The City of Foley Building Department (120 S. McKenzie Street, 251-952-4011) issues building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits for property inside Foley, and takes applications through Citizenserve. Building permit fees follow a valuation table that starts at $100, a new house pays a $150 plan review fee per dwelling unit, and the department says an application takes 7 to 10 days to process on average.
What requires a building permit in Foley?
Foley’s fee schedule and its 2026 building code ordinance show what the City permits:
Permit required
- New construction, additions and remodeling
- Reroofing
- Swimming pools and spas
- Fences and signs
- Manufactured home installation and manufactured or modular offices
- Demolition, per structure
- Moving a building or structure
- Change of occupancy
- Temporary commercial structures, construction field offices and tents
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and LP gas work
Exempt under Foley’s code ordinance
- Prefabricated swimming pools 42 inches or less in depth
- Membrane structures of 400 square feet or less
- Tents open on all sides, up to 700 square feet, with 12 feet of clearance to structures and other tents
The ordinance adds a lot test before any permit for a new or enlarged habitable structure: the lot must be an approved subdivision lot, front directly on a public or private street approved by a Planning Commission, or reach a public right-of-way by an approved access built to City road standards.
Who issues permits in Foley?
The Building Department, part of Planning & Development Services, enforces the adopted building codes and ordinances and state design and licensing law, manages the City’s floodplain and runs its Facade Grant Program. Jonathan Cottis is the Building Official.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Foley Building Department (Building/Inspections Division) |
| Address | 120 S. McKenzie Street, Foley, AL 36535 |
| Phone | 251-952-4011 |
| Fax | 251-943-6903 |
| Apply | Citizenserve |
| Building Official | Jonathan Cottis |
| Address assignment | Baldwin County E911 (Baldwin911.org) |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Outside the city limits: unincorporated Baldwin County is permitted by the Baldwin County Building Department (251-972-6837), not by Foley.
Citizenserve and the forms Foley publishes
Citizenserve is the single online door for permitting, code enforcement, licensing, Engineering Department and Fire Department services and planning and zoning. When a permit is ready, the City emails you and the permit can be printed from the documents page of your Citizenserve account.
- Demolition Application and Amendment Application
- Coastal-A-Zone or V-Zone Design Certificate
- Application for Permit to Develop in a Special Flood Hazard Area and Application for Flood Determination Letter
- Permit checklists for new single and two-family dwellings and new commercial buildings
- Certificate of Occupancy checklists, residential and commercial
- City of Foley Contact List for Developers/Contractors
Permit costs and fees in Foley
Fees come from the Building/Inspections Division’s Permit Fee Schedule dated March 2026, which carries the amounts in Ordinance 26-2000, signed in January 2026. The valuation table is used for new construction, additions, remodeling, pools and spas, reroofing, manufactured or modular offices, fences and signs, residential and commercial alike.
| Project valuation | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $1,000 | $100 |
| $1,001 to $50,000 | $100 for the first $1,000, plus $10 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $590 for the first $50,000, plus $8 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $990 for the first $100,000, plus $6 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 and up | $3,390 for the first $500,000, plus $4 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Plan review, new single-family home, duplex or townhouse | $150 per dwelling unit |
| Plan review, residential remodel, addition, alteration or repair | $75 where the project valuation exceeds $10,000 |
| Plan review, multi-family and commercial | One half of the permit fee |
| Demolition | $100 per structure |
| Manufactured home installation | $100 |
| Change of occupancy permit | $150 |
| Temporary commercial use, field office or watchman’s quarters | $225 for a 6-month period |
| Permit extension | $100 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancy | $100 |
| Plan revision or addendum review | $50 |
| Zoning plan review | $25 per residential plan, $50 per commercial plan |
| Impact fee, single-family home | $2,974, or 1% of the estimated fair market value if that is less |
| Impact fee, multi-family | $1,718 per unit, with the same 1% cap |
| Impact fee, commercial | $0.69 per sq ft, with the same 1% cap |
For example, at a valuation of $250,000 the building permit fee is $990 plus 150 × $6, which is $1,890. A new house at that valuation with one HVAC unit also pays $150 for plan review and $150 each for the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, $2,490 in all before the impact fee.
The City sets the valuation. For a new one or two-family dwelling or townhouse it is calculated per square foot from the International Code Council Building Valuation Data (85% of the R-3, type VB figure for conditioned space), and the fee is charged on whichever is greater, the calculated or the stated valuation. Plan review fees are paid when the application is submitted and are not refundable. Non-residential permits also carry the state Construction Industry Craft Training fee of $1 per $1,000 of valuation.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits in Foley
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, new construction | $150 per dwelling unit |
| Electrical remodel, panel or meter replacement, generator or transfer switch, pool or spa equipment | $100 |
| Plumbing, new construction | $150 per dwelling unit |
| Plumbing remodel, or sewer line installation or replacement only | $100 |
| Mechanical, new construction | $150 per HVAC unit |
| Mechanical remodel or HVAC unit replacement | $100 per HVAC unit |
| Gas (LP only), new construction | $150 per dwelling unit |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Commercial trade permits are priced on the value of the trade work, materials and labor together: $100 up to $1,000, then $10 for each additional $1,000 or fraction. The Fire Department charges $150 for fire permit plan review on new construction and $100 for additions, alterations or repairs, and the same two amounts apply to fire sprinkler, fire alarm and fire extinguishing system permits.
Application documents: Foley’s checklists
New single or two-family dwelling
- Plot plan sealed by a registered design professional or land surveyor
- Address assignment from Baldwin County E911
- Full set of PDF plans, with structural sheets stamped by an Alabama licensed engineer
- Architect-stamped plans and an approved landscape plan for a two-family dwelling
- REScheck or an approved energy tradeoff calculation
- Manual J to verify mechanical equipment sizing
- Water and sewer impact fee receipt
- An issued Erosion and Sediment Control permit from the Environmental Department
- In a flood zone: the Special Flood Hazard Area application and an Elevation Certificate marked “Construction Drawings”
New commercial building
- Site plan, landscape plan and photometric plan
- Address assignment from Baldwin County E911
- Combined building plan set in PDF, stamped by all required design professionals
- COMcheck or an approved energy efficiency tradeoff calculator
- Water and sewer tap receipt from the utility provider
- ALDOT permit for any driveway onto a state highway
- Land Development Permit before site work starts
- In a flood zone: Elevation Certificate and Special Flood Hazard Area application
A V-Zone certificate is needed for a dwelling in a VE flood zone, and a Coastal AE certificate for one in the Coastal AE zone.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6-step Foley process
Request the address from Baldwin County E911 and pay the water and sewer impact or tap fees to the utility provider.
A house needs an issued Erosion and Sediment Control permit ($75); a commercial site needs a Land Development Permit.
Upload the checklist documents as PDFs and pay the plan review fee with the application.
Processing averages 7 to 10 days and varies with the complexity of the project.
The City emails you when the permit is ready on the documents page of your Citizenserve account.
Give at least 24 hours’ notice for inspections, submit the as-built survey before vertical construction and assemble the Certificate of Occupancy checklist items.
Foley inspections and certificates of occupancy
The department prefers at least 24 hours’ notice to schedule an inspection. A re-inspection costs $75 when the job was not ready for a scheduled inspection or the same item has to be looked at again, and $150 for any further inspection of that item. Weekend or after-hours inspections are $75 per hour per inspector with a 4-hour minimum.
A permit becomes invalid if work has not started within 180 days of issue, or is suspended or abandoned for 180 days; the Building Official can grant written extensions of up to 180 days each, and the extension fee is $100.
Residential CO checklist
- All trade permits issued and no balance due
- Approved Building Final and Environmental Final inspections
- Blower door test results
- Duct leak test results, unless all duct is inside the thermal envelope
- Insulation certificate
- Sewer release
- Termite letter
Commercial CO checklist
- Final approval from the Fire, Engineering, Environmental and Building Departments
- Executed AIA G704 Letter of Substantial Completion signed by the owner, architect and contractor
- Approved test and balance reports
- Sewer release and gas final approval from the providers
- Third-party approvals set at permitting
- Civil engineer’s certification that the site was built to plan
- In a flood hazard area, an Elevation Certificate marked “Finished Construction”
Local Foley details that matter
2 feet of freeboard: Foley has adopted a 2-foot freeboard for all development in a Special Flood Hazard Area. An Under Construction Elevation Certificate is due before any vertical construction and a Final Elevation Certificate before the final inspection. A flood determination letter from the City costs $50.
As-built survey: every new building and every addition needs an as-built survey submitted before vertical construction begins.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Coastal wind design: the 2024 Residential Code is adopted together with the 2024 Coastal Construction Supplement, with a residential design wind speed of 155 mph. Commercial buildings in Risk Category 2 are designed for 155 mph as well.
Working without a permit: a first offense costs double the permit fees plus $150; a second brings a $300 charge and a citation requiring a court appearance.
Land and right-of-way permits: a Land Disturbance Permit is $1,000 plus $20 per acre for developments over 5 acres, a right-of-way or driveway permit is $50 and a heritage tree removal permit is $25.
Pre-application meeting: the fee schedule lists one at $50.
Temporary tents: a membrane structure on a commercial site may be permitted for up to 14 consecutive days, at most 12 times a calendar year, at $100 per period.
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 Foley permitting resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Foley Building Department
- City of Foley Citizenserve portal
- Foley Permit Fee Schedule (March 2026)
- Ordinance 26-2000: permit fees
- Ordinance 26-2024: adopted 2024 building codes
- New Single and Two Family Dwelling Building Permit Checklist
- New Commercial Building Permit Checklist
- Residential Certificate of Occupancy Checklist
- Commercial Certificate of Occupancy Checklist
- Baldwin County Building Department
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Foley permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Foley?
It depends on valuation: $100 up to $1,000, then $10 per additional $1,000 to $50,000, $8 to $100,000, $6 to $500,000 and $4 above that. A $250,000 valuation works out at $1,890.
How long does it take to get a permit in Foley?
The Building Department says 7 to 10 days on average, depending on how complex the project is. You get an email when the permit is ready to print.
Do I need a permit for a fence, roof or pool in Foley?
Yes. Fences, reroofing and swimming pools or spas are all charged on the valuation table. Prefabricated pools 42 inches or less deep are exempt.
What does a new house pay besides the building permit?
A $150 plan review fee, $150 each for electrical and plumbing, $150 per HVAC unit, a $75 Erosion and Sediment Control permit and an impact fee of up to $2,974.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Contact the Building Department on 251-952-4011 and allow at least 24 hours’ notice.
What is Foley’s flood freeboard?
2 feet, for all development in a Special Flood Hazard Area, with elevation certificates at the plan, under-construction and final stages.
Who permits property just outside Foley?
The Baldwin County Building Department, 251-972-6837, permits the unincorporated county.
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More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Foley permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.