Calhoun County’s government lists no planning, zoning or building inspection department, and it publishes no county building permit or fee for unincorporated land. Its Highway Department (256-237-4657) permits driveway turnouts and utility work on county right-of-way. Building permits are issued city by city: Anniston through its online GovWell portal, Oxford at Building Services, Jacksonville at Planning and Building, and Piedmont at Building Inspection. Weaver has stopped issuing building permits and now issues zoning permits only.
What construction approvals apply in Calhoun County?
For land outside every city, the county publishes three things that touch a building project:
County Highway Department
- Turnouts: a permit is required before a driveway turnout is installed on a county road
- Utility Permit: any utility work on county right-of-way must be approved before it starts
- Stormwater: the county is a Phase II stormwater community, and construction site runoff control is part of its program
- Fences near the road: the setback depends on the road’s right-of-way, so the department asks owners to call first
Not published by the county
- Building permits
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas permits
- Zoning approvals
- Certificates of occupancy
- Septic permits, which come from the Calhoun County Health Department
The county’s Environmental and Enforcement Office (256-241-2942) enforces solid waste and littering laws and the county Public Nuisance Law. It is not a building department.
Who issues building permits in Calhoun County?
Nine incorporated places lie wholly or partly in the county. This is what each one’s official site says.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Anniston (county seat) | City Building & Safety Department, through the GovWell online permitting portal. The City enforces the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code | 256-231-7720 |
| Oxford | City Building Services, for work inside the city. Its Permit Fees 2026 sheet charges by total job cost, and its code list is the 2015 International Codes | 42 Public Works Drive, 256-831-9685 |
| Jacksonville | Building Division of the Planning and Building Department. City Code Sec. 6-21 adopts the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code | 320 Church Ave. SE, (256) 782-3840 |
| Piedmont | City Building Inspection, which issues building permits and inspects new construction, renovations and additions. A permit is good for 1 year | City Hall, 109 North Center Ave, 256-447-3582 |
| Southside (small part in Calhoun County) | City Building Department; all construction and renovation in the city limits must be permitted, except repairs of $1,000 or less that do not change the structure. City Code Sec. 8-23 adopts the 2021 International Codes | (256) 442-9775 |
| Glencoe (small part in Calhoun County) | City permits for new construction, additions and remodeling inside the corporate limits, with separate trade and roofing permits. City Code Chapter 8 adopts the 2015 International Building and Residential Codes and sets the fees | (256) 492-1424 |
| Weaver | The City no longer issues building permits. It still issues zoning permits for all new construction and for additions that add square footage | (256) 820-1121 ext. 104 |
| Ohatchee | The town publishes no permit information. The Alabama EMA Division G hazard mitigation plan lists code enforcement but no zoning ordinance for Ohatchee; ask Town Hall, 7801 AL Highway 77 | (256) 892-3233 |
| Hobson City | Nothing about permits is on the town website. The same plan lists a zoning ordinance, under update, and code enforcement for the town; ask Town Hall | 256-831-4940 |
| Unincorporated Calhoun County | No county building department is listed and no county building permit is published | Commission office, (256) 241-2800 |
Rodney McCain is the County Engineer. The Highway Department is at 160 Seaton Drive in the McClellan industrial area of Anniston and is open 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.
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Get a free quote →Calhoun County permit types by office
- County Utility Permit. A one-page request to the County Engineer, with a detailed drawing of the project, for any utility work on county right-of-way.
- County turnout permit. Requested from the Highway Department, whose maintenance crews install turnouts.
- Anniston. Building permits are applied for and managed in the GovWell portal, and the City also posts a Permit to Develop in a special flood hazard area, a Land Disturbance Permit, a sign permit application and a Certificate of Appropriateness for its historic districts.
- Jacksonville. The Building Inspector handles building permits, inspections, flood zone information and sign permits.
- Weaver. A zoning permit from the Code Enforcement Officer for new construction or an addition.
Calhoun County permit fees
Calhoun County publishes no building permit and no building permit fee. The county’s Utility Permit form and its turnout requirement list no fee on the county website; ask the Highway Department on 256-237-4657 what applies.
Each city sets its own fees, and four of them publish the figures:
| City and source | Fee basis |
|---|---|
| Anniston, Permitting Fees & Codes page | $25 for the first $2,000 of project value (the contract amount) plus $7 per $1,000 after that; commercial permits add $1 per $1,000 for the state craft fee |
| Oxford, Permit Fees 2026 | $3.75 up to $500 of total job cost and $7.50 from $501 to $1,000, then $7.50 per $1,000, each with a $10 issuance fee; commercial jobs add $1 per $1,000 |
| Glencoe, City Code Sec. 8-238, residential | $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000; $260 plus $4 per $1,000 to $100,000; $460 plus $3 per $1,000 to $500,000; $1,660 plus $2 per $1,000 above that |
| Glencoe, commercial | $15 for the first $1,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000; $309 plus $5 per $1,000 to $100,000; $559 plus $4 per $1,000 to $500,000; $2,159 plus $3 per $1,000 above that |
| Glencoe, other charges | Plan review $50; re-inspection $25; demolition $50; swimming pool $50; jobs of $500 and less pay only $25 per inspection, if one is needed |
| Southside, City Code Sec. 8-59 to 8-61 | Set by the Mayor and City Council and not printed in the code; commercial permits add $1 per $1,000 |
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →For example, a $150,000 house contract pays $25 plus 148 × $7, which is $1,061, in Anniston, and $460 plus 50 × $3, which is $610, in Glencoe. Oxford doubles the permit cost when work starts without one, and Southside can add a penalty of up to 100% of the fee. Jacksonville and Piedmont post no fee schedule.
Trades and septic in Calhoun County
The county publishes no trade permits. Inside the cities, trade permits come from the same office as the building permit; Glencoe, for example, requires separate permits for roofing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing work.
Septic tank requests anywhere in the county go to the Environmental Office of the Calhoun County Health Department, 3400 McClellan Boulevard, Anniston (256-237-4324).
Application documents for Calhoun County
The county’s Utility Permit asks for the applicant’s name, address and phone, the utility’s job number, the location of the work and a detailed drawing. It goes to the County Engineer at 160 Seaton Drive.
For a building permit, follow the checklist of the city concerned. Anniston publishes its site development plan requirements and a list of what requires a permit, and Oxford posts its permit applications and adopted building codes on the Building Services page. Piedmont asks for 1 set of complete drawings for a house, 2 stamped sets for a commercial building and the sub-contractor list with any application for new construction.
How to apply in Calhoun County: 5 steps
Anniston, Oxford, Jacksonville, Piedmont, Weaver, Ohatchee, Hobson City, Southside and Glencoe each decide what happens inside their limits.
Ask about a turnout permit and the right-of-way width before placing a driveway or fence.
Contact the Health Department’s Environmental Office if the site has no sewer.
Use Anniston’s GovWell portal, or go to Oxford Building Services, Jacksonville Planning and Building or Piedmont Building Inspection at City Hall (256-447-3582).
New construction and additions that add square footage still need one from the Code Enforcement Officer.
Rather not deal with the Calhoun County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections and closeout in Calhoun County
The county lists no building inspector and publishes no inspection or certificate of occupancy process for a building on unincorporated land. City permits are inspected by the issuing city: Jacksonville’s Building Inspector covers inspections along with permits, and Southside’s Building Department inspects all construction and renovation work it permits.
Oxford Building Services keeps counter hours of 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, Monday to Friday, Jacksonville’s office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and Piedmont Building Inspection from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Calhoun County-specific permit considerations
Weaver: the end of City building permits does not remove zoning control. Check the zoning map and get the zoning permit before building.
Stormwater: Calhoun County holds a Phase II municipal stormwater permit and must control construction site runoff in its urbanized area. Stormwater concerns go to the Assistant County Engineer at (256) 237-4657.
Nuisance law: on unincorporated land, the Environmental and Enforcement Office at 1702 Noble Street, Suite 101, handles illegal dumping, litter and public nuisance complaints. It is open 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
City limits and police jurisdictions: Glencoe’s and Southside’s codes tie their building permits to the corporate limits, and Oxford’s fee sheet covers improvements made within the city. Two rules do reach further: Southside requires a fence around any swimming pool on land in its police jurisdiction, and Anniston’s code lets the City Council declare a dilapidated building in its police jurisdiction a nuisance.
Flood zones outside the cities: FEMA lists Calhoun County as a National Flood Insurance Program community with flood maps dated March 16, 2016, so development in a mapped flood zone on unincorporated land is regulated even though the county website posts no flood permit form. The Commission office on (256) 241-2800 can direct the question.
County roads only: the Highway Department builds and maintains the roads and bridges outside the city limits of the county’s municipalities.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Alabama building code
From 1 January 2027, under Act 2024-443, a residential home builder must build to the applicable residential code (the Alabama Residential Building Code, or the local code where one applies) even where no building department inspects the work. Since 1 October 2024 the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board adopts the residential code, and the Licensing Board for General Contractors the commercial energy code. Alabama’s codes and the 2027 change
Official Calhoun County resources
- Calhoun County Commission
- Calhoun County Highway Department
- Calhoun County Utility Permit for right-of-way work
- Calhoun County Environmental and Enforcement Office
- City of Anniston Building & Safety
- City of Anniston permitting fees and codes
- City of Oxford Building Services
- City of Jacksonville Planning and Building
- City of Piedmont Building Inspection
- City of Glencoe Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8: building permits and fees
- City of Southside Code of Ordinances, Chapter 8: building codes and permits
- City of Weaver code enforcement and zoning permits
- Calhoun County Health Department
- Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board
- Alabama Division of Construction Management
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Calhoun County building permit FAQs
Does Calhoun County issue building permits?
No county building permit is published, and the county lists no building, planning or zoning department. The Highway Department issues turnout and utility permits for county roads.
Who issues building permits in Anniston?
The City’s Building & Safety Department, through its GovWell online portal. The office number for construction permits is 256-231-7720.
How much is a building permit in Anniston or Oxford?
Anniston charges $25 for the first $2,000 of project value plus $7 per $1,000 after that. Oxford’s 2026 sheet charges $7.50 per $1,000 of total job cost plus a $10 issuance fee. Commercial permits in both cities add $1 per $1,000.
Does Weaver require a building permit?
The City says it no longer issues building permits. It does still issue zoning permits for all new construction and for additions that add square footage.
Where do I get a building permit in Oxford?
At City Building Services, 42 Public Works Drive, 256-831-9685, open 7:00 am to 3:30 pm on weekdays.
Do I need a permit for a driveway on a county road?
Yes. The Highway Department lists turnout installation as permit required. Call 256-237-4657.
Where do I get a septic permit in Calhoun County?
From the Calhoun County Health Department at 3400 McClellan Boulevard in Anniston. The environmental line is 256-237-4324.
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More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Calhoun County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.