Unincorporated Conecuh County, Alabama does not require a county building permit for an ordinary home and has no comprehensive county zoning ordinance12. The Conecuh County Health Department handles onsite-sewage permits locally under Alabama's statewide program3. Owner-builders may qualify for a state licensing exemption when personally supervising construction of their own one-family or two-family home that is not offered for sale4.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Not required in unincorporated Conecuh County; no county building-code program identified1
- Zoning
- None; unincorporated Conecuh County has no comprehensive zoning ordinance52
- Septic permits
- Conecuh County Health Department, under Alabama Department of Public Health onsite-sewage rules6
- RV / tiny home / manufactured home living
- Unrestricted under county rules, since Conecuh County has no zoning authority7
- Minimum lot size, dwelling size, setbacks, height
- None set by the county7
- Owner-builder exemption
- Available statewide for an owner personally building or improving their own one- or two-family home, not offered for sale8
- Agricultural building exemption
- Available statewide for a qualifying agricultural building, excluding any residence inside it9
- Septic soil difficulty
- 28.6% of county soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field10
Who to call
Septic permits
Conecuh County Health Department, Environmental Services
Onsite sewage disposal questions and other environmental health services for Conecuh County
102 Wild Avenue, Evergreen, Alabama 36401
Property records
Conecuh County Revenue Commissioner
Property tax appraisal, assessment and parcel records for Conecuh County; housed at the county courthouse, the office to confirm a parcel's assessed value, acreage and tax history before you buy
Conecuh County Courthouse, 111 Court Square, Evergreen, AL 36401
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 28, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Conecuh County, Alabama?
No. There are no building codes enforced in unincorporated Conecuh County, and no comprehensive zoning ordinance either, according to the county's own multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan2. Alabama law does let a county commission adopt building laws and codes for unincorporated areas by ordinance, but nothing in the reviewed county materials shows Conecuh County has done so1. The state's own Division of Construction Management doesn't fill that gap either: its State Building Code jurisdiction is limited to state-funded work, public K-12 and postsecondary schools, hotels, motels, and movie theaters, and it explicitly does not cover ordinary residential property11. That's set to shift for residential builders statewide: starting January 1, 2027, a residential home builder must follow the Alabama Residential Building Code or a local jurisdiction's own adopted code, but that code is enforced only by local jurisdictions that run a permitting and inspection program, and Conecuh County hasn't been shown to run one12. If you're building or improving your own one- or two-family home for your own use and not for sale, Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Law exempts you personally from needing a residential contractor's license, as long as you provide all the material supervision yourself8.
Who issues permits in Conecuh County, and how do you reach them?
We could not confirm a Conecuh County building department or residential permit office for unincorporated land. Septic questions go to the Conecuh County Health Department's Environmental Office at 102 Wild Avenue, Evergreen, Alabama 36401, 251-578-744913. The Health Department provides onsite-sewage disposal and private-well water-testing services, but we could not confirm a Conecuh-specific permit rule for an individual private well14. For a parcel's assessed value, acreage, or tax history, contact the Conecuh County Revenue Commissioner at the county courthouse, 111 Court Square, Evergreen, AL 36401, 251-578-701915. A driveway connecting to an Alabama state highway requires an ALDOT access permit rather than a county permit16. We also could not confirm the local floodplain administrator; ask the county commission who issues development permits before doing work in a mapped flood hazard area.
Does Conecuh County have zoning?
No countywide zoning ordinance applies to unincorporated Conecuh County17. Conecuh County therefore sets no county minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setback, lot-coverage limit, or building-height limit on unincorporated land7. RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes, accessory dwellings, and temporary camping are likewise unrestricted by county zoning on unincorporated land7. That answer does not settle rules inside a city or town: an official City of Evergreen zoning map identifies residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural/open districts, although another reviewed planning source reports no Evergreen zoning ordinance, so buyers inside Evergreen should ask the city which current standards govern the parcel1819. Alabama counties may still regulate narrow subjects such as flood-prone development even without broad zoning authority, so a parcel in a mapped flood hazard area can still require local approval2021.
How do septic permits work in Conecuh County?
Alabama law requires any homeowner or business not connected to a public sanitary sewer to get a permit from the local health department before installing a new onsite sewage system or repairing an existing one, and that's the Conecuh County Health Department here1322. Before the permit is issued, the site must be evaluated, and only a registered engineer may design a system where the soil percolation rate is slower than 60 minutes or where a shallow limiting zone like groundwater, clay, or bedrock is present22. Soils in Conecuh County are relatively workable by rural standards: 28.6% of the county's land is free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, better than many surrounding counties, though a site evaluation is still required before you can assume a standard system will work10. Call the health department before beginning installation so it can schedule the required inspection, and don't occupy the building until the department issues an Approval for Use23. Off-grid sanitation is contemplated by the same rules: an onsite system is the standard option wherever a property isn't connected to a public sanitary sewer, subject to the same permit, site-evaluation, and Approval for Use steps24.
Can you live in an RV, manufactured home, or tiny home on your land in Conecuh County?
Yes, under county rules. Because unincorporated Conecuh County has no zoning ordinance, RV occupancy, tiny-home occupancy, manufactured-home occupancy, and accessory dwellings are all unrestricted at the county level7. A manufactured home still has to meet Alabama's statutory definition to count as one: it must be at least 8 body feet wide and 40 body feet long while traveling, or at least 320 square feet once erected, built on a permanent chassis, connected to required plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical utilities, and carry a HUD Seal25. If you're setting up a dedicated RV park rather than parking your own RV on your own land, Alabama's onsite-sewage rules require the local health department to designate the site, require one sanitary station for every 50 vehicles the park is designed to hold, and cap occupancy at the designed capacity26. That RV-park rule is a different situation from an individual living in an RV on their own unzoned land, which Conecuh County's lack of zoning leaves unrestricted7.
Building a home in Conecuh County: the steps, in order
First, know that there's no county building-permit application to file for an ordinary home in unincorporated Conecuh County, since the county has no building-code program1. Second, if you're doing the work yourself, confirm you qualify for Alabama's owner-builder exemption: you must be building or improving your own one- or two-family home for your own occupancy, not for sale, and you must personally provide all material supervision8. Third, if you hire subcontractors, know that any subcontractor whose portion of the work costs more than $10,000 must be licensed27. Fourth, contact the Conecuh County Health Department early for a site evaluation, since your septic design depends on it and only a registered engineer can design a system on slow-draining or shallow-limiting-zone soil1322. Fifth, get your septic Permit to Install before starting construction on your sewage system, and call the health department again before installation so it can schedule the required inspection2423. Sixth, if your driveway connects to a state highway, apply for an ALDOT permit using Form BM-111 before construction16. Seventh, get your septic Approval for Use before occupying the building23.
What to check before you buy land in Conecuh County
Confirm the parcel's soil suitability for septic early: 28.6% of Conecuh County's land is free of severe septic limitations, better than many nearby counties, but the county still gets about 60 inches of rain a year, so drainage and site evaluation both matter1028. Land here is mostly gentle and heavily wooded, with 87.8% at 15% slope or less and 84.6% forested, so clearing costs are worth budgeting even though grading rarely is a problem2930. Because Conecuh County has no zoning, there's no county-set minimum lot size, so if the tract you're buying was split from a larger parcel, ask whether Alabama's subdivision rules under Ala. Code § 11-24-1 apply, since counties aren't required to adopt subdivision regulations and Conecuh's status wasn't confirmed for this guide31. Ask the Health Department directly about septic and well suitability for the specific parcel before you commit13. Property tax runs low here, about 0.3% effectively, with a median bill near $328 a year against a typical home value around $133,777, and you can confirm a specific parcel's assessed value and tax history with the Revenue Commissioner's office at the courthouse before you buy32333415.
Watch-outs
- No official source confirms whether Conecuh County has adopted subdivision regulations under Ala. Code § 11-24-1; if your tract was recently split from a larger parcel, ask the county commission directly31.
- No official source confirms who administers floodplain-development permits in Conecuh County; check FEMA flood maps and ask the county or the Health Department before you buy in a low-lying area1.
- Starting January 1, 2027, Alabama residential builders must follow the Alabama Residential Building Code or a local jurisdiction's own code, but only where that jurisdiction runs a permitting and inspection program; watch for Conecuh County to potentially adopt one before that date12.
Sources
- Alabama EMA - Division A Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2026 county census)
- Conecuh County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, quoted and re-checked
- Soil and Onsite Sewage, quoted and re-checked
- Home Builders Licensure Board: Alabama Code Chapter 14A and Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Conecuh County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2026 county census)
- Environmental Services | Conecuh County Health Department (2026 county census)
- Alabama law on county zoning and building authority
- Exemptions (2026 county census)
- Rule 465-X-3-.03 Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- State Building Code (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Home Builders Licensure Law, Effective October 1, 2025 (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Conecuh County Health Department, Environmental Services (alabamapublichealth.gov)
- Environmental Services | Conecuh County Health Department, quoted and re-checked
- Conecuh County Revenue Commissioner (revenue.alabama.gov)
- ALDOT Permit Manual (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Conecuh County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026, quoted and re-checked
- City of Evergreen Zoning Map 2014, quoted and re-checked
- Conecuh County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026, quoted and re-checked
- Alabama County Commissioners Handbook, 13th Edition (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- My house is in a floodplain. What do I do if I want to build an addition or otherwise improve it? (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Onsite Sewage Disposal | Alabama Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
- Onsite Sewage Disposal | Alabama Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
- Onsite Sewage Disposal | Alabama Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
- What is a manufactured home? (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Chapter 420-3-1 Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal, quoted and re-checked
- Exemptions (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
- Handbook for Alabama County Commissioners (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
Written September 28, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.