St. Clair County government lists no building, planning or zoning department, and it publishes no county building permit. Outside the cities, the County Engineer / Road Department in Ashville (205-594-2190) approves subdivision plats under regulations that took effect on August 15, 2026 ($25 Permit to Develop, $200 for a minor subdivision), and a Development Permit is required before any work in a flood hazard area. Building permits come from the cities: Pell City, for example, charges $5 per $1,000 for residential work plus a $10 issuance fee.
What construction approvals apply in St. Clair County?
For land outside every city, the county’s own documents require the following. None of them is a building permit, and none involves review of house plans against a building code.
County approvals
- Floodplain Development Permit: issued by the County Engineer, who is the county’s Floodplain Administrator, and needed before any development activity in a special flood hazard area under the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance of February 25, 2020
- Permit to Develop and plat approval: for any subdivision in the county’s subdivision jurisdiction
- Permit for Work on Right of Way: for pipelines, cables and other utilities in a county road right-of-way
- E-911 address: every new structure needs an address assigned by the E-911 office
Other agencies
- Septic systems: St. Clair County Health Department, whose approval signature also goes on subdivision plats
- Building permits inside a city: that city’s building or inspections office
- Subdivisions inside a city, or in a city planning commission’s territory: the city’s officials sign the plat before the county records it
Who issues building permits in St. Clair County?
The Census Bureau counts 14 cities and towns wholly or partly in St. Clair County. This is what each one’s official sources say.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Pell City | City Building Inspections and Permitting Department, 1905 1st Avenue North; applications by email to inspections@pellcity.gov. Fee: $5 per $1,000 residential or $6 per $1,000 commercial, plus a $10 issuance fee. The City lists 2021 International Codes and the 2020 NEC | (205) 338-2244 |
| Moody | City Building/Inspections Department, 670 Park Avenue, Suite 108, which also covers planning and zoning. City code fee: $25 for the first $1,000 of valuation plus $5 per additional $1,000, with plan review at half the permit fee; the code adopts the 2015 International Codes and 2014 NEC | (205) 640-0310 |
| Springville | City Inspections Department, 151 Industrial Drive; apply in person or by email to permit@cityofspringville.com. Ordinance 2021-16: $9 per $1,000 of contract cost or valuation plus a $41 issuance fee ($50 minimum under $1,000), and a $125 plan review fee for a new single-family home. The City enforces the 2021 International Codes and 2020 NEC, effective January 1, 2024 | 205-467-2312 |
| Odenville | City Building Department, 12600 US Hwy 411; all plans are reviewed before a permit is issued. Its posted permit ordinance charges a new house $325 plus $4 per $1,000 of value, taken as $100 per heated sq ft or the appraisal if higher, and its code ordinance of May 9, 2005 adopts the 2003 International Codes | 205-629-0811 |
| Margaret | The City Clerk and the City’s Inspector, through the City’s online Gov’t Portal or City Hall. Under Ordinance No. 07-619 as amended (fees from August 1, 2024) a new house pays a $425 base plus $0.50 per sq ft after the first 1,000 sq ft, plan review at half the permit fee and a $20 issuance fee | 205-629-5501 |
| Ashville (county seat) | City Building Inspector and City Hall, under Ordinance 2024-006: $9 per $1,000 of contract cost or valuation plus a $41 issuance fee, doubled for work without a permit; a mobile home permit is $150 | (205) 594-4151 |
| Riverside | City Revenue & Inspections Department, working to the 2015 International Building Code; the City has its own construction, trade, zoning certificate and Floodplain Development Permit applications. City Code Sec. 14-2: $40 for the first $1,000 of valuation plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, then $285 plus $4 per $1,000 up to $100,000 and $485 plus $3 per $1,000 up to $500,000 | 205-338-7692 ext. 3 |
| Argo (partly in Jefferson County) | City Building & Zoning Department and its Building Inspector; online portal. Its 2023 ordinances set $9 per $1,000 plus a $41 issuance fee, $50 minimum, and adopt the 2021 International Building and Residential Codes | (205) 352-2120 |
| Leeds (mostly in Jefferson County) | City Development Services Department, through the City’s Citizenserve portal; building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits each cost 0.9% of the valuation of labor, materials and equipment | (205) 699-2585 |
| Trussville (mostly in Jefferson County) | City Department of Building Safety and Inspections; $9 per $1,000 plus a $41 issuance fee under the 2021 International Codes and 2020 NEC | 205-655-5483 |
| Clay and Vincent (small parts in St. Clair County) | Each city issues its own permits: Clay reviews plans and coordinates inspections, and Vincent posts a permit application form | Clay (205) 680-1223; Vincent (205) 672-2261 |
| Ragland and Steele | Neither town publishes a building permit, and the 2020 regional hazard mitigation plan does not list either among the municipalities enforcing a building code; ask the town hall | Ragland (205) 472-0400; Steele 256-538-8145 |
| Unincorporated St. Clair County | No county building permit; the County Engineer handles subdivision and right-of-way, and a Development Permit applies in flood hazard areas | 205-594-2190 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The plan referred to is the Division G Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan of 2020, published by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. It records that building code enforcement in the region is practiced mainly by municipalities and does not list St. Clair County among the governments doing it.
St. Clair County permit types and filing
- Permit to Develop. Issued by the County Engineer once a proposed subdivision plat is approved. The developer then has 18 months to begin substantial work, or the plat must be resubmitted as if it had never been filed.
- Minor subdivision. A one-step track for lots of 5 acres or less that each front an existing county road, with no new road, no utility extension and no public improvements. The same plat serves as proposed and final plat.
- Development Permit (flood hazard area). A two-page application to the County Engineer’s office, as Floodplain Administrator, covering new construction, additions, manufactured home installation, filling, grading and subdivision in the 100-year floodplain.
- Permit for Work on Right of Way. A PDF form on the County Engineer’s Utility Permit page, with the county’s burial and road-crossing specifications.
- Driveway pipe. Requested by calling the County Engineer / Road Department.
The county’s subdivision jurisdiction is everything outside city limits, except land in the territory of a functioning municipal planning commission. There the county only signs the plat and does not enforce.
Permit costs and fees in St. Clair County
The only county fee schedule for development is Section 1-3 of the Subdivision Regulations adopted on July 14, 2026.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit to Develop | $25, collected when the permit is issued |
| Minor subdivision | $200 |
| Major subdivision | $500 plus $50 per lot or site |
| Fine for a violation | $1,000 for each lot sold, offered for sale, transferred or leased |
| Repeat citation after 30 days without applying for a Permit to Develop | Fines doubled |
A 10-lot major subdivision therefore pays $1,000 in review fees plus the $25 Permit to Develop. Inspection fees for subdivision work are estimates that the county reconciles against its actual costs. The flood Development Permit form and the right-of-way permit page list no fee.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →City building permit fees are separate and differ from city to city. Pell City publishes $5 per $1,000 of value for residential work and $6 per $1,000 for commercial work, each with a $10 issuance fee, and re-inspection fees of $25, $50 and $75 for the first, second and third repeat visits. Springville, Ashville, Argo and Trussville all use $9 per $1,000 plus a $41 issuance fee, so a $250,000 house there pays $2,291 before plan review and trade permits. Springville, Ashville and Riverside double the fee for work started without a permit.
Trade permits and septic approval in St. Clair County
The county issues no electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas permits. Inside the cities those permits come from the same office as the building permit: Odenville and Argo both list electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits on their building department pages, Odenville requires certification for each, and Riverside has subcontractors apply for their own permits once the construction permit is approved.
Septic systems are permitted by the St. Clair County Health Department. Its main office is at 1175 23rd Street North in Pell City, with an environmental line on 659-500-4490, and it has a satellite office at 31675 U.S. Highway 411 in Ashville. Where a subdivision will use septic tanks or private wells, the county will not sign the plat without the Health Department’s letter or signature.
Application documents
Recording a subdivision plat
- Preliminary plat to the County Engineer, who checks curve data and road grades and screens for flood plain
- Legible legal description with bearings and curve data on every line
- Owner’s notarized signature
- Surveyor’s name, signature, registration number and seal
- City or town approval signatures, if the land is in an incorporated area
- Health Department approval signature
- Alabama Power approval signature or correspondence
- E911 Office signature for road names and addresses
- Print at a scale no smaller than 1 inch to 200 ft
Flood Development Permit
- Owner, builder and site location with the tax parcel number
- Type of development and construction
- Flood zone and map panel number
- Base flood elevation and the required lowest floor elevation
- Elevation of utilities, heating and electrical equipment
- “No Rise” certification if the site is in a floodway
- For work on an existing building: its market value and the cost of the work
The county does not treat a split of a larger tract into pieces given to family members for their own use as a subdivision for recording purposes.
Rather not deal with the St. Clair County building department?
Get a free quote →How to proceed in St. Clair County: 6 steps
If it is inside one of the 14 municipalities, start with that city’s building office.
The Flood Management page links the county flood map; in a flood hazard area, apply to the County Engineer for a Development Permit first.
Call the E-911 business office on 205-338-9911 for a new structure; assignment takes at least 10 working days.
Contact the Health Department’s environmental office in Pell City.
Call the County Engineer / Road Department about driveway pipe, and file the right-of-way permit for buried lines.
Submit the plat and fee, obtain the Permit to Develop, and record the final plat before any building starts on the lots.
Inspections in St. Clair County
No county office inspects houses or commercial buildings for code compliance. The county inspections that do exist are tied to its own permits: the County Engineer, as Floodplain Administrator, makes periodic inspections of permitted work in flood hazard areas and needs an as-built elevation certification once the lowest floor is in place, and the County Engineer inspects subdivision roads and drainage. A License Inspector appointed by the County Commission issues citations under the Subdivision Regulations.
City inspections follow each city’s rules. Pell City takes inspection requests by email with at least 24 hours’ notice, Odenville and Riverside book by phone, and Margaret schedules through its online portal or by calling the Inspector between 7:30 and 3:30.
Local details for St. Clair County projects
No building on unrecorded lots: under the 2026 regulations, no building development may take place in a subdivision until the final plat is recorded with the Judge of Probate.
Flood permit clock: a Development Permit is void if the work has not begun within 180 days and stays valid for one year. Improvements are added up over a rolling 10-year period, and once they reach 50% of the building’s market value the whole structure must meet the ordinance.
Flood maps in person: the county shows its flood plain maps by appointment through an answering service on 205-241-5690 or 205-241-5691, which passes requests to the Flood Plain Coordinator.
Driveway drains in new subdivisions: side drain pipes must be 20 to 40 ft long, with no more than two per lot and at least 30 ft between them.
Buried utilities: lines in a county right-of-way need at least 30 inches of cover, or 24 inches where they cross a side ditch, and crossings under paved roads must be bored, jacked or tunneled and encased unless the County Engineer allows an open cut.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Offices in two towns: the County Engineer is in Ashville, while the E-911 business office and the main Health Department office are in Pell City.
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 St. Clair County resources
- St. Clair County Commission
- St. Clair County Engineer / Road Department
- St. Clair County Subdivision Regulations (adopted July 14, 2026)
- Requirements for Recording a Subdivision Plat
- St. Clair County Flood Management
- Application for Permit to Develop in a Special Flood Hazard Area
- St. Clair County Utility Permit specifications
- St. Clair County Health Department
- City of Pell City Building Inspections & Permitting
- City of Moody Inspection Department
- City of Odenville Building Department
- City of Margaret permits and inspections
- City of Margaret Ordinance No. 07-619 Amended: permit fees
- City of Springville Inspections Department
- City of Springville Ordinance 2021-16: building and construction permit fees
- City of Ashville Building & Zoning
- City of Argo Building & Zoning
- City of Riverside Revenue & Inspections Department
- City of Riverside ordinances and Code of Ordinances
- Division G Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (Alabama EMA)
- Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board
- Alabama Division of Construction Management
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →St. Clair County building permit FAQs
Does St. Clair County issue building permits?
No county building permit is published, and the county lists no building department. The cities issue building permits inside their limits.
Who issues building permits in Pell City?
The City’s Building Inspections and Permitting Department, 1905 1st Avenue North. Residential permits cost $5 per $1,000 of value plus a $10 issuance fee.
Do I need a permit to build in a flood zone in St. Clair County?
Yes. A Development Permit from the County Engineer, the county’s Floodplain Administrator, is required before any development in a special flood hazard area outside the cities.
How much does it cost to subdivide land in St. Clair County?
$200 for a minor subdivision, or $500 plus $50 per lot for a major one, plus $25 for the Permit to Develop.
Where do I get a septic permit?
From the St. Clair County Health Department, 1175 23rd Street North, Pell City. The environmental office is on 659-500-4490.
How do I get an address for a new house?
Call the E-911 business office on 205-338-9911 and allow at least 10 working days.
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More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about St. Clair County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.