointment to ensure that we have the proper paperwork ready, and staff is available to assist you.

Check or money order is preferred. If you must pay in cash, only correct change is accepted. Anything above the required fee will be considered a donation.

Only online.

Checks and money orders are the preferred payment method for all mail in applications. Please make the check/money order payable to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.

A list of certified Nursery Growers and Dealers is available on their respective program webpages. The Department of Agriculture and Industries does not maintain a list of the plants individual nurseries sell.  Most large nurseries carry plants that grow well in our region, and many can order specific plants they do not carry, if you ask.

: Homeowners cannot import or grow plants that are on the noxious weed list, originate in a quarantined area, or that are prohibited by USDA APHIS PPQ.  In addition, no citrus trees may be imported from outside the state unless they come from a USDA/APHIS certified citrus nursery.

You may report pest, disease and invasive plants to your local County Extension Agent, your Inspector and/or to the Plant Protection division of the Department of Agriculture and Industries.