Severe weather preparedness tax holiday to be held Feb. 21-23
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By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
The state’s fourteenth annual severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday will be held in two weeks, allowing shoppers to stock up on supplies needed to prepare for a natural disaster or general emergencies.
The weather preparedness sales tax holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday, February 21, and ends at midnight Sunday, February 23. During this weekend Alabama shoppers can use the opportunity to stock up, tax free, on common supplies costing less than $60 to help them be prepared for severe weather events or other emergencies.
Generators costing $1,000 or less can also be purchased free of the state’s 4% sales tax during the three-day tax holiday, as well as free of county and municipal sales taxes in participating areas.
Alabama’s local governments have the option of participating in the tax holiday by adopting a resolution or ordinance 30 days prior to the sales tax holiday weekend.
Locally, Coosa County adopted a resolution to participate in the sales tax holiday, and all three of the county’s municipalities have also opted to participate and waive taxes. This means qualifying purchases made in Goodwater, Kellyton, Rockford, and other areas of Coosa County will be exempt from state, county and local sales taxes.
For the tax holiday weekend, the Alabama Retail Association encourages Alabama residents to restock emergency supplies in homes, workplaces and vehicles.
Tax-exempt items include the following, priced at $60 or less each: flashlights, lanterns, battery-powered or hand-crank radio, batteries, first-aid kits, cell phone chargers, NOAA weather radios, two-way radios, manual can openers, tarps and plastic sheeting, duct tape, fire extinguishers, tie-down kits, bungee cords, rope. Regarding batteries, coin batteries, automobile and boat batteries are not eligible for tax exemption.
Additional tax-free items include coolers, ice packs, plywood, window film, and smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detectors.
Portable generators and power cords costing $1,000 or less are also exempt from sales taxes during the sales tax holiday weekend.
“Severe weather can occur at any time, in any season,” said Alabama Retail President Rick Brown. “The February tax holiday helps Alabama consumers remember to stock and prepare emergency kits to be ready when storms strike.”
Hardware stores throughout the state are also prepared to serve their communities in the event of a natural disaster.
The Alabama Retail Association shared that Frank Davies, owner of Little Hardware in Mountain Brook, stated, “Customers come in and buy all the flashlights, batteries, kerosene, lamp oil, and whatever they need [after a storm hits].”
However, Davies said that in his experience few know about or take advantage of the state’s annual severe weather sales tax holiday. He said that many do not prepare and instead wait until it happens and then scramble to deal with the aftermath.
Many of the items that ready.gov recommends for a basic disaster supply kit are included in the tax-free items in Alabama February 21-23.
Alabama is among at least three states with a severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday in 2025. The Texas holiday is April 26-28, and Virginia’s annual tax holiday will be August 1-3, the first full weekend of August.
Florida’s legislature decides each year when and if to have a disaster preparedness sales tax holiday. In 2024, Florida had two such tax holiday periods – June 1-14 and August 24-September 6.
For more information on Alabama’s sales tax holidays, visit https://alabamaretail.org/resources/salestaxholidays.
