Lauderdale County, Alabama Building Permit Guide

Lauderdale County’s website lists a Road Department, a Revenue Commissioner and a License Commissioner, but no building department. The City of Florence Building Department issues permits inside Florence and requires them for new homes within a 3-mile radius outside the city limits, which it calls its planning jurisdiction. Killen, Rogersville and St. Florian run building permits of their own. Everywhere in the unincorporated county, the County Engineering Department administers the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance the Commission updated on February 12, 2024, and reviews subdivision plats for a $25 Permit to Develop.

What construction approvals apply in Lauderdale County?

Development here has the ordinance’s wide meaning: buildings, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling and the storage of equipment or materials all count.

Who issues building permits in each part of Lauderdale County?

The 2023 hazard mitigation plan names no building code for Anderson, Lexington or Waterloo.

Lauderdale County building and development permit types

• Floodplain Development Permit, applied for on the County’s own forms through the County Engineer, who is the Floodplain Administrator.
• Permit to Develop, issued by the County Engineer after the Commission approves a proposed subdivision plat.
• Utility Permit, an agreement with the County Engineer for utility facilities on a public right-of-way, backed by a certified check or bond.
• City of Florence Building Permit application, emailed with digital plans to buildingplans@florenceal.org with the property address in the subject line.
• Manufactured home registration at the Revenue Commissioner’s Office, due within 30 days of purchase.

Lauderdale County permit fees

The flood ordinance attached to the Commission’s minutes sets no application fee for the Floodplain Development Permit.

Florence charges by valuation on its Fees page: $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 for each additional thousand up to $50,000, $260 plus $4 per thousand from $50,000 to $100,000, $460 plus $3 per thousand to $500,000, and $1,660 plus $2 per thousand above that. A new house is valued at $49 per heated square foot and $12.25 per unheated square foot, which is the valuation the fee is worked from, not the fee itself. Moving a building costs $100.

St. Florian’s Ordinance No. 86 uses the same four valuation steps ($15, $260, $460 and $1,660 bases, with nothing due on work of $1,000 or less unless an inspection is needed, at $15 each) but values a house at $50 per heated square foot and $12.50 per square foot for unheated space, garages and accessory buildings. A house with 2,000 heated square feet is therefore valued at $100,000 and pays $460. Commercial and other work is charged on its actual cost, a swimming pool is $50, moving a building or manufactured home is $100, and work started before the permit pays double. Rogersville’s ordinance points to the Town’s current fee schedule without printing it.

Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas in Lauderdale County

No county office issues trade permits. Inside Florence, electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work each need a City permit, and the department has its own electrical inspector and plumbing and gas inspector. St. Florian has a Building Inspector and an Electrical Inspector and charges $50 to inspect an electrical or gas hookup.

For a house on a septic tank, approval comes from the Lauderdale County Health Department at 4112 Chisholm Road, Florence (256-764-7453). Florence asks for that approval with the plans for a new home on septic, and for a copy of the Health Department’s septic tank certificate once the system is in.

Application documents for Lauderdale County

The County Engineer takes at least 30 days to review a subdivision application.

How to apply in Lauderdale County: 6 steps

Inspections and closeout in Lauderdale County

Under the flood ordinance the Floodplain Administrator makes periodic inspections while work is under way and may enter the site during normal business hours. Work done before the as-built elevation certificate is submitted is at the permit holder’s risk, and missing or uncorrected certificates can bring a stop-work order. The project closes with a Certificate of Compliance Letter, issued only after the FEMA elevation certificate for the finished building has been reviewed.

In Florence’s jurisdiction the contractor calls for each inspection, in a fixed order that runs from the footing to the final electrical, plumbing and structural inspection, and the yellow permit card must be posted on site or the inspector will not inspect.

St. Florian books inspections by phone on (256) 767-3690. In Rogersville the Building Inspector makes the final inspection and issues the certificate of occupancy within 3 days of being told the building is ready.

Lauderdale County-specific permit considerations

Flood elevations: where a base flood elevation is known, the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved building, including a basement, must be at least 1 foot above it. In flood zones with no base flood elevation, the floor must be at least 3 feet above the highest adjacent grade.

Subdivision limits: the county regulations do not apply inside the territorial jurisdiction of a municipal planning commission. Where they do apply, the developer has 1 year from the Permit to Develop to begin work.

Florence review times: the City says new-home plans generally take 7 days to review, and commercial or industrial plans 15 to 20 working days.

Permit life in the towns: every St. Florian permit expires one year from purchase. A Rogersville permit lapses if nothing has been built above the foundation within 90 days of issue, and the building must be finished within one year.

St. Florian fines: Ordinance No. 104-A sets $500 for a violation of the building ordinance, $1,000 for occupying a commercial building without a Certificate of Occupancy, $100 a day for occupying a home without one, and $250 for working without the proper licence.

County offices: the courthouse at 200 S. Court Street, Florence, is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the Commission office is on (256) 760-5750.

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 Lauderdale County resources

• Lauderdale County Road Department
• Commission minutes of February 12, 2024, with the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
• Lauderdale County Subdivision Regulations (2011)
• Lauderdale County Utility Permit agreement
• Lauderdale County municipalities and town hall phone numbers
• Lauderdale County manufactured housing registration
• City of Florence permits
• City of Florence Building Department
• Town of St. Florian Building Department
• St. Florian Ordinance No. 86: codes and permit fees
• Town of Rogersville ordinances, with the Zoning Ordinance
• Lauderdale County Health Department contacts
• Florence-Lauderdale Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (2023)

Lauderdale County building permit FAQs

Does Lauderdale County, Alabama issue building permits?

The County lists no building department. Its Engineering Department issues floodplain development permits and subdivision approvals; building permits come from Florence in the city and, for new homes, within 3 miles of its limits.

Do I need a Florence permit if I build just outside the city?

For a new home, yes, if the site is within a 3-mile radius of the city limits. Florence does not issue permits in Center Star, Greenhill, Killen, Lexington, Rogersville, St. Florian or Waterloo.

Who issues building permits in Killen?

The Town of Killen. The 2023 county hazard mitigation plan lists a Town of Killen Building Code enforced from Town Hall, (256) 757-1246.

Who issues building permits in St. Florian and Rogersville?

Each town does. St. Florian’s Building Department is at Town Hall, 83 Saint Florian Road, (256) 767-3690, and its ordinance also covers the police jurisdiction. In Rogersville the Building Inspector issues permits under the Zoning Ordinance; Town Hall is on (256) 247-5446.

How high must a building be in a Lauderdale County flood zone?

At least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, or 3 feet above the highest adjacent grade where no base flood elevation exists.

What does it cost to subdivide land in the county?

The Permit to Develop is $25 and the subdivision inspection fee is $200 plus $10 per lot or site.

Who approves septic systems in Lauderdale County?

The Lauderdale County Health Department, 4112 Chisholm Road, Florence, 256-764-7453.

Where is the county floodplain office?

At the Road Department, 1630 State Street, Florence, 256-760-5880. The County Engineer is the Floodplain Administrator.

Simplify Lauderdale County 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 Lauderdale County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.