Every incorporated place in Macon County runs its own building permits: the City of Tuskegee through its Buildings, Codes & Inspections Division, and the towns of Notasulga, Shorter and Franklin through their town halls. The County Commission’s website lists no building department. For land outside the four municipalities, the County’s Road & Bridge office at 3636 Alabama Highway 199 (334-724-2619) issues a Floodplain Development Permit and a Utility Permit.
What needs a permit in Macon County?
Unincorporated county
- Floodplain Development Permit for homes, manufactured homes, additions, rehabilitation, subdivisions, fill or excavation, bridges, culverts and levees in a flood hazard area
- Utility Permit for work in a county right-of-way
- Septic approval through the Macon County Health Department
Inside the four municipalities
- Tuskegee: building, plumbing, HVAC, electrical and sign permits
- Shorter: building, electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and any remodeling, renovation or repair work
- Franklin: erecting, repairing, altering, moving or demolishing a building or structure, and swimming pools
- Notasulga: building permits under the 2015 codes the Town adopted in 2019
Shorter also requires a permit for detached garages, carports, storage buildings, greenhouses and gazebos, and for metal kit-type storage buildings even when they are portable.
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Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in each Macon County municipality?
| Place | Who issues building permits | Office and phone |
|---|---|---|
| Tuskegee | City of Tuskegee Buildings, Codes & Inspections Division; Charlie Bowen is the Building Official. Its page speaks of work within the city, and its building permit application also has a box for a site in the police jurisdiction | 101 Fonville Street, second floor of the Charles G. Gomillion Building · (334) 720-0562; Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Notasulga (partly in Lee County) | The Town, inside its corporate limits and police jurisdiction | Town Hall, 76 West Main Street · 334-257-1454; closes at noon on Wednesdays |
| Shorter | The Town; the Town Clerk takes the Building Permit Packet | Town Hall, 2427 Old Federal Road, Shorter, AL 36075 · (334) 727-9190 |
| Franklin | The Town’s Building Official, inside the corporate limits | Town Hall, 1660 AL Hwy 49 · 334-727-2111; Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Unincorporated county | No county building department is listed. The County Engineer is the Floodplain Administrator | Road & Bridge, 3636 Alabama Highway 199, Tuskegee · (334) 724-2619; Tuesday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
The County’s Compliance Office enforces animal control, littering, noise, nuisance and solid waste rules, not building codes. The Commission’s main office is on 334-727-5120.
Applications published in Macon County
- Macon County Floodplain Development Permit, a 4-page form for unincorporated land that must be completed by a registered professional engineer or Alabama registered land surveyor.
- Macon County Utility Permit agreement and application.
- Tuskegee: separate Building, Demolition, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permit Applications.
- Franklin: Building Permit Application and Sub-Contractors List.
- Shorter: Building Permit Packet, Demolition Permit Application, and the Town’s requirements for mobile, modular and manufactured buildings.
- Notasulga: Permit Application, Sub-Contractors List, Sign Application and a one-page “Do I need a Building Permit?” sheet.
Permit costs and fees
Franklin is the one municipality that posts its fee schedule. Ordinance No. 2026-03, adopted on January 13, 2026, sets these building permit fees, which also apply to demolition and swimming pools:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation | Town of Franklin fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $2,000 | $50 flat |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $50 for the first $2,001 plus $8 for each additional thousand or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $165 for the first $25,001 plus $8 for each additional thousand or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $265 for the first $50,001 plus $7 for each additional thousand or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $465 for the first $100,001 plus $6 for each additional thousand or fraction |
| $500,001 and over | $1,465 for the first $500,001 plus $5 for each additional thousand or fraction |
| Moving a building | $200 |
| Plan review, when a plan is required and valuation is over $1,000 | $100 per hour or part of an hour |
| Re-inspection | $50 each |
Franklin doubles the fee when work starts before the permit is issued, and each further failure adds $100. Tuskegee, Shorter and Notasulga post their application forms but no fee schedule; Shorter’s packet simply lists paying all required fees as the last requirement.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits
Tuskegee has a separate application for each of electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. Shorter lists electrical, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning among the permits it requires, and wants plumbing, HVAC and electrical subcontractors to supervise their own part of the job and hold a Town business licence. Franklin’s 2026 ordinance adopts the 2021 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Septic systems are approved by the Macon County Health Department, 812 Hospital Road, Tuskegee (334-727-1800); ask for the Environmental Office. Shorter will not issue a building permit on a septic lot without the Health Department’s permit to install the system.
What to submit
County floodplain permit
- 2 copies of the site plan, on sheets no larger than 24 by 36 inches at a scale of at least 1 inch to 50 feet
- Vicinity map, legal description and the dimensions of every property line
- Existing and proposed structures and the base flood elevation
- Lowest floor elevation of each structure
- Market value of the existing building and the cost of the proposed work
- The preparer’s original signature and seal on every plan
Town building permits
- Franklin and Notasulga, new home: 2 sets of building plans, 2 legal surveys and 1 energy computation
- Franklin and Notasulga, commercial: 2 sets of structural, architectural, HVAC, plumbing and electrical plans, survey and landscaping plans, and an engineered soils report
- Shorter: floor, foundation and framing plans, exterior elevations, electrical, plumbing and HVAC plans
- Shorter: a plot plan survey showing the building, driveway, septic system and well
A county floodplain application for a site in the floodway also needs a no-rise certificate, and a subdivision of 5 acres or 50 lots must establish the base flood elevation.
Rather not deal with the Macon County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply in Macon County: 5 steps
Tuskegee, Notasulga, Shorter and Franklin each permit their own territory; Notasulga’s code also reaches its police jurisdiction, and Tuskegee’s application form has a police jurisdiction box, so ask the division on (334) 720-0562 before building just outside the city.
Use the Fonville Street office in Tuskegee, or the town hall in Notasulga, Shorter or Franklin, with the plans that office lists.
If the site is in a special flood hazard area, have an engineer or surveyor complete the Floodplain Development Permit form.
The office on Alabama Highway 199 works Tuesday to Friday; the Floodplain Administrator approves, postpones or denies the permit in writing.
Call the Health Department’s Environmental Office before the building plans are final.
Inspections and closeout
Tuskegee inspects all construction inside the city for code compliance. In Franklin the Building Official inspects all installations, alterations and repairs, and a permit lapses when work stops for 90 days without the official’s written approval, or after 6 months of abandonment, with no refund.
For a county floodplain permit, the holder gives the County Engineer an as-built elevation certificate as soon as the lowest floor is complete. Work that fails this step can be stopped, and the file closes with a Certificate of Completion.
Local details that matter in Macon County
Flood elevation: the county ordinance requires the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved building or manufactured home to be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation.
Flood program: the county, Notasulga, Shorter and Tuskegee take part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with maps that took effect on February 20, 2026. Franklin is listed by FEMA as not in the program.
Franklin zoning: Franklin has a Planning Commission, a Zoning Ordinance adopted on May 14, 2024 and Subdivision Regulations; appeals from the Building Official go to its Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Shorter contractors: every contractor and subcontractor needs a Town of Shorter business licence, and some subdivisions require an approval letter from their architectural control committee before the permit is picked up.
State roads: road problems on state highways in the county go to ALDOT’s Union Springs office on (334) 738-2150, not to Road & Bridge.
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 Macon County resources
- Macon County Road & Bridge
- Macon County Floodplain Development Permit form
- Macon County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
- Macon County Commission contacts
- Macon County Health Department contacts
- City of Tuskegee Buildings, Codes & Inspections Division
- Town of Franklin
- Town of Franklin Ordinance 2026-03: building codes and permit fees
- Town of Franklin Building Permit Application
- Town of Shorter building permit and application page
- Town of Notasulga documents, forms and ordinances
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Macon County building permit FAQs
Does Macon County, Alabama issue building permits?
No county building department is listed. Road & Bridge issues a Floodplain Development Permit and a Utility Permit; building permits come from Tuskegee, Notasulga, Shorter or Franklin inside their areas.
Who issues building permits in Tuskegee?
The Buildings, Codes & Inspections Division at 101 Fonville Street, (334) 720-0562. It issues building, plumbing, HVAC, electrical and sign permits.
How much is a building permit in Franklin, Alabama?
$50 for work valued up to $2,000. Above that, Ordinance 2026-03 charges by valuation band, for example $265 for the first $50,001 plus $7 per additional thousand up to $100,000.
Do I need a permit for a storage building in Shorter?
Yes. Shorter requires permits for detached garages, carports, storage buildings, greenhouses and gazebos, including portable metal kit-type storage buildings.
Who fills in the county floodplain permit form?
A registered professional engineer or Alabama registered land surveyor. It goes to the County Engineer at Road & Bridge with 2 copies of the site plan.
Who handles septic permits in Macon County?
The Macon County Health Department’s Environmental Office, 812 Hospital Road, Tuskegee, 334-727-1800.
Which building codes does Notasulga use?
The 2015 International codes and the 2014 National Electrical Code, adopted by Ordinance 2019-02-18 for the corporate limits and police jurisdiction.
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This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Macon County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.