The Escambia County Commission lists no building, permitting or inspections department, so there is no county building permit to apply for. Inside Atmore, Brewton, East Brewton and Flomaton the city or town issues the permit; Brewton takes applications online, reviews them within 2–3 business days and charges $2.50 per $1,000 of construction value; Atmore’s fee starts at $15 and follows a valuation table. On land outside the towns, the published county steps are a 911 address, a septic approval from the Escambia County Health Department and a driveway turnout from County Engineering.
What requires a permit in Escambia County?
The answer depends on which side of a city limit the lot sits. Each municipality sets its own rule:
Inside a city or town
- Atmore: all construction inside the city limits goes through the City Building Department for permitting, plan review and inspections. Its application covers new construction, additions, renovations, repairs, roofing, windows, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, fire sprinkler and suppression systems and swimming pools.
- Brewton: building permits are applied for through the City’s online portal; work in the Historic District also needs Historic District Commission approval first.
- East Brewton: a building permit must be obtained before any building begins, and an electrical permit before any electrical work.
- Flomaton: the town code requires a permit from the clerk to build, reconstruct or repair any building inside the town limits, except repairs costing $50 or less. The Building Department publishes a building permit application and a sign permit application.
Outside the towns
- A 911 address from the Escambia County E-911 office (Address Assignment Form)
- A septic system approval from the Escambia County Health Department’s Environmental Office
- A driveway turnout onto a county road, installed by the County Engineering Department on request
The County’s Tax Assessor does use building permit applications: its appraisers review a property for changes when one is filed, as well as after sales and at the owner’s request.
Who issues building permits in each Escambia County town?
The County’s own description of the Commission’s work covers county funds and property, the annual budget, roads outside the city jurisdictions and support for county departments. Building permits are a municipal function here.
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Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Office and phone |
|---|---|---|
| Atmore | City of Atmore Building Department (permitting, plan review, inspections, zoning and floodplain management) inside the city limits. The city code applies every section in the police jurisdiction too unless the section says otherwise, so ask the department before building just outside the limits | 201 E Louisville Avenue, Atmore, AL 36504 · 251-368-2253 |
| Brewton | City of Brewton Community Development, by online permit application | 1010A Douglas Ave., Brewton, AL 36426 · 251-809-1773 |
| East Brewton | City of East Brewton Building and Codes (Code Enforcement Officer) | 251-867-6094; City Clerk 251-867-6092, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Flomaton | Town of Flomaton Building Department | Town Hall, 2125 Ringold Street, Flomaton, AL 36441 · (251) 296-2431 |
| Pollard and Riverview | Neither town publishes a permit procedure. The Division A hazard mitigation plan, published by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, lists code enforcement and no zoning ordinance in both | Riverview Town Hall, (251) 867-5378 (Alabama League of Municipalities directory); no office details are published for Pollard |
| Unincorporated county | No county building permit is listed | County Commission, 314 Belleville Ave, Brewton · (251) 867-0300, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
Applications and forms published in the county
- Atmore: Residential and Commercial Permit Application, Manufactured Home Permit Application, Gas Pressure Test Permit Application, Sign Permit Application and a Subcontractor List, all on the Building & Zoning page. Subdivision, zoning amendment and Board of Zoning Adjustment applications sit on the same page.
- Brewton: an Online Permit Application on the City’s iWorQ portal, where you fill in the required fields and upload plans or documents, plus a printable Permit Application. The portal also lets a contractor look up an existing permit by number.
- East Brewton: a downloadable Building Permit application and an Electrical Permit application.
- Flomaton: Building Permit Application and Sign Permit Application under Forms & City Documents.
- County: the E-911 Address Assignment Form.
Permit costs and fees in Escambia County
There is no county building permit fee, because the County issues no building permit. Atmore and Brewton set their fees in their codes of ordinances, Flomaton prints its re-inspection charges on the application, and East Brewton’s form leaves the permit fee for the office to enter.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1,000 and less | $15 |
| $1,001 to $50,000 | $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or part |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $260 for the first $50,000 plus $4 for each additional $1,000 or part |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or part |
| $500,001 and up | $1,658 for the first $500,000 plus $2 for each additional $1,000 or part |
| Electrical, mechanical or plumbing work on its own | $25 |
| Placing a manufactured or modular home; moving a building | $50 each |
| Re-inspection | $25 |
| Work started before the permit | Twice the normal fee |
Atmore’s Building Department sets the valuation, using signed contracts, the square footage or other evidence of cost, and it covers materials and labor. A $150,000 project there pays $460 plus 50 × $3, a fee of $610.
| Item | What is published |
|---|---|
| Brewton building permit (City Code Sec. 5-5) | $2.50 for every $1,000 of construction value, paid when you apply; a $150,000 project pays $375 |
| Brewton trade permits | Electrical $50, or $25 for a temporary pole; plumbing $50; mechanical $50 |
| Flomaton re-inspections | $20 for the first, $50 for the second and $50 for each one after that; the building permit and plan review fees are filled in by the office |
| East Brewton building permit | Fee entered by the office on the application |
| County driveway turnout | No charge for county labor, equipment and clay gravel; the owner buys the drainage pipe |
| City of Atmore contractor’s licence | Certificate of liability insurance of at least $100,000 |
| East Brewton contractors | Alabama state licence number and City of East Brewton business licence number on the application |
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas permits
Atmore handles the trades on its one permit application: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, fire sprinkler and fire suppression are boxes on the same form, and a gas pressure test has its own application. A trade permit taken out on its own costs $25 there. The form asks for the contractor’s numbers with the Electrical Contractors Board, the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board and the Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration.
East Brewton requires an electrical permit before any electrical work begins, and hired electrical work must be done by an Alabama licensed electrical contractor. The City asks owners not to call Alabama Power for a disconnect until they have made arrangements with the Building and Codes Department at City Hall.
What the application forms ask for
Atmore
- Residential or commercial, and the permit type
- Description of work and project cost
- Project address, owner and applicant (contractor or owner)
- Licence numbers: City of Atmore, Home Builders Licensure Board, General Contractors Board and the trade boards
- Subcontractor List
East Brewton
- Address of construction, owner, contractor and architect
- Type of work: new building, addition, alteration, repair, moving, roofing or sign
- Zoning district and proposed use
- Cost of work to be done
- Contractor’s Alabama state licence number and City business licence number
Brewton’s portal takes the same kind of information online and asks you to upload any related plans.
Rather not deal with the Escambia County building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a project approved: 6 steps
Establish whether it is inside Atmore, Brewton, East Brewton, Flomaton, Pollard or Riverview, or in the unincorporated county.
Atmore Building Department (251-368-2253), Brewton Community Development (251-809-1773), East Brewton Building and Codes (251-867-6094) or Flomaton Town Hall ((251) 296-2431).
Brewton’s is online and is reviewed within 2–3 business days; the other three publish forms to complete.
Send the Address Assignment Form to Escambia County E-911, (251) 867-0500.
Call the Escambia County Health Department in Brewton (251-867-5765) or Atmore (251-368-9188) and ask for the Environmental Office.
Call County Engineering on (251) 867-0236; the Engineering Maintenance Superintendent sets the pipe size and type you must buy.
Inspections
Inspections come from the city that issued the permit. Atmore’s Building Department inspects all construction inside its limits. East Brewton’s permit form carries a sign-off line for footing, foundation, framing, any other inspection and the final inspection, each dated and initialled by the inspector.
The County Commission lists no building inspector for land outside the towns.
Local details that matter in Escambia County
Two Escambia Counties: this is Escambia County, Alabama (county seat Brewton), which borders Escambia County, Florida.
Code editions differ by city: Atmore adopted the 2012 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fire, Property Maintenance and Existing Building Codes, the 2009 Energy Conservation and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2011 National Electrical Code by Ordinance 07-2015 on October 13, 2015. Brewton’s code adopts the 2015 International Building, Residential (without the R313 sprinkler section), Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes, the 2014 National Electric Code and the 2012 NFPA Life Safety Code. East Brewton states that it operates under the 2009 International Building, Residential, Plumbing and Mechanical Codes, the 2005 National Electrical Code, the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code and the 2015 International Fire Code. Flomaton’s code still names the 2006 International Building, Residential and Fire Codes, adopted in June 2008.
Small jobs in Atmore: the City’s amendment to the residential code drops the permit for the listed minor work only while its value stays at $1,000 or less; painting, papering and flooring need none at any value.
Floodplain: Atmore’s Building Department manages the floodplain there, and East Brewton publishes its own Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. Brewton’s Community Development page links the river-stage forecasts for Murder Creek and Burnt Corn Creek, and Flomaton’s permit application asks whether the lot is in a flood plain. Escambia County itself takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps dated March 6, 2020, so flood-zone rules also reach unincorporated land.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Historic Brewton: inside Brewton’s Historic District, the Historic District Commission must approve the project before any work starts or a demolition permit is issued.
County driveways: large vertical pipe headwalls are not approved on county right-of-way.
Road names: the Escambia County E-911 Communications District Board names roads; County Engineering maintains the road-name and traffic signs.
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 Escambia County resources
- Escambia County, Alabama (County Commission)
- Escambia County Health Department (ADPH)
- Escambia County Engineering and Road Department
- Escambia County E-911 and the Address Assignment Form
- City of Atmore Building & Zoning
- City of Brewton Community Development
- City of Brewton online permit portal
- City of East Brewton Building and Codes
- Town of Flomaton forms and documents
- Town of Flomaton Building Permit Application
- Atmore Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12 (codes and permit fees)
- Brewton Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5 (codes and permit fees)
- Flomaton Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Escambia County building permit FAQs
Does Escambia County, Alabama issue building permits?
No county building permit is listed. The County Commission’s website shows no building or inspections department; Atmore, Brewton, East Brewton and Flomaton issue permits inside their own limits.
Who issues building permits in Atmore?
The City of Atmore Building Department at 201 E Louisville Avenue, 251-368-2253. It handles permitting, plan review and inspections for all construction inside the city limits.
How much is a building permit in Atmore?
$15 for work valued at $1,000 or less, then a sliding table: $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, $260 plus $4 per additional $1,000 up to $100,000, and $460 plus $3 per additional $1,000 up to $500,000. A $150,000 project pays $610.
How much is a building permit in Brewton?
$2.50 for every $1,000 of construction value under City Code Sec. 5-5, so $375 on a $150,000 project. Plumbing and mechanical permits are $50 each and an electrical permit is $50, or $25 for a temporary pole.
How do I apply for a building permit in Brewton?
Use the Online Permit Application on the City’s permit portal. Applications are reviewed within 2–3 business days; Community Development is at 1010A Douglas Ave., 251-809-1773.
Who approves a septic system in Escambia County?
The Escambia County Health Department. Call the Brewton branch on 251-867-5765 or the Atmore branch on 251-368-9188 and ask for the Environmental Office.
How do I get a driveway onto a county road?
Call County Engineering on (251) 867-0236. The County installs the turnout at no charge if you buy the drainage pipe it specifies.
Who do I ask about a permit in Pollard or Riverview?
Neither town publishes a permit page. Riverview’s town hall is listed on (251) 867-5378.
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This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Escambia County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.