The North Alabama barndominium permit directory
Twelve counties, one row each. The permit status is what the county's own official site showed on the date printed, with the source linked; nothing is upgraded past what the county said. The septic permit through the county health department and the state home builder license apply in every row. Inside city limits, the city's own building department applies whatever the county does.
| County | County building permit outside city limits | What the county's site shows | Other county permits shown | Who to call | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison CountyHuntsville | County permit required, per the county’s inspection pages, 2026-09-05 | Madison County runs a Building Inspection Department. Its inspection pages state that a permit is required before any work involving construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, movement or demolition of a structure, and that the county enforces the 2018 International Residential Code with local amendments adopted in its Residential Construction Resolution, with applications through the CityView online portal. The county site blocked a direct read on 2026-09-05, so this comes from the county pages as indexed; confirm details with the department. |
| Madison County Building Inspection Department | Madison County Building and Fire Inspection, read 2026-09-05 |
| Limestone CountyAthens | Permit status not confirmed. Ask the county before you build | The county publishes a document titled "Building Codes/Building Permits/Zoning" under its Engineering Department, along with subdivision regulations and a flood damage prevention ordinance. That document is a scanned image that could not be read on 2026-09-05, so this site does not state what it says. Two third-party sites report that the county issues no building permits outside city limits; that is not confirmed here. |
| Limestone County Engineering Department | Limestone County Engineering, building and zoning document, read 2026-09-05 |
| Morgan CountyDecatur | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | 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. |
| Morgan County Engineer’s Office, 256-773-5297 | Morgan County Commission, Engineer’s Office, read 2026-09-05 |
| Lawrence CountyMoulton | Permit status not confirmed. Ask the county before you build | The county site shows subdivision regulations, a floodplain ordinance and a pipe or access permit for a new driveway entering the county right-of-way. A letter from the county engineer about permits is posted but would not load on 2026-09-05, so this site does not state what it says. A third-party site reports no zoning, building or occupancy permits outside municipalities; that is not confirmed here. |
| Lawrence County Engineer, 256-974-2478 | Lawrence County Commission, Road Department, read 2026-09-05 |
| Marshall CountyGuntersville | Permit status not confirmed. Ask the county before you build | The county’s official site lists an Engineering Department and a License Inspection office for business licenses. No building department was found on it. Note for anyone researching this county: the first search result for "Marshall County building department" is Marshall County, Mississippi, which does run one. Guntersville, Albertville, Boaz and Arab each run their own building departments inside city limits. |
| Marshall County License Inspection, 256-571-7801, 424 Blount Avenue, Guntersville | Marshall County, Alabama, official site, read 2026-09-05 |
| Jackson CountyScottsboro | No county building permit outside city limits, verified at the county 2026-09-05 | The county states it in its own words: "Jackson County currently does not have zoning laws nor do we require building permits. This applies only to areas not located in the jurisdiction of a municipality." |
| Jackson County Commission, 256-574-9280, 102 E Laurel Street, Scottsboro | Jackson County, AL, Zoning and Building Permits, read 2026-09-05 |
| DeKalb CountyFort Payne | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | The county’s official site lists no building department. Its Engineering page says the office is responsible for enforcing the DeKalb County Subdivision Regulations and for issuing permits to install utilities on county right-of-way, and it does not mention building permits. Fort Payne runs its own inspections and zoning inside city limits. |
| DeKalb County Engineering, 256-845-8584, 111 Grand Avenue SW, Fort Payne | DeKalb County Commission, Engineering, read 2026-09-05 |
| Cullman CountyCullman | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | The county’s official site lists no building department. Its Road Department handles driveway pipe permits, the county floodplain ordinance and an NFIP development permit, and it posts a document titled "Zoning Letter" that is a scanned image this site could not read. The City of Cullman runs its own building inspections inside city limits. |
| Cullman County Road Department, 256-796-2266 | Cullman County, Road Department, read 2026-09-05 |
| Blount CountyOneonta | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | The county’s official site has no building permit page. Its Engineering Department lists a driveway access permit and the subdivision regulations, and a search of the county site for "building permit" returns nothing. A homeowners association website in the county asserts that the county requires no building permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy, but it cites no county source, so this site does not repeat it as fact. |
| Blount County Commission, 205-973-0285, 220 2nd Avenue East, Oneonta | Blount County Commission, Engineering, read 2026-09-05 |
| Etowah CountyGadsden | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | The county’s official site lists no building department among its 10 departments. Its Engineering Department holds the subdivision regulations and the floodplain development ordinance, and a search of the county site for "building permit" returns "No posts found". Gadsden and the other cities run their own building departments inside city limits. |
| Etowah County Engineering Department, 256-549-1444, 800 Forrest Avenue, Gadsden | Etowah County, Engineering, read 2026-09-05 |
| Cherokee CountyCentre | No county building permit outside city limits, verified at the county 2026-09-05 | The county states it in its own words: Cherokee County "does not have zoning regulations or building permit requirements outside of the incorporated areas of the county." The same page says any paid contractor must obtain a license through the Cherokee County Probate Office, and that the county health department issues septic permits. |
| Cherokee County Probate Office (contractor licensing), 256-927-3363 | Cherokee County Commission, Zoning / Permitting, read 2026-09-05 |
| St. Clair CountyAshville and Pell City | No building department listed on the county site, 2026-09-05. Confirm with the county | The county’s official department list, 17 departments long, has no building, planning, zoning or code enforcement department. The County Engineer holds the subdivision regulations and utility permits, and the Flood Management office holds the flood damage prevention ordinance and a development permit. Pell City, Moody, Springville and the other cities run their own building departments inside city limits. |
| St. Clair County Engineer, 165 Fifth Avenue, Suite 100, Ashville | St. Clair County, AL, Departments, read 2026-09-05 |
What applies in every row?
The septic permit: the owner has the soil tested, applies to the county health department on the state form, and uses an installer licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board. The builder license: required for any residential job over $10,000, checked on the licensing board's public lookup. And where a county has adopted no 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.
Source: Alabama Department of Public Health, Soil and Onsite Sewage: Can I Live On This Lot?, read 2026-09-05.
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.
Why is the answer different in every county?
Because Alabama law authorizes, and does not require, a county commission to adopt building codes for its unincorporated areas, and no state office inspects a house. Each county decided for itself, and most in this footprint decided not to. The permit guide explains what that means for a build.
Source: Code of Alabama section 34-14A-12, as published by the Home Builders Licensure Board, read 2026-09-05.
Source: Alabama Division of Construction Management, State Building Code, read 2026-09-05.
How is this table kept honest?
A row changes only when the county's own document is read or a call to the county is logged with the date. Three counties in the table carry a status this site could not confirm because their documents are scanned images or would not load; those rows say so rather than guess. If you work for one of these counties and the row is wrong, email the address in the footer with the county's page and it will be corrected and re-dated.
Building in one of these 12 counties?
Your request goes to a licensed local barndominium builder serving North Alabama, not a national lead list.
Send your county and your planLast reviewed 2026-09-06.