Barndominium builders in Morgan County, Alabama
No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county
Morgan County is the south bank of Wheeler Lake, with Decatur on the river and Hartselle, Priceville, Falkville and Somerville spread across the valley floor and up onto the first rises of the plateau toward Eva and Lacey's Spring. The valley ground is limestone and river terrace; the southern and eastern edges climb into sandstone hill country. Most of the county outside Decatur and Hartselle is unincorporated farm and timber ground that has been steadily cut into residential parcels along the county roads.
Does Morgan County require a building permit for a barndominium?
The county’s official site lists no building department. Its Engineer’s Office page says the office administers the Morgan County subdivision regulations, administers the Morgan County flood ordinance, and permits utilities within the county right-of-way. A search of the county site for "building permit" returns nothing else.
Source: Morgan County Commission, Engineer’s Office, read 2026-09-05. This site has not read a county statement of the rule itself. Confirm with the office below before you build, and write down who you spoke to and the date.
Alabama leaves this decision to each county: state law authorizes a county commission to adopt building codes for its unincorporated areas, and no state office inspects a house. Inside city limits, the city's own building department applies whatever the county does.
Source: Code of Alabama section 34-14A-12, as published by the Home Builders Licensure Board, read 2026-09-05.
Who do I call in Morgan County to confirm?
Morgan County Engineer’s Office, 256-773-5297. Ask whether the county requires a building permit for a new single-family home outside city limits and whether it inspects. That call takes five minutes.
Other county permits the official site shows:
- Subdivision regulations
- Floodplain development permit under the county flood ordinance
- Utility permits in the county right-of-way
Who issues the septic permit in Morgan County?
The Morgan County Health Department, after the soil is tested. The owner submits the state's Application for a Permit to Install an Onsite Sewage Disposal System to the county health department, and the installer must be licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board. This applies on every lot in Morgan County without public sewer, whatever the county's building permit status. The septic guide covers the process.
Source: Alabama Department of Public Health, Soil and Onsite Sewage: Can I Live On This Lot?, read 2026-09-05.
What is the ground like around Decatur?
A lot here can be anywhere from flat bottomland with a seasonal water table to a wooded hillside with rock a foot down. Both are buildable; they call for different septic systems and different foundations, and neither is knowable from the listing.
What that changes is the septic evaluation, the foundation excavation and the pad. What it does not change is the process: the same soil evaluation and the same health department permit on every lot. The lot guide is the full checklist.
What does a barndominium lot in Morgan County run into first?
- No building department on the county site. The Engineer's Office administers the flood ordinance and right-of-way permits; call it with the building permit question.
- Wheeler Lake and the Flint and Cotaco creek bottoms carry mapped floodplain. The county administers a flood ordinance through the engineer.
- Decatur, Hartselle, Priceville and Falkville run their own building departments inside their limits.
Which towns and areas does this cover?
Decatur is the county seat. Places in and around Morgan County include Decatur, Hartselle, Priceville, Falkville, Somerville, Trinity, Eva, Lacey’s Spring. Anywhere in the county outside a city's limits and planning jurisdiction follows the county's answer above; inside a city, the city's building department applies.
What does the builder have to hold in Morgan County?
An Alabama home builder license, required for any residential job over $10,000 including labor and materials, checked on the licensing board's public lookup. Where Morgan has no adopted residential code, the board applies the 2015 International Residential Code as the minimum standard when it investigates a licensed builder's work, for contracts after February 13, 2022, so name the code edition in the contract. How to check the license.
Source: Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, frequently asked questions, read 2026-09-05.
Source: Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, regulation changes clarifying investigation standards, read 2026-09-05.
Nearby: Madison County and Limestone County. Every county's status: do I need a building permit in North Alabama. All 12 rows with sources: the permit directory.
Questions people ask about Morgan County
- Does Morgan County require a building permit outside city limits?
- The county's official site lists no building department, and its Engineer's Office describes subdivision regulations, the flood ordinance and right-of-way permits without mentioning building permits. This site does not state the answer as fact; call the Engineer's Office at 256-773-5297 and confirm.
- Does Morgan County have a floodplain permit?
- Yes. The Engineer's Office administers the Morgan County flood ordinance, which governs development in mapped flood hazard areas.
- Who issues the septic permit in Morgan County?
- The county health department, after a soil evaluation, with an installer licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board.
- What kind of ground is Morgan County for a barndominium?
- Limestone valley floor and river terrace along Wheeler Lake, rising to sandstone hill country in the south and east. The building site's soil evaluation decides the system and the foundation.
Talk to a builder about a lot in Morgan County
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