Pelham, Alabama Building Permit Guide

The City of Pelham Building Department, part of Development Services at 3162 Pelham Parkway (205-620-6495), issues all building permits for property in the city and inspects residential and commercial work. Contractors must apply in the Citizen Access Portal, where plans are uploaded as PDFs and invoices are paid. Under the fee schedule adopted in August 2023, a $250,000 house pays a $1,553 permit fee, a $15 issuance fee and a $100 plan review fee, and each associated trade permit is $50.

What requires a permit in Pelham?

The City’s permit handbooks say a permit is needed to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, and to install, alter, repair, remove or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. The handbooks list these permit types:

A land disturbance permit from the City is required before construction starts. Burn permits are separate and come from the Pelham Fire Department at Station 1 (205-620-6500).

Who issues building permits in Pelham?

Pelham consolidates planning, land development, building, fire safety and permit coordination in Development Services, and its Building Department issues the permits. Levis Peters is the Building Official. Applicants must be contractors licensed to do business in the City of Pelham, or property owners acting as their own contractor and supervising the work themselves.

The department’s authority covers construction within the city limits.

Pelham’s Citizen Access Portal and handbooks

Paper applications and paper plan sets are no longer needed. To use the portal you create an account, name one email address for status updates and invoices, and click the “confirm email” link the system sends. After that you can apply for permits, search public records and pay invoices in one place. The City’s Citizen Access Portal Setup Guide walks through the steps.

Two handbooks set out what each application must contain:

• Permit Procedures Residential Handbook. Checklist for residential permits, the Erosion & Sediment Control Acknowledgement Form, inspection and re-inspection rules.
• Permit Procedures Commercial Handbook. Commercial checklist plus the Fire Department’s plan review checklist.

The building permit covers the general contractor’s work only. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, roofing and landscaping subcontractors pull their own permits, and the general contractor and every subcontractor need a current City of Pelham business licence.

Pelham building permit fees (Ordinance 067-13)

The current schedule is Ordinance No. 067-13, adopted August 21, 2023, which is Sec. 4-2 of the Pelham code. The permit fee is read from the total valuation of the work.

For example, a house valued at $250,000 pays $1,253 plus 50 × $6, which is $1,553, then $15 for issuance and $100 for plan review: $1,668 before trade permits and utility fees.

Starting without a permit doubles the permit fee. A builder connecting to City sewer pays the sewer impact fee when the permit is bought, and water tap fees must be paid before the permit is picked up. Card payments carry a 3.95% convenience fee with a $2.50 minimum; cash, checks, cashier’s checks and money orders are also taken in person.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits in Pelham

Each subcontractor applies for its own permit in the Citizen Access Portal. A trade permit associated with the general contractor’s or home builder’s building permit costs $50, plus the $15 issuance fee that applies to every permit.

The subcontractors and suppliers list goes to the Building Department as soon as possible after the permit is bought. The City will not schedule a framing or rough-in inspection until that list is in and every name on it has been checked for a Pelham licence. Under the City code, electrical installers must hold an Alabama master electrical licence.

Commercial plans are also reviewed by the Fire Department. Its checklist asks for a life safety sheet, a floor plan with extinguishers, exits, exit signs and emergency lights, an elevation showing address numbers, a site plan with the fire hydrant and fire department access, and details of any fire rated walls. The commercial owner’s permanent power inspection is $40.

Application documents: Pelham’s checklists

The handbooks state that no plans are accepted and no permit is issued until every checklist item is met. All plans must be PDFs.

Setbacks are checked against the zoning ordinance for each lot before a permit is issued. The code also requires as-built PDFs at the final inspection.

How to apply for a Pelham permit: 6 steps

Pelham inspections and certificate of occupancy

Request inspections by calling 205-620-6495 or online, giving the permit number and address, by 4:00 p.m. the preceding day. Both handbooks give inspection windows of 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday; the Building Department web page shows slightly wider windows starting at 6:30 a.m. and running to 3:30 p.m.

• No inspection is given until erosion controls (silt fences, hay bales, gravel driveway) are in place and approved by the building inspector or City Engineer.
• A form board survey stamped by an Alabama land surveyor or engineer must reach the department before a slab or footing inspection is scheduled.
• The Building Permit Card must sit in a waterproof enclosure visible from the front of the structure. If it is missing, there is no inspection and a $50 re-inspection fee.
• An inspection that fails, or is not ready when the inspector arrives, costs $50, then $75, then $100. Contractors have 10 business days to pay, and all re-inspection fees must be cleared before a final inspection.
• One accepted plan set stays on site.

The Certificate of Occupancy is issued after the Building Inspector, Fire Inspector, Engineer and Zoning Inspector have all inspected the building.

Local Pelham rules that affect a project

Corridor Overlay District: plans for sites along the listed corridors must address each item of Ordinance No. 135-218, in a letter or as notes on the drawings. The roads include AL Highways 31, 119 and 261, Shelby County Highways 11, 17 and 52 W, part of Highway 35, Amphitheater Road, Applegate Parkway, Business Park Drive, Commerce Boulevard, Huntley Parkway, Metro Parkway, Oak Park Drive, Oak Mountain State Park Road, Old Montgomery Highway and Southgate Drive.

Erosion control: devices go in before any construction and are inspected after every 0.50 inch of rain. Ground left inactive for 14 days or more must be seeded or sodded, and sediment reaching the road is removed by street cleaning, not flushing, before the end of each day.

Construction access: no building permit is issued until a temporary or permanent driveway of cement, blacktop or similar material is in place so that mud is not tracked onto public roads.

Construction noise: in residential zones, audible construction noise is barred from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., Sunday through Friday, and from 8:00 p.m. Saturday to 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

Zoning fees: a zoning verification letter costs $25 and a Zoning Board of Adjustment application $300.

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 Pelham permitting resources

• Pelham permit procedures and applications
• Pelham Building Department
• Pelham residential permit requirements
• City of Pelham Citizen Access Portal
• Citizen Access Portal Setup Guide
• Ordinance 067-13, building permit fee schedule (August 2023)
• Permit Procedures Residential Handbook
• Permit Procedures Commercial Handbook
• Corridor Overlay District requirements
• Pelham Code of Ordinances

Pelham building permit FAQs

How much does a building permit cost in Pelham?

It follows the valuation table in Ordinance 067-13. A $40,000 job pays $123 plus 30 × $7, which is $333, and a $250,000 house pays $1,553. Add the $15 issuance fee and the plan review fee.

Where do I apply for a Pelham building permit?

In the City’s Citizen Access Portal. All contractors must apply there, and plans are uploaded as PDFs.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Pelham?

Yes. The handbooks allow property owners to apply when they act as their own contractor and supervise the work themselves.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 205-620-6495 or use the portal before 4:00 p.m. the day before, with the permit number and address.

What does a failed inspection cost in Pelham?

$50 for the first re-inspection, $75 for the second and $100 for the third.

Which codes does Pelham enforce?

Since June 1, 2023: the 2021 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Fuel Gas, Plumbing, Mechanical, Property Maintenance, Pool and Spa and Fire codes, and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

How much is a demolition permit?

$300 for a residential building and $500 for a commercial one, which also needs asbestos testing.

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