Elmore County does not require a building permit for property in its rural, unincorporated areas, and it has no zoning there. The County Commission says so in its published FAQ, and it adds two conditions: land inside a municipality’s planning jurisdiction follows that city’s permit rules, and any construction in a floodplain needs a county development permit first. Both that permit and the access permit for a new driveway come from Public Works (334-567-1162, roads@elmoreco.org).
What needs a permit in Elmore County?
For a rural parcel the county’s list is short.
County permit required
- Any driveway, road or street that connects to the county road system (access permit)
- Any construction on property within a floodplain (development permit)
- Utility work in the county right-of-way (utility permit)
- Subdividing land, except where state law exempts it
- Timber hauling covered by the county Logging Ordinance
No county permit
- Building a house, shop or addition on rural land outside any floodplain
- Zoning approval, because the county has no zoning
- Dividing land among immediate family members
The county tells owners whose property lies within a municipal planning jurisdiction to contact that city’s planning department about permits.
Who issues building permits, place by place
Eight municipalities are wholly or partly in Elmore County. Six run a building permit program of their own.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Building permits | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Rural (unincorporated) Elmore County | Not required. Public Works issues access permits and floodplain development permits only. | 155 County Shop Road, Wetumpka, 334-567-1162 |
| Wetumpka | City Building Department, which posts building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit forms. The city code applies the 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code inside the corporate limits, and the Building Department has provided no service in Wetumpka’s police jurisdiction since January 1, 2011. | 408 S Main Street, 334-567-1303 |
| Millbrook | City Building Department at City Hall, for work inside the city limits and in Millbrook’s police jurisdiction. A 2000 state law printed in the city code (Act 2000-471) keeps that police jurisdiction out of Autauga County, so it lies on the Elmore County side only. The city code adopts the 2024 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code. | 3160 Main Street, 334-285-6428 |
| Prattville (the part in Elmore County) | Building Division of the City’s Planning and Development Department. See the Prattville guide. Under Act 2000-471 Prattville has no police jurisdiction in Elmore County east of Interstate 65: outside its corporate limits there, its ordinances, licences and fees do not apply. The Act leaves land west of the interstate unaffected. | City Hall Annex, 102 West Main Street, 334-595-0400 |
| Tallassee | City Building Department, with separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications. The City lists Ordinance 2023-687, which updated its standard building codes, and keeps the text with the City Clerk. | 3 Freeman Avenue, 334-283-6571 |
| Eclectic | The Town, inside its limits and its police jurisdiction; the Town Building Inspector also issues certificates of occupancy. | 334-541-4429 |
| Coosada | The Town. It posts building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, roofing and mobile home permit applications, adopted the International Building Code as amended in 2024 (Ordinance 24-785) and set its permit fees by Ordinance 24-784, both on September 10, 2024. | Town Hall, 5800 Coosada Road, 334-285-3700, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm |
| Deatsville and the Town of Elmore | The Division D hazard mitigation plan lists no zoning ordinance and no code enforcement in these two towns. | Deatsville and Elmore town halls |
The Division D plan is the Alabama Emergency Management Agency’s regional hazard mitigation plan; its table for Autauga, Elmore and Montgomery counties also shows the county itself with no zoning ordinance and no code enforcement. The same table marks Coosada that way, but the Town’s 2024 ordinances and permit forms are newer.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →County permits and regulations
- Access permit. Under the Access Management Policy (adopted in 2006 and amended on August 18, 2022), nobody may connect a driveway, road or street to a county road without one. The County Engineer approves each access and will refuse any that does not deal with drainage, sight distance and other safety criteria. The rule covers single-home driveways as well as large developments.
- Floodplain development permit. Required before construction on floodplain property under the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance.
- Utility permit. Issued by Public Works for work in county rights-of-way.
- Subdivision & Land Development Regulations. The 2007 regulations, as amended in 2015, govern new lots and roads; developments with multiple lots are also subject to the Access Management Policy.
- Logging Ordinance. Timber owners file a notice of road usage.
Permit costs in Elmore County
There is no county building permit and therefore no county building permit fee. The county posts no charge for access or floodplain permits. The municipalities set their own fees, and three of them publish the figures.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Place | Building permit fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Millbrook | By total valuation: $10 from $500.01 to $1,000; $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000; $260 plus $4 per $1,000 above $50,000; $460 plus $3 per $1,000 above $100,000; $1,660 plus $2 per $1,000 above $500,000. Non-residential permits add $1 per $1,000. Fees double when work starts first. | City Code Sec. 14-33 and 14-40 |
| Wetumpka | By total valuation: up to $50,000, $15 plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or part; $219 for the first $50,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000 up to $100,000; $375 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000 up to $500,000; $1,360 for the first $500,000 plus $2 per additional $1,000. Plan checking, where plans are required on work over $1,000, is half the permit fee. Demolition is $50 and a manufactured home $100 plus the electrical fee. | City Code Sec. 18-32 and 18-127 |
| Coosada | $7 per $1,000 plus a $50 issuing fee, with a $75 minimum on every permit; residential plan review $25 under $25,000 and $50 above; inspections $75 each; accessory structures $125; roofing alterations $175; mobile homes $350. Fences need no permit. | Ordinance 24-784 |
| Eclectic | Based on the value or cost of the work; the Town Clerk quotes the amount. | Town permits page |
| Tallassee | Not published; the application asks for the cost of the project. | City application form |
Under Millbrook’s table a $150,000 house pays $460 plus 50 × $3, a building permit fee of $610. Millbrook’s Building Department page does not print the table; it gives City Hall’s number, 334-285-6428, for a copy of the fee schedule.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and septic work
No county trade permits exist. Inside the cities the picture differs: Wetumpka and Tallassee each publish separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit applications, Coosada posts electrical, HVAC and plumbing applications, Millbrook’s Building Department schedules electrical, roofing, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas inspections, and Eclectic requires permits for electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning work.
Septic permits for the whole county are issued by the Elmore County Health Department, 6501 U.S. Highway 231, Wetumpka (334-567-1171), open 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Rather not deal with the Elmore County building department?
Get a free quote →How to proceed on a rural lot: 5 steps
Ask whether the parcel sits inside a city or town, or inside a municipal planning jurisdiction; if so, that city’s planning or building office takes over.
If any part of the building site is in a floodplain, apply to Public Works for the development permit before work starts.
Call 334-567-1162 or email roads@elmoreco.org for the driveway connection to the county road.
Apply to the Elmore County Health Department if the lot has no sewer.
Outside a floodplain, the county requires no building permit for the structure itself.
Inspections
The county carries out no building inspections on rural property. In the cities, inspections are booked with the local office: Millbrook through its Building Department at City Hall, and Tallassee by text message to 334-452-5504, a number the City reserves for inspection requests.
Local details for Elmore County projects
Splitting land: the county’s subdivision FAQ says family transfers are exempt under state law, that selling 10 acres out of a 100-acre tract on a county-maintained road needs no Commission approval, and that a one-acre lot only needs frontage on a publicly maintained road.
Road improvements: subdivisions and developments that front an existing county road can be required to upgrade it, with turn lanes, guardrail or drainage work, to the extent the County Engineer decides.
Flood maps: the county’s current flood insurance rate maps took effect on February 20, 2026.
Offices: Public Works works Monday to Thursday, 6:00 am to 4:30 pm. The Administrative Complex at the Historic Courthouse, 100 E. Commerce Street, Wetumpka (334-567-1156) is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, with doors closing to the public at 4:15 pm.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official sources for Elmore County
- Elmore County Commission FAQs (building permits and zoning)
- Elmore County Public Works
- Elmore County Access Management Policy
- Elmore County Subdivision & Land Development Regulations
- Elmore County Subdivision FAQ
- Elmore County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
- Elmore County partners and municipalities
- City of Wetumpka permits and applications
- City of Millbrook Building Department
- City of Tallassee Building Department
- Town of Eclectic business licences and permits
- Town of Coosada forms (permit applications)
- Town of Coosada ordinances and resolutions
- Millbrook Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14 (codes and permit fees)
- Wetumpka Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18 (codes and permit fees)
- Elmore County Health Department contacts
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Elmore County building permit FAQs
Does Elmore County require a building permit?
Not for property in rural Elmore County. The county’s FAQ says there are no building permit requirements or zoning restrictions there at present.
When do I need a county permit?
Before any construction on property in a floodplain, and before connecting a driveway to a county road. Both go through Public Works, 334-567-1162.
Who issues building permits in Wetumpka?
The City of Wetumpka Building Department, 408 S Main Street, 334-567-1303, for work inside the corporate limits.
Who issues building permits in Millbrook?
The Millbrook Building Department at City Hall, 3160 Main Street, 334-285-6428. It permits and inspects construction inside the city limits and in Millbrook’s police jurisdiction.
Do I need county approval to give land to my children?
No. The county says division and transfer of land among immediate family members are exempt from its subdivision regulations under state law.
Who permits septic systems in Elmore County?
The Elmore County Health Department, 6501 U.S. Highway 231, Wetumpka, 334-567-1171.
Does Eclectic permit work outside its town limits?
Yes. Eclectic requires permits within its town limits and its police jurisdiction.
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This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Elmore County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.