Shelby County building department

Shelby County’s Department of Development Services handles planning, land development, building permits, fire safety review, and inspections. It covers unincorporated Shelby County and several municipalities that use county inspections. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and takes Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. Christie Hester is Director, Patrick Anderson is Building Official, and Ashley Johnson supervises inspections.

One permit covers all trades

The county issues one permit per project. It covers structural, electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing work as applicable, so you don’t pull separate trade permits. The county also notes that the property owner is responsible for making sure a permit is obtained, even if a contractor is hired.

Work that needs a permit

The county’s list includes:

• All new construction, including moved homes, manufactured homes, RV hookups, and any accessory structure, even a prefabricated storage building on skids
• Any project over 200 square feet, and any change to a building’s footprint: additions, decks, porches, balconies
• Structural changes, such as alterations to load-bearing walls
• Roofing and siding: re-roofing (roofing material replacement), new siding, new windows
• Water heaters, plumbing, and electrical: water heater replacement; adding or removing plumbing; electrical work, including a new service or even moving an outlet
• Pools and spas: swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas
• Fences over 7 feet tall
• Cell tower modifications

Work that does not need a permit

• Fences under 7 feet
• Retaining walls under 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall
• Sidewalks and driveways
• Residential playground equipment
• Painting, flooring, countertops, and faucet replacement

Adopted codes

Code	Edition
International Building Code (plus Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Fire codes)	2024
International Residential Code, with Appendix G	2015
International Energy Conservation Code	2015
National Electrical Code	2026
ICC A117.1 accessibility standard	2017

Non-residential permits also carry the state Construction Industry Craft Training Fee (Act 2015-308): $1 per $1,000 of authorized construction.

What to bring when you apply

Permits are filed with paper or fillable PDF forms; there is no online portal. To apply, bring:

1. Building Permit Application (Application for Improvements) and the $100 application fee. Checks go to the Shelby County Commission.
2. Sewer or septic authorization. If you’re on septic, get the Sewer/Septic Tank Authorization Form from the Shelby County Health Department, (205) 685-4178. If you’re on sewer, bring the paid impact fee letter from your provider (for example, SouthWest Water, Hoover Sewer, or Birmingham Sewer).
3. Zoning approval. Planning Services provides it for unincorporated Shelby County, Montevallo, Vincent, and Wilsonville. If the property is in Chelsea, Columbiana, Indian Springs Village, or Wilton, get zoning approval from that town first, then apply to the county.
4. A physical address. The 911 Business Office, (205) 439-6911, assigns addresses.
5. A plot plan showing the structure’s location, setbacks, and erosion control layout (silt fence, hay bales).
6. Plans and contractor license documentation.

Plan requirements

Residential: one set of plans, drawn to scale. Include:

• foundation plan
• floor plan with dimensions
• roof plan
• front, rear, and side elevations

Decks, porches, and additions also need pier locations, beam and joist sizes and spans, and rafter and header sizes if roofed. A deck must be self-supported if its attachment to the house can’t be verified. Exterior walls less than 5 feet from a property line must be designed using IRC Table R302.1(1). The reviewed set must stay on the job site.

Commercial: one hard copy plus a PDF set, submitted on CD or thumb drive or emailed to [email protected]. Requirements:

• Architectural drawings must be stamped by an Alabama architect for projects of 2,500 sq ft or more, and for all assembly and educational occupancies.
• Electrical drawings must be stamped by an Alabama electrical engineer.
• A COMcheck certificate is required for 2015 IECC compliance.
• One set of plans goes to the local fire district with a Fire District Affidavit.

Setback surveys and floodplain

In zoned areas, a setback verification survey by an Alabama-registered land surveyor is required. It confirms new buildings, additions, covered structures, pools, and accessory buildings meet setbacks, and it is done after the footing (or a monolithic slab) is poured. If you build before the survey is verified, you do so at your own risk. The county says the Planning Commission will not grant a variance for a setback violation of this kind.

If the site is in a FEMA floodplain, you need a Flood Plain Development Permit, a survey, and an elevation certificate. The project is placed on hold until the elevation certificate is approved.

Inspections

The county lists inspections in this order, as each applies:

1. temporary service, footing, in-slab plumbing, electrical, and mechanical, and slab
2. setback survey
3. building sewer to the septic tank
4. erosion control
5. energy (house wrap must be finished before exterior cladding goes on)
6. electrical, plumbing, gas, and mechanical rough-ins
7. framing, with a subcontractor affidavit
8. insulation
9. finals, including duct pressure and blower door test results
10. certificate of occupancy or completion

Under Ordinance No. 98-09-28-8, erosion controls must be in place before earthwork begins. If the controls are in violation, inspections are withheld.

Licensing and homeowner permits

All contractors need a Section 84 county business license. Residential builders need an Alabama Home Builders license for contracts over $10,000, and roofers need one for contracts over $2,500. A state general contractor license is required for most commercial trade contracts over $100,000.

Property owners may act as their own contractor on property for their own use, with two exceptions:

• Electrical work requires passing a county competency exam, which covers site-built homes and 100 or 200 amp manufactured homes.
• Gas work must be done by a licensed contractor.

For manufactured homes and RVs, the electrical hookup can be done by a Shelby County master-certified electrician or a state electrical contractor. Alternatively, the resident can take the county’s free, open-book homeowner exam, given 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.