Dale County does not issue building permits for land outside its cities and towns. In a letter dated April 14, 2025, the County Engineer states that the County Commission has no building or zoning codes in the unincorporated areas and issues no certificates of occupancy. Permits come from the municipality when the site is inside one, or inside its planning and zoning jurisdiction; in the county seat that is the City of Ozark Inspection Department (334-774-9190).
What needs a permit in Dale County?
In the unincorporated county, no building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit exists. Four things do need county approval, the first three through the Road and Bridge Department:
- Driveways. Every driveway installed on a county right-of-way needs a county driveway permit, and the county sizes the drainage pipe.
- Utilities in the right-of-way. A separate utility permit covers lines placed along county roads.
- Subdivisions. Dividing land for development falls under the county’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations and needs a Permit to Develop.
- Building in a flood zone. Under the county’s Floodplain Development Ordinance of December 9, 2025, a Floodplain Development Permit from the Floodplain Administrator, who is the county EMA Director, is required before any development in a mapped special flood hazard area.
The County Engineer’s letter adds one instruction: check whether the parcel lies within a municipality’s planning and zoning jurisdiction, because a city’s rules can reach past its limits.
Who issues building permits, place by place
Dale County contains 12 incorporated places, two of which (Dothan and Enterprise) lie mostly in neighboring counties.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated Dale County | No one. The County Commission has no building or zoning codes and issues no certificates of occupancy. | County Engineer, 334-774-5875 |
| Ozark | City of Ozark Inspection Department, led by the Building Official & Inspector. The city code adopts its building codes for buildings within the corporate limits. | 334-774-9190 |
| Daleville | The City; building permits are available at City Hall. Daleville’s code applies every section in the police jurisdiction as well as inside the limits unless the section says otherwise. | 740 S. Daleville Avenue, 334-598-2345 |
| Dothan (the part in Dale County) | City of Dothan Permits & Inspections office. See the Dothan guide. | 1st floor, Dothan Civic Center, 126 N Saint Andrews Street |
| Enterprise (the part in Dale County) | City of Enterprise Engineering Department. | 501 S Main Street, Enterprise, 334-348-2671 |
| Midland City | The City’s Municipal Building Inspector, who is also the zoning enforcement officer. The zoning ordinance allows no building to be erected or altered until the inspector has issued a Building Permit and a Certificate of Zoning Compliance. | City Hall, 334-983-3511 |
| Pinckard | The town’s forms and permits page is still under construction and tells applicants to contact the office. | Town office, 334-983-3517 |
| Ariton | The regional hazard mitigation plan lists code enforcement but no zoning ordinance; the town publishes no permit procedure. | Ariton Town Hall, 334-762-2266 |
| Newton | The plan lists no zoning ordinance and no code enforcement. The ordinances the Town posts include a permit to move a mobile or manufactured home on town streets, but none on building permits; Town Hall lists a code enforcement officer. | Town Hall, 9 N. College Street, 334-299-3361 |
| Clayhatchee, Grimes and Napier Field | The same plan lists no zoning ordinance and no code enforcement in these towns; the two ordinances Grimes posts cover business licences and animals. | Clayhatchee 334-598-4321; Grimes, 1984 County Road 25, 334-803-0224; Napier Field, 400 Headquarters Street, 334-983-3548 |
| Level Plains | The published sources do not say. | Level Plains City Hall, 1708 Joe Bruer Road, 334-347-0422 |
The plan cited is the Southeast Alabama Regional Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2020 update), published by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Its table also marks Dale County itself as having zoning and code enforcement, which the County Engineer’s 2025 letter contradicts; the newer letter is the one to rely on.
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Get a free quote →County forms: driveway, utility and subdivision
Road and Bridge posts these documents on its page:
- Driveway Permit, the landowner’s request to build a private entrance onto a county road. The turnout must be finished within one year of the application date or the permit is void.
- Dale County Driveway Policy, which sets who installs what and which pipe materials are approved.
- Utility Permit, for work in the county right-of-way.
- Subdivision Rules and Regulations, adopted by Commission resolution in 2013.
- Building or Zoning Codes Dale County, the County Engineer’s letter that lenders and utilities can be given as proof that no county building permit applies.
Permit costs in Dale County
Ozark posts its building permit fees on its Inspection Department page; the county’s own charges are few.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Dale County building permit | None; the county issues no building permit |
| Dale County Permit to Develop (subdivisions) | $25 |
| Dale County residential driveway | The county installs it; the owner supplies the pipe |
| Ozark, work valued at $1,000 or less | No fee unless an inspection is needed. The City’s page then charges $10 per inspection; Section 5-93 of the city code, amended in 2014, makes it a $20 flat permit fee |
| Ozark, dwellings | $2 per $1,000 of valuation or fraction, with the home valued at $50 per sq ft of heated area |
| Ozark, commercial and industrial | $2 per $1,000 of contract cost or fraction |
| Daleville, valuation of $100 or less | No fee |
| Daleville, valuation over $100 | One-eighth of 1% of the valuation ($1.25 per $1,000), $10 minimum |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →In Ozark, a new 2,000 sq ft heated home is valued at $100,000, which makes the building permit $200. Ozark doubles its fees when work starts before the permit is issued. In Daleville the city code sets the fee at one-eighth of 1% of the valuation, so a $200,000 house pays $250.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and septic work
Trade permits follow the same rule as building permits: none from the county, and the city’s own schedule inside a municipality. Ozark prices electrical permits by outlet count ($5 for 1 to 25 outlets, $10 for 26 to 50, $15 for 51 to 100, $30 for 101 to 200), plumbing permits at $10 for the first fixture and $5 for each additional one, and mechanical permits at a flat $20. Its gas permit is $10, a fence permit $10, and pool, demolition and moving permits $25 each.
Septic systems anywhere in the county are permitted by the Dale County Health Department, 532 W. Roy Parker Road, Ozark (334-774-5146), open 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.
What the driveway application needs
The driveway permit form asks for the county road number, the full address and the type of entrance: residential, farm or field, commercial, an extension, or a second drive. By signing, the owner agrees to build to the County Engineer’s instructions, to keep the drainage structure clean and maintained at the owner’s expense, and to let the county remove or rebuild the turnout if the Engineer finds that necessary.
Approved pipe is 16 gauge corrugated metal, reinforced concrete or HDPE plastic, at least 15 inches in diameter and 30 feet long. HDPE pipe must carry the Plastic Pipe Institute certification sticker.
How to proceed: 6 steps
Decide whether it is inside a city or town, inside a city’s planning and zoning jurisdiction, or in the open county.
Use the table above; Ozark, Daleville, Dothan, Enterprise and Midland City each handle their own permits.
Apply to the Dale County Health Department before building on a lot without sewer.
Send the form to Road and Bridge at 1725 County Road 30, Ozark, or call 334-774-5875.
For a residence the county installs one private driveway and supplies up to 60 cubic yards of fill dirt; you deliver the pipe to the site.
Keep a copy of the County Engineer’s letter on file, since the county issues no certificate of occupancy.
Rather not deal with the Dale County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections
Dale County employs no building inspector. Inside Ozark, the Building Official & Inspector’s office (334-774-9190) carries out building inspections, and a job under $1,000 pays only when it needs an inspection. In Midland City a certificate of occupancy from the Municipal Building Inspector is required before a new or enlarged building is occupied.
Local details for Dale County projects
Commercial and farm entrances: the county does not install commercial driveways or provide fill dirt for them, and it treats a driveway into a field or pasture as commercial. They are built to county specifications at the owner’s cost.
Flood zones: Dale County takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective May 2, 2016. Its Floodplain Development Ordinance took effect on December 9, 2025 and names the county EMA Director as Floodplain Administrator. The application goes to that office, at 202 South Highway 123 in Ozark (county office line 334-774-6262), with plans in duplicate before any development in a special flood hazard area, and a new or substantially improved building must have its lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation. Daleville runs its own flood permits through its director of public safety.
Codes the cities have adopted: Ozark adopted the 2024 International Building, Residential, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code in February 2024. Daleville’s code names the 2009 International Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire and Fuel Gas Codes.
Midland City permits: a Certificate of Zoning Compliance expires six months after issue if the work has not begun, and it must be posted on the site with the building permit during construction.
Office hours: the Commission Office (202 S. Hwy 123, Suite C, Ozark; 334-774-6025, extension 2405) and the Road and Bridge office both work Monday to Thursday, 6:00 am to 4:30 pm.
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 sources for Dale County
- Dale County Road & Bridge
- Building or Zoning Codes Dale County (County Engineer letter, April 2025)
- Dale County Driveway Policy
- Dale County Driveway Permit form
- Dale County Subdivision Rules and Regulations
- Dale County Emergency Management Agency
- Dale County Floodplain Development Ordinance (December 9, 2025)
- City of Ozark Inspection Department
- Ozark Code of Ordinances, building permit fee schedule
- Daleville Code of Ordinances, Sec. 10-1 (codes and permit fees)
- City of Daleville Building & Zoning
- Dale County Health Department contacts
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Dale County building permit FAQs
Does Dale County require a building permit?
Not in the unincorporated county. The County Engineer’s letter of April 14, 2025 says the Commission has no building or zoning codes there and issues no certificates of occupancy.
Who issues building permits in Ozark?
The City of Ozark Inspection Department. The Building Official & Inspector can be reached on 334-774-9190.
How much is a building permit for a house in Ozark?
$2 per $1,000 of valuation, with the house valued at $50 per square foot of heated area. A 2,000 sq ft home is therefore $200.
How much is a building permit in Daleville?
One-eighth of 1% of the valuation, with a $10 minimum and no fee where the valuation is $100 or less. A $200,000 house pays $250.
Do I need a permit to build in a flood zone in Dale County?
Yes. Since December 9, 2025 the county requires a Floodplain Development Permit from its Floodplain Administrator, the EMA Director, before any development in a mapped special flood hazard area outside the cities.
Do I need a permit for a driveway on a county road?
Yes. All driveway installations on county rights-of-way are done by county permit, and the county decides the pipe size.
Will the county install my driveway?
For a residence, yes: one private driveway, with up to 60 cubic yards of fill dirt, if you supply the specified pipe. Commercial, field and pasture driveways are the owner’s job.
Who permits septic systems in Dale County?
The Dale County Health Department at 532 W. Roy Parker Road, Ozark, 334-774-5146.
When is the county engineering office open?
Monday to Thursday, 6:00 am to 4:30 pm, at 1725 County Road 30, about 5 miles south of Ozark.
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More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Dale County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.