This page is designed to address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding commercial construction in Madison County.

Madison County intends to be a partner in the compliant development of structures and buildings within our jurisdiction (AHJ).

Our goal is to make the Building Inspections Department a seamless supporter in your construction schedule, through open lines of communication and next business day inspections (in most cases).

All construction, alterations, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of every building or structure or any accessories connected or attached to such buildings or structures regardless of cost.

Our staff reviews plans, issues building permits, and performs inspections to check for code compliance related to aspects of life-safety, structural integrity, accessible design, electrical, plumbing, fuel gas, heating, and air conditioning systems.

Owners, General Contractors, Contractors, Licensed Professional Contractors, Superintendents, etc. are responsible for ensuring the public safety through the compliance with federal, state, and local codes governing construction.  

What comes first, Commercial Site Plan Approval or Building Permit Approval? 

The Commercial Site Plan should be submitted before a Building Plan Review Application. 

Please follow this link to the Commercial Site Department for more information. 

In most cases, the review for both submissions are allowed to run simultaneously. 

What constitutes as a Commercial building project?

Any building and/or projects therein, that is not (nor part of) a single-family residential home or two-family (i.e., duplex) residential structure, is considered a commercial building project in Madison County. 

As a side note, any building that has 2 tenants (duplex) or more (triplex, townhouse, or greater) are required to be designed by a Registered Licensed Alabama Architect. The Architect is allowed to outsource the structural, fire sprinkler/alarm systems, Civil design, and MEP design. 

What types of commercial construction requires a permit and inspections?

All construction, alterations, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of every building or structure or any appurtenances connected or attached to such buildings or structures regardless of cost.

What codes are currently enforced in Madison County?

The Madison County resolution signed September 2^nd, 2020, with Enforcement Starting on January 1, 2021, contains the detailed breakdown of the locally enforced codes.

This is a brief synopsis of the enforced codes. All of which are copywritten materials and can be purchased or downloaded from their respective websites.

• 2018 International Code Council Building Code, Residential Code, Existing Building Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Fuel Gas Code, Swimming Pool & Spa Code, along with their and referenced standard.
• 2018 International Fire Code, and its referenced standard
• The National Electric Code, 2017 Edition
• The NFPA, Life-Safety Code, 2018 Edition
• The International Energy Conservation Code, 2015 Edition (per state mandate)
• Madison County Resolution dated September 2nd, 2020

What is required for a Commercial Building Permit?

Follow this link to a form titled Permit Submittal Checklist, it simplifies all required information needed to approved a commercial project for a permit. Please note that this form contains several links and points of contact that must be satisfied to efficiently obtain a commercial permit.  All new buildings will need all items addressed in the Permit Submittal Checklist, however limited scope-of-work projects may have 1 or more of these items waived from being required due to the scale of the project.

Your diligence in providing all applicable documents within your submission will aid in an efficient plan review process.

What fees/costs are associated with a Commercial Building Permit?

Please, refer to the Commercial Permit Fee Table, it condenses all fees approved within the Madison County Resolution dated September 2^nd, 2020 into a single page abridged version of how fees are calculated for all phases of construction. 

What information needs to be included with the building plans?

Please refer to these 3 documents.

• Plan’s Specifications - This document deals with the details needed within the plan set.
• Code Compliance Summery - This document provides our office with the method(s) the purposed structure will be compliant with code.  Essential providing a code path for the project.
• Permit Submittal Checklist - This document is a checklist of the 11 items, which need to be provided at the time of submitting for your Vertical Construction Building Permit Application.

How long will it take to have my building permit application and plan review approved?

Plan Review for commercial projects (any project that is not single family residential) can take 2-6 weeks for initial responses to be sent.  Projects are completed in the order in which they are received, your project will be put in queue.  However, diligently providing all items listed within the Permit Submittal Checklist will greatly aid our review process.  

Once your project has been reviewed, our office will send you and email stating any revisions, modifications, or additional documentation that will be needed for permit issuance.

Those revisions, modifications, or additional documents are to be submitted and reviewed like the initial review, but with a shorter response time.

When your plan is approved, our office will contact you (via email or call) to let you know your permit application is approved with the total cost and pickup instructions.

Is a building permit the same as a commercial site plan approval?

No, for most projects you will need commercial site approval to obtain a building permit.  Commercial site plan requirements involve the development of the site, and the building permit involves vertical construction/renovation/alteration/addition/etc. of a building or structure.

Please see the Commercial Site Development page for that process.

Are commercial building sites required to meet any of the civil development requirements from the International Fire Code (IFC)?

Yes, please review chapter 5 of the IFC along with Appendix D of the 2018 IFC

There are multiple items to keep in mind about Fire Code review for commercial sites, however Apparatus Access along with Fire Hydrant Placement and Fire Department Connection (FDC) Placement are paramount in your civil engineering design plans. 

Each commercial building project shall provide a 26foot wide area along the long side of the building, this may be designed as the drive aisle in the parking lot.  The reason for this is aerial apparatus access to all roofs that contain mechanical or other service equipment.

Fire Hydrants shall be no greater than 400 liner feet from the commercial structure, this measurement is to be measured as the apparatus would access the hydrant and drive to the structure.  A straight-line measurement is insufficient as it is not a real-world scenario.

Fire Department Connections (FDC) shall not be mounted to the building or be placed in the fall zone of the building.  Madison County minimum is 20 liner feet away from the structure minimum, unless 20 feet is within the fall zone – then the FDC would need to be further away.  The FDC shall be within 50 foot of the Fire Hydrant serving the structure. The FDC should have a sign, (white with red letters minimum 6” in height) that states “FDC”.

Is my project required to have plans? And are they required to be Architect/Engineer stamped plans?

Yes, every project is required to have plans. 

Possibly, please read in entirety this excerpt from the Permit Submittal Checklist.

“All buildings 2,500 square feet or larger that are erected, enlarged, or altered require the seal of a registered Alabama architect.

All buildings intended for the assembly, education, institutional, or hazardous occupancy regardless of size require the seal of a registered Alabama architect. When architect sealed plans are required, all electrical, mechanical, & plumbing plans are required to be sealed by an appropriate Alabama licensed engineer. Small Restaurants, under 2,500 square feet with an occupancy less than 50 people are exempt from providing an architect’s seal.

Regardless if an architect/engineer are required per the above statement, that the applicant is required to provide all pertinent code compliance notes within their plan submittal as outlined within the Commercial Plan Specifications and Building Code Summary”

Any “residential” structure built as a duplex, townhouse, apartment, etcetera, is also required to be sealed by an Alabama Registered Architect based on State Law.

Are fire sprinklers or fire alarm systems required in Madison County?

Yes, the International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) have provisions detailing when and what type of sprinkler or alarm systems are required in accordance with the specific project. 

These systems will also be required to meet the standards of the 2016 NFPA 13 and NFPA 72 respectively.

Please consult your design professional for methods of navigating the code.

If you are a design professional and would like to ask the fire inspectors a question.  Please send an email to fire@madisoncountyal.gov

How do I identify if my parcel/property is within Madison County’s jurisdiction?

Follow this link to the Madison County Tax Map

Find your parcel/property.

If the parcel/property is in Tax District 01- County,

then this parcel is under Madison County’s jurisdiction.

If the parcel is within a different Tax District, then you will need to speak with that Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

Example:

• 02 – Huntsville,      
• 05 – Madison [City]
• 06 – New Hope,
• 07 – Gurley,
• 08 – Triana,
• 09 – Owens Crossroads

What inspections are required for commercial projects?

The number of inspections and types of inspections will vary depending on the type of construction and the project specifications. 

It is the responsibility of the General Contractor to contact the Madison County Inspection Department before 2pm of the business day prior to needing an inspection.

Please see the Required Inspection sheet for further detail.

What information needs to be provided to Madison County before a final inspection and obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy (CO)?

After passing all required in construction inspections, the following items must be completed, and final reports submitted within the final inspection request.

The Madison County Building Inspection Department will process the Certificate of Occupancy (CO) within two (2) business days following submission of all required documents, receipt of all approvals, and the completion of all required inspections. 

Please see the Commercial Building Project Closeout Checklist for further detail.

What is required for Temporary Power?

There are 3 different kinds of Temporary Power.  These are those forms:

1. Temporary Power Pole, built and used during permitted residential or commercial construction.  These poles are limited to a 6-months time-period unless otherwise extended due to a lengthy and active construction schedule. Permit Application
2. RV Power Pole, built and used specifically with the intention of providing electrical service to an RV for a limited time. These poles are limited to a 6-months time-period unless otherwise extended, but with no more than 12 months of active service.  RV’s are recreational vehicles by federal definition and are not intended for permanent human habitation. Permit Application
3. Temporary Power for a residential or commercial building nearing completion.  This power release is to activate the electrical system of a building or structure that has completed and passed all required inspections and has submitted the proper documentation for temporary power.  Please see this form and complete all applicable forms (General Contractor, Owner, Electrical Contractor, Tenant [if applicable], and initial the last page) – See the Temporary Power form

Can a Shed or alternative structure be used for a Dwelling or Commercial Space? What about RVs, Park Model RV, motorhomes, and the like?

No, sheds are not designed for the structural loads required for human habitation nor commercially used spaces per their manufacture’s specifications and engineering.

No, Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are by definition - limited habitation vehicles and are designed to be moved from location to location.

A Professional Engineer may be hired to provide a set of plans to convert a shed or alternative structure, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will require permitting and inspections.

Park model RV, Portable Shed or shipping containers converted into dwelling space, Recreational Vehicles R.V. (motorhomes, campervans, caravans [AKA travel trailers and camper trailers], fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, truck campers, converted vehicles, etc.), and similar structures, are all examples of buildings that DO NOT meet code for permanent human habitation and/or commercial nor residential occupancy cannot be granted. These types of structures would require a Professional Engineer to provide details (structural, life safety, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc.) to convert these structures into a code compliant building, then following through with all necessary permits, renovations, and inspections to modify a non-habitable structure into a permanently habitable house/home or occupiable commercial use.

What are the energy compliance requirements in Madison County?

Madison County is subject to the State Mandated 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and requires a COMCheck upon submission for permit. 

However, according to the IECC Chapter 1, 4, etc., other refence standards are supported as well. 

The intent, there are various compliance paths of the code which are alternatively designed to achieve the same intent of IECC and COMCheck, but Section 101 implies that other methods are permitted if they accomplish the same overall objective.

Preconstruction – These documents are to be generated by the building design professionals, Architect for the envelope, Professional Engineer for the Electrical and Mechanical phase of work, or an accredited inspection agency/firm of the contractors/owners choosing.

During construction – Inspections are to be completed by the design profession who provided the pre-construction design OR a 3rd party accredited inspection agency/firm of the contractors/owners choosing, these inspections are not provided by Madison County. A rough and final COMCheck energy inspection report must be completed and submitted upon requesting a final building inspection.

Are there any zoning requirements in Madison County?

As it stands, there are NO Zoning requirements relating to limitations on construction projects nor any Zoning requirements for signage.  However, there are Building Code requirements; while the types of projects are not limited to specific zones nor any aesthetic features mandated, the purposed structure would need to be sufficiently designed according to the Building, Fire, and Trades codes as applicable.

2 pages for your consideration

Zoning Inquiry Page

Signs, Billboards and Communication Tower Information page

What kinds of permits are required for Signs, Billboards or Communication Towers (Cell Towers)?

Please see the Signs, Billboards or Communication Towers page on this site and review the referenced forms.

What is required to permit a commercial pool and pool accessory structures (cabana, clubhouse, equipment building, etc.)?

The building and the pool area must be designed with the occupant load in mind, the pool, pool deck and any assembly areas dictate the required plumbing fixtures and life safety and egress features in accordance with Chapter 10 of the Building Code.

For information regarding the pool permitting, please see our page titled Swimming Pool and Spa Permitting Information.  

NOTICE

Any improvement that is added to a property should be reported /assessed in the Madison County Tax Assessor’s office per the following code:

Alabama Code 40-7-1

“…Should the owner of any real estate make improvements on such property, or should any improvements be removed or destroyed or partially removed or destroyed during any taxable year, it shall be the duty of such owner to make a tax return between October 1 and prior to January 1 covering all such changes made subsequent to October 1 of the preceding tax year. Improvements partially completed on October 1 shall be reported to the tax assessor or other assessing official by the owner thereof and shall be assessed as incomplete for that tax year. It shall be the duty of any person who purchases real estate prior to October 1 of any taxable year and who owns said real estate on that date to report such purchase to and assess that property with the tax assessor or other assessing official between October 1 and prior to January 1 following such purchase. No penalty shall be charged such taxpayer for failure to report the purchase or sale of any real estate.”.