Fairhope, Alabama Building Permit Guide

Building permits inside Fairhope city limits come from the City’s Building Inspection and Permitting office at 555 South Section Street (251-990-0153), and applications go through the City’s Citizenserve portal. Under Ordinance 1844, adopted on October 13, 2025, a residential building permit costs $5 per $1,000 of project value with a $100 minimum, and a commercial one $6 per $1,000. A new single-family home inside the limits also pays an impact fee of up to $9,237.

What requires a permit in Fairhope?

The City’s own rule of thumb is that generally any work valued at more than $100 needs a building permit. Fairhope’s Construction Code Supplement also deletes the model codes’ “work exempt from permit” sections, so the usual national exemption lists do not apply here. These are the permit types the City takes online:

In 2025 the office issued 2,206 permits for $248,117,082 of construction, including 221 single-family homes.

Who issues building permits in Fairhope?

The Building Inspection and Permitting office reviews and approves building and land use permits, inspects structural, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire safety work, and enforces the City’s floodplain, stormwater, erosion, wetland, red clay and right-of-way rules. Erik Cortinas, CBO, CFM, is the Building Official.

Outside the city limits: Fairhope stopped issuing building permits in its police jurisdiction on January 1, 2023 (Ordinance 1766). Land outside the limits is permitted by the Baldwin County Building Department (251-972-6837), whose jurisdiction covers the unincorporated county. Contractors working anywhere in the Fairhope police jurisdiction still need a City business licence from the Revenue Department (251-928-2136).

Online filing and City forms

Register in Citizenserve, pick the permit type and follow the prompts. The portal emails you when the submittal is received and under review, and again when it is approved; you then log in, pay by credit card and receive a printable permit card. You can check progress in the portal at any time.

Forms and handouts on the City’s Permit Forms and Info page:

• Owner Builder Affidavit and Homeowner work affidavit. A homeowner permit is issued only to the legal owner of record, not a tenant, and the owner attests in writing to doing the work personally. Any subcontractor the owner hires must hold the required state and City licences, and gas fitting cannot be permitted to an owner at all.
• Construction Code Supplement, the City’s local amendments and submittal rules.
• Special Flood Hazard Area Permit Guidelines.
• CBD Fire District Construction Requirements.
• Building Inspection Frequently Failed Items List.
• Grinder Pump Form and the sewer connection memo.

Building permit costs and fees in Fairhope

Fees are set by Ordinance 1844, adopted October 13, 2025, which replaced Ordinances 1586, 1599 and 1804. The fee link on the City’s forms page still opens the repealed Ordinance 1804, which charged $6 per $1,000 for homes; the newer ordinance governs.

At a project value of $400,000, the residential building permit fee is $2,000. The fixed plan review, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, temporary electrical, sewer tap inspection and structured wire fees for a new home add $375.

The ordinance bases permit and impact fees on the cost of the building construction and the land cost. Construction cost is the signed construction contract or the figure from the current International Code Council Building Valuation Tables, whichever is greater. Starting work without a permit doubles the fees, and the Building Official may also assess a $500 fine per occurrence.

Impact fees (Ordinance 1817, adopted December 19, 2024) apply inside the corporate limits and are collected before the building permit is issued. The fee is the lesser of the schedule amount and 1% of the combined construction and land cost; land cost is not counted for a renovation, expansion or change of occupancy.

Altering or enlarging an existing home without adding a dwelling unit is exempt from impact fees.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

The same office issues the trade permits and inspects them; its staff includes a Chief Electrical Inspector, a building and fire plans examiner and a Fire Safety Inspector.

If an inspection is carried out with the wrong subcontractor listed on the permit, a $100 fine may be assessed; contractor changes sent to the office before any inspection are free.

Documents to prepare before filing

The Construction Code Supplement sets out what a plan submittal needs:

A site in a floodplain also needs an elevation certificate for each building, and a site with wetlands needs a wetland delineation under Ordinance 1370. Altering more than 2 load-bearing walls of an existing structure requires a design sealed by an Alabama structural engineer.

How to apply for a Fairhope permit: 6 steps

Inspections and permit closeout

Schedule inspections by calling 251-990-0153 or emailing the office. The Supplement lists the typical inspections for a house:

• Erosion controls and the construction entrance
• Footing before concrete, plumbing rough-in and the foundation before the pour, depending on the foundation type
• Strapping before sheathing, sheathing before the vapor barrier, then framing, shear walls and hold-downs before cladding
• Plumbing top-out with pressure test, mechanical rough-in and electrical rough-in, all before insulation and drywall
• Building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical finals before the building is occupied

Photographs are not accepted in place of a field inspection, except the required sealed roof deck photos, and any work covered without inspection has to be opened up again. For a remodel, the City issues a demolition permit first and walks the job with the owner or contractor once demolition is complete to settle the extent of the renovation requirements.

Local permitting details that matter in Fairhope

Fortified construction: every new single-family home must be built to the FORTIFIED Gold standard, although the third-party evaluator inspections are not required. Renovated homes must meet the Fortified level that fits the work done.

Wind protection: sealed roof decks and roofing to the Baldwin County High Wind supplement are required, opening protection is required for doors and windows, and replacing 40% or more of a building’s windows or doors triggers opening protection for all of them.

Floodplain: the City enforces Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance 1643 against FEMA flood maps dated April 19, 2019.

Drainage: where the recorded plat sets a finished floor elevation, the builder must certify in writing that it has been met. Driveways may be no wider than the garage door or carport they serve.

Right of way: only one parking pad is allowed on the right of way, no larger than 10 by 20 feet and built of pervious material, and it needs a Right of Way permit.

Historic districts: the City publishes maps of the Bayfront, Montrose, Downtown Fairhope and White Avenue historic districts, and the fee ordinance carries a $100 historic review administration fee.

Site ordinances: erosion and sediment control (Ordinance 1841), wetlands (1370) and red clays and staining soils (1313) are enforced by the same office. Best-management-practice reinspections on a residential lot cost $100, $200 and $300 for the first, second and third visit.

Waterfront work: boat lifts, bulkheads, seawalls and pile driving are permitted by the City at $5 per $1,000 of project value with a $150 minimum; work over water or on submerged state land is permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama State Lands Division and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

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 Fairhope permitting resources

• Fairhope Building and Permitting
• Permit forms and ordinances
• Fairhope planning FAQ
• Fairhope Citizenserve online portal
• Ordinance 1844: construction and building fees (October 13, 2025)
• Ordinance 1817: impact fees (December 19, 2024)
• Ordinance 1766: permits in the police jurisdiction (2022)
• City of Fairhope Construction Code Supplement
• Fairhope contractor licensing and homeowner permits
• Fairhope floodplain management
• Baldwin County Building Department

Fairhope building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Fairhope?

For a home, $5 per $1,000 of project value with a $100 minimum, plus a $75 plan review fee and $75 each for the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Commercial building permits are $6 per $1,000, with plan review at $2.50 per $1,000.

Where do I apply for a Fairhope building permit?

Online, in the City’s Citizenserve portal. The office is at 555 South Section Street and answers questions on 251-990-0153.

Do I need a permit for a fence, roof or shed in Fairhope?

Yes. Fence, roof and shed or accessory building are all listed permit types, and the City says generally any work valued above $100 needs a permit. Residential fence and roofing permits cost $5 per $1,000 of project value with a $25 minimum.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Fairhope?

Yes, if you are the legal owner of record and attest that you are doing the work yourself. Gas fitting is the one trade an owner cannot be permitted for.

What are Fairhope’s impact fees?

Up to $9,237 for a new single-family home, or 1% of the combined construction and land cost if that is less. They apply only inside the city limits.

Who issues permits just outside Fairhope city limits?

The Baldwin County Building Department, 251-972-6837. Fairhope has not issued permits in its police jurisdiction since January 1, 2023.

How do I schedule an inspection in Fairhope?

Call 251-990-0153. A failed item costs $100 for the first reinspection, $200 for the second and $300 for the third.

Simplify Fairhope 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Fairhope permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.