Coffee County’s Commission says there are no zoning restrictions, ordinances or building codes in the unincorporated county, with three exceptions: the Subdivision Regulations run by the County Engineer’s Office (334-894-6112), the Flood Damage Prevention Resolution handled by county Emergency Management (334-894-5415), and the reach of Enterprise’s jurisdiction beyond its city limits. Since February 9, 2026 the county also regulates communities of two or more leased lots or dwellings. A driveway built by a contractor onto a county road needs a $100 permit.
What needs approval in Coffee County?
Unincorporated county: not regulated
- Building a house, addition, shop or barn: no county building permit
- Zoning or land use approval
- Building code inspections
Unincorporated county: regulated
- Any division of land: Subdivision Regulations
- Manufactured or tiny home communities, RV parks, apartment complexes and townhome communities with two or more leased lots or units: Permit to Develop
- Development in a floodplain: Coffee County Development Permit
- A new driveway onto a county road
- Any work in a county right-of-way or public easement: Right-of-Way Utilization Permit
- A septic system: county health department permit
Inside the cities the picture changes. Enterprise permits building work under the 2021 International Codes. Elba’s code requires a building permit for construction and for alterations or repairs over $500. New Brockton issues a zoning compliance permit for any permitted use or structural alteration and a separate permit to install or replace a manufactured home.
Who issues permits in Coffee County?
| Area | Office |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated county | County Engineer’s Office, 1165 E. McKinnon Street, New Brockton, 334-894-6112: subdivisions, community developments, driveways, right-of-way permits and addresses. No building permits |
| Floodplain, countywide outside the cities | Coffee County Emergency Management Agency, 1065 E. McKinnon Street, 8 County Complex, New Brockton, 334-894-5415 |
| Enterprise | City Engineering Department, City Hall, 501 S Main Street, 334-348-2671. The county notes that Enterprise’s jurisdiction extends past the city limits |
| Elba | City building inspector, appointed by the Mayor; City Hall 334-897-2333. Section 1-4 of Elba’s code applies the code and every city ordinance in the police jurisdiction, the 1.5 miles around the city limits |
| New Brockton | Town building inspector, who is also the zoning enforcement officer; Town Hall, 706 East McKinnon Street, 334-894-5283. Flood development permits in the town go to the county EMA director, whom the town code names as its floodplain administrator |
| Kinston | The published sources do not say; ask town hall, 334-565-3188 |
| Septic systems | Coffee County Health Department, 2841 Neal Metcalf Road, Enterprise, 334-347-9574 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The Engineer’s Office is open Monday to Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Commission meets at 9:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 1065 East McKinnon Street, New Brockton, and it is the Commission that votes on plats and community development plans after the County Engineer has reviewed them.
County applications
- Proposed plat application under the 2022 Subdivision Regulations, in force since January 1, 2023. The regulations can be printed from the county website or bought at the Engineer’s Office.
- Proposed Community Development Plan under the Community Development Regulations, for manufactured or tiny home communities, RV parks, combined parks, apartment complexes and townhome communities held for lease.
- Driveway Installation Request, an online form, when county crews will build the driveway.
- Driveway Permit Application, when a contractor or licensed homebuilder will build it.
- Right-of-Way Utilization Permit, one application per road, for underground and overhead utilities, wireless facilities and other use of the right-of-way.
- Address Request Form, online, for a new address or to verify an existing one.
- Coffee County Development Permit Application and flood hazard determination, returned to county EMA by mail, in person or by email.
Developments that sell or convey individual lots fall under the Subdivision Regulations; those that only lease lots or units fall under the Community Development Regulations. Lots or dwellings used only by the owner’s immediate family can be excepted until one is leased to someone outside the family.
Fees in Coffee County
| County approval | Fee |
|---|---|
| Proposed plat review (2022 Subdivision Regulations) | $100 plus $15 per lot |
| Subdivision road fee | $500 plus $0.75 per linear foot of new road inspected |
| Administrative replat | $100 per occurrence |
| Driveway Permit, contractor installation | $100, paid before the right-of-way is disturbed |
| Driveway installed by county crews | Cost of the pipe plus $60 per foot of pipe |
| Dry ramp (no pipe) installed by county crews | $1,200 flat |
| Driveway re-inspection | $50 after a first failed inspection, $100 after a second |
| Selling a subdivision lot without approval | $1,000 fine per lot sold |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The driveway figures come from the Commission’s Driveway Policy, effective June 12, 2023 and revised December 2, 2025. A 30-foot pipe set by county crews therefore costs $1,800 in installation fees plus the pipe. A 10-lot subdivision with 1,000 feet of new road pays $250 for plat review and $1,250 in road fees.
| City | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| Enterprise, project of $5,000 or less | $56.27 permit issuance fee |
| Enterprise, project over $5,000 | $56.27 plus $3.38 per $1,000 of total construction cost |
| Enterprise, commercial project | Add $1 per $1,000 for the State of Alabama Craft Fee |
| Enterprise, re-inspection | $50 for the first, doubled for each later one of the same type |
| Elba, repairs or alterations of $500 or less | No permit or inspection fee |
| Elba, other work | $2 per $1,000 of valuation on the first $25,000, then $1 per $1,000, plus $7.50 per inspection for up to three inspections |
| Elba, moving a building | $10 |
Enterprise’s own fee sheet gives $984.81 as the fee on a $275,000 project, with inspections included. On a $200,000 house Elba’s codified schedule gives $225 plus up to $22.50 in inspection fees. New Brockton’s code says its building permit and inspection fees are set from time to time and prints no amounts.
Trades, septic and utilities
Unincorporated county: with no building codes adopted, the county issues no electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas permits.
Enterprise: the codes adopted on March 7, 2023 include the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
Elba: the city code has separate electrical, gas and plumbing articles, and a gas inspector must approve piping before gas is supplied. The editions it names are the 1991 Standard Building and Gas Codes and the 2009 International Plumbing and Electrical Codes.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Septic: permits come from the Coffee County Health Department in Enterprise, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A leased-lot community sends the county a copy of its health department Large Flow Development application where one applies.
Utilities in the road: the Right-of-Way Utilization Permit application needs a scaled sketch or plans showing the offset from the centerline, the right-of-way and pavement widths, and every cross-drain and driveway pipe in the work area.
Documents for county approvals
Community development plan
- Cover letter submitting the plan for review
- At least 5 copies of the plan at 24 by 36 inches
- At least 2 copies of construction plans for the required improvements
- Letter naming the licensed professional engineer who will inspect construction
- Letter certifying that federal and state permits will be obtained before construction
- Any off-premises drainage easements
- Most recent vesting deed
- Plan review fee set by the county
Driveway permit
- Applicant’s name, email, phone and mailing address
- County road number and location of the entrance
- Whether it is the primary driveway
- Pipe material and length
- Centre of the proposed driveway marked with white flagging ribbon
- Signatures of the homeowner, contractor or homebuilder
A community development application has to reach the County Engineer at least 30 days before the Commission can consider it. The Engineer uses that time to review it and notifies adjoining landowners, affected utilities and the U.S. Army at Fort Rucker of a recommendation to approve.
Steps for a rural Coffee County project
Check whether the parcel is inside Enterprise, Elba, New Brockton or Kinston, and call Enterprise at 334-347-1211 if it lies near that city.
Send the flood hazard determination request to Coffee County EMA; the answer comes within five business days of receipt.
Call the Engineer’s Office at 334-894-6112 and choose county installation or a Driveway Permit for your contractor. Flag the spot first.
On a contractor job, call for inspection before any fill goes around the pipe or any concrete is poured.
Submit the online Address Request once the driveway is installed or its exact location is fixed.
Apply to the health department in Enterprise.
Take a sketch plan to the County Engineer before filing a plat or a community development plan.
Rather not deal with the Coffee County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections
County driveways: an Engineer’s Office representative inspects the flagged location to size the pipe, then inspects the pipe placement or dry-ramp preparation in the ditch before backfill or concrete. Disturbing the right-of-way before the $100 fee is paid counts as a failed inspection.
Subdivisions and community developments: the county inspects new roads, and the developer’s own licensed engineer inspects construction and signs the Engineer’s Certificate of Construction on the final plan. A community’s final plan must be recorded before anyone moves in.
Enterprise: inspection fees are built into the building permit; only re-inspections are charged.
Elba: the building inspector charges for no more than three inspections per permit.
With no building codes adopted for the unincorporated county, there are no county building inspections there.
Local details for Coffee County
Driveway pipe rules: only new aluminized corrugated metal (16 gauge or heavier), reinforced concrete or HDPE pipe is allowed. Pipes run from 30 feet (20 feet for 15-inch pipe) to 100 feet, in 10-foot increments. Contractors must be licensed and bonded and on the Engineer’s pre-approved list, or be approved after the owner nominates them; a licensed homebuilder may install the driveway only for a new home under contract to build.
Timing: county crews aim to start a paid driveway within three weeks.
Driveway upkeep: the Highway Department maintains pipe and gravel driveways within the right-of-way. It does not maintain or replace concrete or asphalt driveways.
Addresses: the Engineer’s Office assigns addresses everywhere except inside Enterprise (334-348-2697), including in Elba, Kinston and New Brockton. Only permanent structures such as dwellings, barns and shop buildings get one. A camper or motor home qualifies only with utility electrical service and sewage facilities, and lots in county-approved subdivisions are addressed after construction is complete.
Tiny homes: the 2026 regulations treat a tiny home, generally 400 square feet or less, as a recreational vehicle if it is on wheels without permanent utilities, and as a manufactured home if it is on a foundation.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Elba outside the limits and in the floodplain: because the city code reaches the police jurisdiction, ask the Elba building inspector before building within 1.5 miles of the city. Development in Elba’s mapped flood hazard areas needs a development permit from the city floodplain administrator.
New Brockton manufactured homes: the town’s permit applies in its police jurisdiction as well as inside the limits, and the home may not be occupied until a town official signs an approval of occupancy.
Subdivision road surety: $40 per linear foot of newly built road.
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 Coffee County resources
- Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board
- Alabama Division of Construction Management
- Coffee County Commission FAQ
- Coffee County Highway Department and County Engineer
- Coffee County 2022 Subdivision Regulations
- Coffee County Community Development Regulations (February 9, 2026)
- Coffee County Driveway Pipe Policy
- Coffee County Driveway Permit Application
- Coffee County Right-of-Way Utilization Permit
- Coffee County addressing
- Coffee County EMA flood hazard determination
- Coffee County Health Department contacts
- City of Enterprise building permits
- City of Elba Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14
- Town of New Brockton ordinances
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Coffee County building permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit in unincorporated Coffee County?
No. The Commission states there are no zoning restrictions, ordinances or building codes there. Subdivision, floodplain, driveway and septic rules still apply.
How much is a driveway permit in Coffee County?
$100 when your contractor installs it. If county crews do the work, you pay for the pipe plus $60 per foot, or $1,200 flat for a dry ramp.
How much is a building permit in Enterprise, AL?
$56.27 for projects of $5,000 or less, and $56.27 plus $3.38 per $1,000 of construction cost above that. Commercial jobs add $1 per $1,000 for the state craft fee.
Can I open an RV park or mobile home park in Coffee County?
Yes, with a Permit to Develop. Since February 9, 2026, any community of two or more leased lots or units needs a Community Development Plan approved by the Commission before construction starts.
Who do I call about building in a flood zone?
Coffee County Emergency Management, 334-894-5415. It issues flood hazard determinations within five business days and takes the county Development Permit Application.
How do I get a 911 address?
Through the County Engineer’s Office, 334-894-6112, or the online Address Request Form. Inside Enterprise, call 334-348-2697.
Does Elba require a permit for small repairs?
Not when the repair or alteration costs $500 or less.
Do Elba’s rules apply outside the city limits?
Elba’s code says it applies in the police jurisdiction, which covers the territory within 1.5 miles of the corporate limits, so call City Hall on 334-897-2333 before building there.
Simplify Coffee County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Alabama. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
Ready to break ground in Coffee County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Coffee County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Coffee County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.