Talladega County’s “Permits, Building, & Development” page belongs to the Highway Department (256-761-2136) and lists four county permits: a Permit to Develop for subdivisions, a floodplain development permit, a Turnout Permit and a Landscaping Permit for the county right-of-way. It lists no county building permit and no building inspections. Subdividing costs $500 plus $25 per lot for a minor subdivision, and building permits come from the city the property is in.
What construction approvals apply in Talladega County?
For property outside the cities, the county Highway Department states when one of its permits is required:
A county permit is required
- Subdivision: whenever a lot, tract or parcel is to be divided into two or more lots to sell, lease, build on or develop
- Flood zone: a permit to develop in a special flood hazard area, issued by the Highway Department; the office will check whether land is in a FEMA flood zone before you buy or build
- Turnout Permit: fully executed before any turnout onto a county highway is built
- Landscaping Permit: before any landscaping work in county right-of-way
- Utility permit agreement: for utility work in the right-of-way
Other requirements
- Residential driveways: contact the office for specifications before installing, adding or widening one
- Logging: written notice of county road usage to the Highway Department before timber work starts
- Septic systems: Talladega County Health Department
- Building permits: the city, for property inside city limits
Who issues building permits in Talladega County?
There are 11 cities and towns wholly or partly in the county on the Census Bureau’s list. Their official sources say the following.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Talladega (county seat) | City Building Inspection Department; 2015 International Codes and 2014 NEC; inspections by appointment. The City’s Standard Permit Application asks for the gross job cost and whether the site is in a historic district, and its zoning ordinance (No. 1882, October 12, 2020) requires a permit to build, to move a building or to alter one by more than $1,000, with 2 copies of a dimensioned sketch or scale plan; fees follow the City Schedule of Fees | 256-362-8186 ext. 1027 |
| Sylacauga | City Building Services Department, 301 N. Broadway Ave.; $40 for the first $5,000 of valuation plus 0.25% of the remainder, under the 2015 International Codes and 2020 NEC (Ordinance 2225-20) | 256-391-4202 |
| Lincoln | City Building, Planning and Development department, 150 Magnolia Street; applications through the iWorQ Permit Portal. Codes: 2021 International Building, Existing Building, Fire, Plumbing, Fuel Gas and Mechanical Codes, 2015 International Residential Code and 2020 NEC. One set of building plans for a house and 3 for a commercial job; a complete application is normally approved within 24 hours, and all fees are due when the permit is collected | 205-763-4007 |
| Childersburg | City Hall, 201 8th Avenue SW, which posts the City’s Building Permit Application packet. Its fee table: $15 for the first $1,000 of valuation plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, then $260 plus $4 per $1,000 up to $100,000 and $460 plus $3 per $1,000 up to $500,000; the application adds a licence fee of 1/8 of 1% | (256) 378-5521 |
| Oxford (partly in Calhoun County) | City Building Services, 42 Public Works Drive. City code: work over $500 pays $5 per $1,000 up to $20,000 and $2.50 per $1,000 above that, plus a $1 issuance fee, under the 2015 International Codes and 2014 NEC | 256-831-9685 |
| Oak Grove | The 2020 regional hazard mitigation plan lists a zoning ordinance in Oak Grove and building code enforcement as proposed, not yet practiced; ask Town Hall | (256) 249-9971 |
| Munford, Bon Air, Talladega Springs and Waldo | The published sources do not say: the 2020 plan lists none of them among the municipalities with zoning or building code enforcement; ask the town hall | Munford (256) 358-9050; Bon Air (256) 346-3446; Talladega Springs (256) 249-0802; Waldo (256) 362-9313 |
| Vincent (a sliver in Talladega County) | City of Vincent, which posts a permit application form | (205) 672-2261 |
| Unincorporated Talladega County | No county building permit; the Highway Department issues the development permits above | 256-761-2136 |
The plan is the Division G Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2020) published by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. It predates the building department pages that Talladega and Sylacauga publish today.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Talladega County building and development permit types
All county forms are PDFs in the Document Center at the foot of the Highway Department’s permits page, and questions go to permits@talladegacountyal.org.
- Application and Permit to Develop in a Special Flood Hazard Area. A five-page form for Talladega County (NFIP community 010297) covering new construction, additions, repairs and subdivisions in the flood zone.
- Permit to Construct a Turnout. Used for commercial entrances, and for private entrances where the applicant builds the turnout. The county can ask for a certified check or bond, returned when the work is done to its standards.
- Landscaping in ROW Permit Application and Utility Permit Agreement Application.
- Permit to Develop (subdivision). Issued under the Subdivision Regulations; the developer has one year from issue to begin.
- Logging Notice Form. Sent to the Highway Department at 820 Alabama Highway 275 for review by the county engineer.
Property divided between immediate family members is excluded from the subdivision rules.
Talladega County permit fees
The county’s published fees are in Section 1-3 of its Subdivision Regulations, adopted by Commission resolution on September 9, 2013.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit to Develop | $25 |
| Minor subdivision | $500 plus $25 per lot or site |
| Major subdivision | $500 plus $50 per lot or site, plus $0.25 per linear foot of new road |
| Fine for selling, offering, transferring or leasing a lot in breach of the regulations | $1,000 per lot |
| Fine not paid within 30 days of the citation | Doubled |
A 4-lot minor subdivision therefore costs $600 in review fees plus the $25 Permit to Develop. The flood, turnout, landscaping and utility forms state no application fee, though a turnout can carry a bond set by the county.
City building permit fees are set by each city. Sylacauga charges $40 for the first $5,000 of valuation plus 0.25% of the remainder. On Childersburg’s table a $150,000 house pays $460 plus 50 times $3, which is $610, before the 1/8 of 1% licence fee and the trade permits. Childersburg’s trade fees date from Ordinance No. 1029 of September 16, 2002: $0.50 per electrical outlet plus $25 for a 100 to 200 amp service, $15 per plumbing fixture in a house, $35 per ton of cooling, and a $20 issuance fee on each trade permit. A manufactured home there pays an $80 building permit fee plus a $20 issuance fee.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas in Talladega County
The county issues no trade permits. In the cities, trade permits come from the building office: the City of Talladega lists electrical, plumbing and roofing permits among those its Building Inspection Department issues, and Sylacauga requires separate electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC permits under its own fee schedule.
Septic permits are issued by the Talladega County Health Department. Its environmental health office is at 1004 South Street E in Talladega (256-315-4886), and it has a second office at 311 North Elm Street in Sylacauga.
Application documents for Talladega County
Flood hazard area permit
- Owner and builder names, mailing addresses and phone numbers
- Full description of the work, and its estimated cost for additions or repairs
- E-911 issued address and parcel number, with section, township and range
- Flood zone and map panel number, and the base flood elevation
- Site plan showing buildings, improvements, flood zones and base flood elevation
- A completed FEMA Elevation Certificate for each structure
- “No Rise” certification if the work is in a floodway
- For non-residential floodproofing: plans certified by a registered architect or professional engineer
Turnout permit
- Full legal name of the applicant
- Property or highway address
- Description of the work
- A design that meets the Highway Department’s current standards, available from the County Engineer’s office
- Certified check or bond, where the county sets one
For a subdivision in a flood zone, the developer must supply base flood elevation data when the property is larger than 5 acres or has 50 lots or more.
Rather not deal with the Talladega County building department?
Get a free quote →How to proceed in Talladega County: 6 steps
Inside Talladega, Sylacauga, Lincoln, Childersburg or Oxford, apply to that city’s building office.
Call 256-761-2136 or email permits@talladegacountyal.org before buying or building.
Complete the special flood hazard area application with the site plan and Elevation Certificate.
Contact the Health Department’s environmental health office on 256-315-4886.
Get the county’s driveway specifications, or a fully executed Turnout Permit, before any work at the road.
Pay the subdivision fee, obtain the $25 Permit to Develop and start within one year.
Inspections and closeout in Talladega County
The county publishes no building inspection schedule, because it issues no building permit. The Highway Department’s engineering division enforces its right-of-way permits and can revoke a turnout permit at any time if its terms are not met. A flood hazard area permit is void if work has not begun within 180 days and stays valid for one year from issue.
In the cities, Talladega inspects by appointment through the Building Inspector’s office, Lincoln asks for at least 24 hours’ notice and inspects once the permitted work is complete, and Sylacauga takes requests by phone a day ahead. Childersburg’s application lists 3 required inspections, footings before the concrete is poured, rough framing and final, and leaves it to the contractor or homeowner to call for each. A City of Talladega permit lapses if work has not started within 6 months or stops for a year.
Talladega County-specific permit considerations
The page name can mislead: “Permits, Building, & Development” is a Highway Department page. Everything on it concerns land division, flood zones and the county right-of-way.
Right-of-way is county property: landscaping the county maintains in the right-of-way belongs to the county, and gas pumps, tanks, sheds and signs must sit beyond the right-of-way line.
Flood rules for subdivisions: a subdivision in the unincorporated county must meet both the Subdivision Regulations and the county’s flood damage prevention rules, and the stricter of the two applies. The current text is the 2025 Floodplain Ordinance in the Document Center.
Selling lots early: the $1,000-per-lot fine is paid to the judge of probate and doubles after 30 days.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Highway Department hours: staff take calls Monday to Friday, 6:30 am to 3:00 pm.
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 Talladega County resources
- Talladega County Commission
- Talladega County Permits, Building, & Development (Highway Department)
- Talladega County Highway/Road Department
- Talladega County Subdivision Regulations
- Application and Permit to Develop in a Special Flood Hazard Area
- Talladega County 2025 Floodplain Ordinance
- Permit to Construct a Turnout
- Talladega County Health Department
- City of Talladega Building Inspector
- City of Sylacauga Building Services Department
- City of Lincoln Building, Planning & Development
- City of Childersburg documents and forms
- City of Talladega Zoning Ordinance No. 1882
- 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 →Talladega County building permit FAQs
Does Talladega County issue building permits?
No county building permit is published. The Highway Department issues subdivision, flood hazard area, turnout, landscaping and utility permits.
Who issues building permits in the City of Talladega?
The City’s Building Inspection Department, 256-362-8186 ext. 1027. Its permit office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Do I need a permit for a driveway onto a county road?
A commercial entrance, or a private one you build yourself, needs a fully executed Turnout Permit. For other residential driveways the county asks you to contact the Highway Department for specifications.
How much does it cost to subdivide land?
$500 plus $25 per lot for a minor subdivision, or $500 plus $50 per lot and $0.25 per linear foot of new road for a major one, plus a $25 Permit to Develop.
How do I find out if land is in a flood zone?
Call the Highway Department on 256-761-2136; it checks flood zone status on request.
Where do I get a septic permit?
From the Talladega County Health Department, 1004 South Street E, Talladega, environmental health line 256-315-4886.
Simplify Talladega 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.
Ready to break ground in Talladega County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Talladega County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Alabama permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Talladega County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.