Prattville Adopts Tax Holiday Ordinance, Exempting Covered Items This July

Prattville families who time their back-to-school runs carefully could avoid paying any of the city's 3.5% municipal sales tax on qualifying purchases this July. Mayor Bill Gillespie, Jr. signed Ordinance 2026-006 into law, waiving the city's sales and use tax on "covered items" for the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday window: 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 17, through midnight Sunday, July 19, 2026.

The savings are real. The National Retail Federation's back-to-school survey found families of K-12 students plan to spend an average of roughly $875 on clothing, shoes, supplies and electronics. In Prattville, where the combined state, county and city sales tax rate sits at 9.5%, a family spending near that figure on qualifying items could pocket more than $83 over the three-day weekend. Autauga County adopted its own annual holiday exemption back in 2017, so county-level tax drops away too, leaving Prattville shoppers exempt from all three layers during the holiday.

The state defines covered items under Alabama Department of Revenue Rule 810-6-3-.65. For the 2026 holiday, the rule covers individual articles of clothing priced at $156 or less, school supplies and instructional materials priced at $78 or less per item, and computers and books. The $78 supply threshold is notably higher than the $50 limit that applied through the 2025 holiday, giving families a wider exemption on pricier supply lists. Full guidance on which specific products qualify is available through the Alabama Department of Revenue.

The Prattville City Council adopted Ordinance 2026-006 on March 17, 2026; the city posted it online March 23. The ordinance aligns Prattville with the state statutory framework established under Sections 40-23-210 through 40-23-213 of the Code of Alabama. According to a Citizen Portal report on the council meeting, Councilor Strzyczyk introduced the ordinance and the council suspended its rules by point of order to allow a same-night vote; a roll-call vote followed with councilors recording affirmative votes. Council President Michael P. Whaley and City Clerk Paula G. Barlow both authenticated the ordinance that evening. Section 3 directs Barlow to certify a copy under the city seal and forward it to the Alabama Department of Revenue for recording and posting on the department's website.

Retailers inside Prattville city limits must follow Department of Revenue guidance to apply the exemption correctly in their point-of-sale systems. Shoppers should verify which specific purchases fall within the covered-items definitions and hold onto receipts in case any questions arise at checkout.

One detail worth tracking for next year: Prattville's ordinance explicitly limits the exemption to 2026. Section 2 states the time period applies as specified in the ordinance "and not for all years thereafter," meaning the council would need to act again to participate in the 2027 holiday, in contrast to Autauga County's standing annual adoption.