Every building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permit in Irondale is issued by the City’s Inspections Department at 1801 Crestwood Boulevard, which works a four-day week, Monday to Thursday. Under the City Code a permit costs a $60 issuance fee plus $9.50 per $1,000 of job cost for residential work or $9 per $1,000 for commercial work, and since December 2025 each new dwelling unit also carries a $1,500 base rate. Plans must be in before any permit is issued, and a new lot’s erosion controls are inspected first.
What requires a building permit in Irondale?
Section 4-2 of the City Code requires a permit before anyone builds, remodels, adds to or repairs a building, and it names several jobs outright. The City’s residential requirements sheet adds the small projects it sees most often.
Named in the City Code
- Building or constructing any building
- Remodeling, additions and repairs
- Air conditioning
- Commercial roofing and re-roofing
- Storage tanks
- Fire sprinkler systems
- Demolition
- Blasting and street cuts
On the City’s permit sheets
- Fences
- Deck additions and replacements
- Swimming pools (with a land disturbance permit)
- Garages, storage structures and other accessory structures, attached or detached
- Interior remodeling
- Interior tenant improvements
- Signs
- Land disturbance and earthwork
Who issues permits in Irondale?
The Inspections Department is responsible for all commercial and residential permitting and inspections for the city. Greg Cochran is the Building Official, the office that Section 4-1 of the City Code puts in charge of the building regulations. Permit fees are paid at the Building Official’s office.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 1801 Crestwood Boulevard, Irondale, AL 35210 |
| Phone | (205) 769-0692 |
| Permitting hours | Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Inspection hours | Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| City Hall | 101 20th Street South, Irondale, AL 35210 · (205) 956-9200 |
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Get a free quote →Irondale permit applications
The City’s Forms page carries a separate PDF application for each permit: Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Gas, Land Disturbance, Sign and Demolition, plus the Excavation Road Cut Permit. A completed application is sent to the permitting clerk with three things attached:
- the current year’s City of Irondale business licence
- the certification for the permit being applied for (builder’s licence, HVAC, plumbing, gas or electrical)
- the driver’s licence of the person who holds that certification
Related forms on the same page are the Sub-Contractor List, the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Cash Bond, the Sworn Statement of Licensed Home Builder and the sworn statement for a party claiming exemption from the home builders licensure law, and the Planning and Zoning and Zoning Board of Adjustment applications. Under the City Code, a building permit is issued on the signature of an Alabama-licensed general contractor, and master electricians, master plumbers and gas fitters must show a certificate of competency before a permit is issued.
Permit costs and fees in Irondale
The fees below are from Chapter 4 of the City Code as rewritten by Ordinance 2024-26 (December 17, 2024) and amended by Ordinance 2025-19 (December 16, 2025), and from the City’s Permit Fee Schedule for land disturbance and signs. The same charges apply to building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and gas permits, based on the contract or estimated cost.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit issuance fee | $60 |
| Residential job of $1 to $1,000 | $60 base fee |
| Residential job of $1,001 and above | $9.50 per $1,000 or fraction |
| Each new residential dwelling unit (house, townhouse, condominium or apartment unit) | $1,500 base rate, in addition |
| Commercial building or structure | $9 per $1,000 or fraction, plus the state craft fee of $1 per $1,000 |
| Plan review | $150 residential; $200 commercial; not refunded |
| Demolition | $60 issuance fee plus $150 up to $10,000 of job cost, or $9.50 per $1,000 above that |
| Land disturbance | $40 issuance fee plus $40 to $500 by job cost up to $200,000 |
| Storm water fee when more than an acre is disturbed | $1,500 |
| Sign | $40 issuance fee plus $300 free-standing, $175 attached, or $100 per face electronic |
| Street cut | $500, with a refundable deposit of at least $10,000 |
| Blasting | $25 |
| First re-inspection / each later one | $75 / $100 |
| After-hours or weekend inspection | $150 per hour, 2-hour minimum |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The $1,500 per new dwelling unit is the newest part of the Code and does not yet appear on the fee schedule or requirement sheets posted on the City’s website, so budget from the Code. For new buildings and additions the valuation can never be lower than the International Code Council’s published average construction cost. A belated permit, taken out after work has started, costs double, and a second stop work order triples the permit fee.
Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits
Each trade has its own application and is priced on the same scale as the building permit: the $60 issuance fee plus the per-thousand rate on the cost of that trade’s work. On a commercial project the trade permits are applied for by the contractors or subcontractors after the building permit has been issued. Irondale enforces the 2021 International Fuel Gas, Plumbing and Mechanical Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
Before the Occupancy Certificate is issued so that utilities can be turned on, a complete list of subcontractors with their addresses, phone numbers and licence numbers has to go to the permitting clerk for verification.
Application documents
New home
- Completed building permit application
- 2 sets of plans, at least 18" × 24", and a PDF file
- Plot plan showing the house on the lot, the erosion control measures and a best management plan
- Land disturbance permit application, if applicable
- Sewer or septic tank approval
- Stair and wall detail
- Architectural control committee approval in neighborhoods that have one
New commercial building or addition
- Completed building permit application
- 2 sets of plans, at least 24" × 36", and a PDF file, stamped by an Alabama architect if the structure is over 2,500 sq ft
- Plot plan with erosion control measures
- Land disturbance application and an erosion bond of $3,000 per acre disturbed, if applicable
- Sewer or septic tank approval
- Stair and wall detail
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Smaller jobs need less. A fence needs the application and a survey showing where it will go; a deck needs 2 sets of plans at least 11" × 17"; an addition or accessory structure needs a survey with the new work drawn on it; and each of these needs HOA or architectural committee approval where one applies. Outside architecturally controlled neighborhoods, the plot plan must note how the job complies with Irondale’s tree and landscaping ordinances. For a septic system, the Jefferson County Department of Health issues the permit to construct the onsite system before the building permit is issued.
How to apply: 7-step Irondale process
The City encourages a meeting with the owner and design team at the start of a project; call (205) 769-0692.
Submit the PDF application, plans, plot plan and the licence documents to the permitting clerk.
The contractor books an appointment; installing erosion controls is the only work allowed on the lot before the building permit.
Commercial applications go through site plan review before a permit can be issued.
Fees are paid at the Building Official’s office, and a permit becomes invalid if work has not begun in 90 days.
No rough inspections are scheduled until the certified survey has been approved.
The Certificate of Occupancy follows the final approvals and is needed before a City business licence is issued for the premises.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Irondale inspections
Inspections are by appointment: call the department to have an inspector come to the site, Monday to Thursday. The City Code requires reasonable notice when work is ready, and nothing may be covered up until it has been inspected and approved.
The first inspection is free. If the work fails, the first re-inspection costs $75 and each one after that $100. Inspections outside working hours, including from 4:00 p.m. Thursday until Monday morning, cost $150 an hour with a 2-hour minimum, paid in advance.
A foundation survey certified by an Alabama-licensed surveyor must show the foundation, its distance to the lot lines and the setback lines. Commercial and industrial buildings supervised by a licensed architect or registered engineer are exempt from that survey under the Code. Commercial projects must hand in AutoCAD as-built drawings of utilities, storm drainage and any detention pond before the Certificate of Occupancy.
Local Irondale details that matter
Masonry on commercial buildings: in the office, commercial, institutional and overlay districts, at least 60% of the exterior walls of a commercial building must be masonry or glass, and the facade facing the street must be 100% masonry or glass. EIFS and synthetic stucco do not count. In industrial districts the share falls with building size, and buildings over 160,000 sq ft are exempt.
Erosion bond: on commercial sites the $3,000-per-acre erosion bond stays on file for up to one year after the project is completed.
Flood hazard areas: the City Engineer administers the flood ordinance, and new homes in a mapped flood hazard area need the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation.
Changing contractors: unfinished work must be completed under the original licensed permit holder, or a new permit has to be issued to a new licensed contractor at a new permit cost.
Storm water: Irondale holds an MS4 storm water permit and is a member of the Storm Water Management Authority with other Jefferson County cities.
Zoning: the City publishes an online zoning map application, and zoning requests use the Planning and Zoning Application or the Zoning Board of Adjustment Application.
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 Irondale 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 Irondale Inspections Department
- City of Irondale forms
- Irondale Building Permit Application
- Residential Permits Requirements
- Commercial Permits Requirements
- City of Irondale Permit Fee Schedule
- City Code Chapter 4: buildings and building regulations
- Irondale districts and zoning
- Irondale stormwater program
- Jefferson County Department of Health: onsite sewage disposal
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Irondale building permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Irondale?
A $60 issuance fee plus $9.50 per $1,000 of job cost for residential work or $9 per $1,000 for commercial work. Plan review is $150 residential or $200 commercial, and each new dwelling unit adds a $1,500 base rate.
Do I need a permit for a fence in Irondale?
Yes. The City lists fences among its common permit types: file the building permit application with a survey showing the fence line, and HOA approval if your neighborhood requires it.
Do I need a permit for a deck or a pool?
Yes. A deck needs 2 sets of plans at least 11" × 17", and a pool needs both the building and land disturbance applications with a survey showing the pool and its equipment.
When is the Inspections Department open?
Monday to Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at 1801 Crestwood Boulevard. The number is (205) 769-0692.
What does a failed inspection cost?
The first re-inspection is $75 and any further one is $100.
How long do I have to start work?
90 days from the date of issue. The permit also becomes invalid if work is suspended or abandoned for 90 days, though the Building Official can grant written extensions of up to 90 days each for cause.
What happens if I build without a permit?
You must take out a belated permit at double the fee. A first stop work order doubles the permit fee and a second triples it.
Which codes does Irondale enforce?
The 2021 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Energy Conservation, Property Maintenance and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes, and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
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More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Irondale permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.