Spanish Fort, Alabama Building Permit Guide

In Spanish Fort the City Building Department at 7361 Spanish Fort Boulevard reviews plans, issues building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and land disturbance permits, and grants certificates of occupancy. A house is valued at $60 per heated square foot and $30 per unheated square foot, the permit costs $4 per $1,000 of that value, and plan review adds 25%. Any site that disturbs 1,000 sq ft or more needs an approved Land Disturbance Permit before the building permit.

What requires a building permit in Spanish Fort?

Ordinance No. 541-2019 requires the fee to be paid, and the permit to be in hand, before any construction, installation, alteration, improvement, moving or demolition starts within the City’s permitting jurisdiction. The ordinance and the City’s application list name these permits:

A fence 8 ft tall or lower is not on the residential fee list. Separately, a Land Disturbance Permit is required for any land disturbance of at least 1,000 sq ft and for every in-ground swimming pool.

Who issues permits in Spanish Fort?

The Building Department does the plan review, issues every construction permit and performs structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and life safety inspections. It also enforces the City’s stormwater and erosion-control rules. Kevin R. Moore is the Building Inspector, and the department has a permit clerk and an environmental manager on staff.

The City permits work inside its own limits. Its Planning Department also reviews subdivisions of land in the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction outside the limits; building permits for unincorporated Baldwin County come from the county.

Spanish Fort permit applications

You can apply online through the City’s Citizenserve portal, which also handles licensing, code complaints and general requests, or print a paper application from the Permits page. The City publishes a separate form for each of these:

• Building Permit Application, also used for sign permits. It asks for the tax parcel number, the contractor’s state certificate and Spanish Fort business licence numbers, the architect or engineer, heated and unheated square footage, zoning and the valuation of the work.
• Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC permit applications, one per trade.
• Roofing Permit Application.
• Fire Sprinkler System Permit Application.
• Land Disturbance Permit Application, with a separate Swimming Pool Land Disturbance version.
• Swimming Pool Permit Application.
• Food Truck Permit Application, under Ordinance No. 604-2022.

Site plan, land use, plat and zoning variance applications are Planning and Zoning forms, not Building Department ones.

Permit costs and fees in Spanish Fort

Fees are set in Section 3 of Ordinance No. 541-2019, adopted on May 6, 2019, which the City still lists as its building codes ordinance. Residential valuation is fixed by the ordinance; commercial valuation comes from the construction contract.

For example, a new house with 2,000 sq ft heated and 500 sq ft unheated is valued at $135,000. The building permit is $540 and plan review is $135, or $270 in a FEMA-regulated flood zone, before the trade permits.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Spanish Fort

The Building Department issues each trade permit on its own application. On a house, the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are flat fees paid per permit; on commercial work they follow the subcontract price.

So the three trade permits on a new house add $330. Every contractor, subcontractor and installer on the job must hold a current Spanish Fort business licence. The City’s local code supplement adds a few trade rules of its own: every receptacle circuit must be at least #12 AWG wire on a 20 amp breaker, flexible duct runs are limited to 12 ft unless Manual D and Manual J calculations are filed, and the HVAC contractor must give the department the number and tonnage of units before the rough-in inspection.

Application documents and plan review

Under the City’s amendment to the residential code, a registered design professional must prepare and stamp the drawings for every new house and for any addition of 500 sq ft or more under roof. Modular houses need plans stamped by the Alabama Manufactured Home Commission (AMHC) and an Alabama engineer’s certification for wind load.

The department gives no fixed review time. When the review is finished staff call the applicant, who then returns with the remaining checklist items to complete the permit. For erosion control and BMP plans, revisions and remaining items are due no more than 7 days after the applicant is told the review is complete.

How to apply: 7-step Spanish Fort process

Spanish Fort inspections

The City’s Required Inspections sheet lists, in order:

• Erosion control initial site inspection
• Footing
• Slab or floor
• Open-trench plumbing and in-slab plumbing
• Sheathing and nail pattern
• Energy compliance and insulation
• HVAC duct blast testing, with a copy of the results filed with the Building Department
• Rough-ins for plumbing, electrical, HVAC and framing, called in together as a 3-way or 4-way inspection
• Erosion control final site inspection
• Final inspection

The contractor responsible for construction calls in the 4-way inspection. Compaction test results must reach the department before the foundation inspection, and proof of a termite bond before the 4-way. Erosion controls are checked at each construction inspection and whenever a complaint is filed. A $35 re-inspection fee applies if earlier comments were not corrected, or if a booked inspection was not cancelled when the job was not ready. The department issues the certificate of occupancy.

Local Spanish Fort details that matter

Land disturbance classes: a Class 1 permit covers NPDES construction sites larger than 1 acre and needs 2 sets of plans stamped by a Qualified Credentialed Professional, plus copies of the Notice of Intent and Construction Best Management Practices Plan sent to ADEM. A Class 2 permit covers other sites over 1,000 sq ft and in-ground pools, and needs an erosion control plan on a topographic map with contours at intervals of no more than 2 ft.

Exempt from the land disturbance permit: agriculture, silviculture, home gardens and landscaping on a residential lot, single utility or sewer connections for a one or two family home, emergency utility repairs and water or monitoring wells.

Wind design: the local supplement works to a 130 mph wind zone. Garage doors must be rated for it, asphalt shingles need 6 nails and a Class F or Class H rating, and every new one and two family dwelling must have a sealed roof deck.

Flood zones: residential plan review costs twice as much in a FEMA-regulated flood zone, and the City has its own Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, No. 540-2019.

Site rules: a trash dumpster and a portable toilet are required on every residential construction site.

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 Spanish Fort permit resources

• City of Spanish Fort Building Department
• Spanish Fort permit application forms and checklists
• Spanish Fort Citizenserve online portal
• Ordinance No. 541-2019: adopted codes, local supplement and fees
• Residential Building Permit Application Checklist
• Commercial Building Permit Application Checklist
• Spanish Fort Required Inspections
• Spanish Fort Planning and Zoning Department
• Ordinances of the City of Spanish Fort

Spanish Fort building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a house in Spanish Fort?

$4 per $1,000 of valuation, where valuation is $60 per heated sq ft plus $30 per unheated sq ft, with plan review at 25% on top. A 2,000 sq ft house with a 500 sq ft garage comes to $540 plus $135, and the three trade permits add $330.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Spanish Fort?

The City’s fee ordinance requires a $25 residential fence permit for fences over 8 ft tall.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. A residential roof covering replacement permit is $25, and the City has a separate Roofing Permit Application.

When do I need a Land Disturbance Permit?

For any land disturbance of 1,000 sq ft or more, for every in-ground swimming pool, and for any activity found to be causing an illicit discharge into the City’s storm sewer system. The building permit is not issued without it.

Do I need stamped plans for an addition?

Yes, if the addition is 500 sq ft or more under roof. All new houses need plans stamped by a registered design professional.

What does a re-inspection cost?

$35.

Which codes does Spanish Fort enforce?

The 2018 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building and Fire Codes, the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code as amended by Alabama, and the 2017 National Electrical Code.

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