Madison County building department

Madison County Building and Fire Inspection issues permits and performs inspections for unincorporated Madison County. Property inside Huntsville city limits is handled by the City of Huntsville Inspection Department instead.

The county office is at 266-A Shields Road, Huntsville. Its posted hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., which is earlier than the county courthouse and service center. The department also enforces state contractor licensing under the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board and the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors.

Apply through CityView

Permits are handled in CityView, the county’s online portal. Through it you apply for permits, upload plans, pay fees, schedule inspections, and see results. The portal is available around the clock.

Work that needs a permit:

• new homes and accessory buildings
• plumbing, electrical (including disconnections), mechanical, and fuel gas work
• roofing and re-roofing
• window replacement
• siding
• pools and spas
• signs
• communication towers
• solar PV
• fire alarm and sprinkler systems
• all commercial construction

Exemptions are listed in the county’s construction resolutions.

What a residential application needs:

1. An address assigned by the Madison County Addressing Department
2. Sewer or septic approval
3. Complete plans. Include:
   • a floor plan with heated, unheated, and under-beam square footage
   • foundation and framing details
   • mechanical, electrical, and plumbing layouts
   • a site plan with building lines, easements, and property lines
   • code compliance notes (egress, smoke and CO alarms, attic and crawlspace ventilation, drip edge, electrical service size, and similar items)
4. Sealed engineering for anything outside the IRC’s prescriptive rules
5. Architect-sealed drawings for any building with two or more dwellings, including duplexes and townhomes
6. Builder documents: Alabama Home Builders license, certificate of insurance, and state business license

Temporary power. Huntsville Utilities no longer rents temporary construction poles. Builders now put up their own pole under a Temporary Power Pole permit from CityView. The county publishes overhead and underground pole specifications. When it’s time for permanent power, upload the Temporary Power Affidavit to CityView.

Residential fees

These come from the fee table in the Residential Construction Resolution. Where a table lists both a minimum and a rate, you pay whichever is higher.

Permit	Fee
New building or addition	$0.17 per sq ft under beam, $150 minimum
Renovation	0.75% of project cost, $150 minimum
Roof only / windows only	$75 each
Pole barn (non-habitable)	$0.025 per sq ft, $250 minimum
Pool (new or renovation)	$250 flat
Mechanical, plumbing, or electrical, new home or renovation	$0.025 per sq ft each, $75 minimum
Gas	$75 (250,000 BTU or less); $150 (over)
Temporary pole or RV hookup	$75
Temp 30/60 power	$150
Special Flood Hazard Area	$150
Demolition	$150
Plan review	$50 (10,000 sq ft or less); $100 (over)
Re-inspection	$50 first, $75 second, $100 third and later
Home Builder’s Academy fee	$20 per building permit; $10 per trade sub-permit

After-hours inspections cost $500 per inspection type and need approval from the Building Official. Commercial fees are on a separate Commercial Permit Fee Table.

Codes

The county’s resolutions took effect in January 2021. The current codes are:

• 2018 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Swimming Pool and Spa codes
• 2017 National Electrical Code
• 2018 International Fire Code and 2018 NFPA Life Safety Code for commercial work
• 2015 IECC, under state mandate

There are separate residential and commercial resolutions with local amendments. The county says it does not plan any code changes in the next 12 months.

Inspections

The contractor or permit holder requests inspections by email, by phone, or through CityView. Requests must arrive by 2:00 p.m. one business day before the inspection date. Requests after 2:00 p.m. are not scheduled for the next business day.

Typical residential inspections, in order:

1. footing and foundation
2. under-slab plumbing
3. floor system framing and anchoring
4. exterior dry-in, before brick or siding
5. firewall membrane, where applicable
6. framing and trade rough-ins
7. energy compliance
8. temporary power
9. final

The county does not do energy compliance inspections. Huntsville Utilities or a private accredited agency performs them.

Closeout. Before you request the building final, submit:

• the final subcontractor list
• final septic approval or sewer connection confirmation
• passed rough and final energy compliance reports

The certificate of occupancy is issued within two business days after the final passes.

Zoning, commercial, and nontraditional structures

Zoning. Unincorporated Madison County has no zoning that limits construction projects or signs. Building, fire, and trade codes still apply. For other land-use regulations, contact Madison County Public Works at (256) 746-2900.

Commercial projects. Commercial work includes anything other than a one- or two-family home. Submit the commercial site plan to Public Works before the building plan review, although the two reviews usually run at the same time.

Sheds and shipping containers used as homes. The county does not treat sheds, shipping containers, and similar structures as code-compliant dwellings. An owner can convert one only with a complete set of construction documents from a licensed engineer or design professional.