Bolthole Index

Dale County, Alabama

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Daleville, Alabama

Daleville, Alabama offers building permits through City Hall and has adopted building codes, but the available city material does not say that every type of construction needs a building permit.12 Daleville regulates land by zoning, while septic permits and inspections inside the city go through the Dale County Board of Health.345

At a glance

Building permit
Available at Daleville City Hall; confirm whether the planned work requires one16
Building codes
Daleville has adopted technical building codes by reference2
Zoning
City zoning applies; ask Building & Zoning for the parcel district and dimensional rules36
Septic
A Dale County Board of Health permit and inspection are required where sewer is unavailable75
RV living
No general city rule confirmed; ask Building & Zoning before buying or occupying6
Tiny home
No separate city occupancy rule confirmed; zoning and adopted building codes still require review32
Owner-builder
A qualifying Alabama owner-builder exemption exists, but it does not answer Daleville permit requirements8

Who to call

Building permits

City of Daleville Building & Zoning

Daleville building-permit and zoning questions

[email protected]

Building permits

Daleville City Hall

In-person access to Daleville building permits and general city contact

334.598.2345

740 S. Daleville Ave Daleville, AL 36322

Septic permits

Dale County Health Department, Environmental Services

Onsite sewage and septic applications, permits and questions for Daleville addresses

334-774-5146

532 W. Roy Parker Road, Ozark, Alabama 36360

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Daleville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Daleville, Alabama?

Daleville makes building permits available at City Hall, and the city code includes a building-permit fee schedule.19 The available city material does not establish which types of construction always require a building permit, so ask Building & Zoning to classify the exact project before work begins.6

Daleville has adopted technical codes by reference, including building, mechanical, plumbing, swimming-pool, fire and fuel-gas codes.2 The published fee provision waives the fee when valuation does not exceed $100; above $100, the fee is one-eighth of one percent of valuation, subject to a $10 minimum.9 A permit cannot be issued until the prescribed fee is paid.9

Who handles Daleville building permits and zoning?

The City of Daleville directs building-permit applicants to City Hall.6 For project classification and zoning questions, contact City of Daleville Building & Zoning at [email protected].6 For an in-person starting point, Daleville City Hall is at 740 S. Daleville Ave, Daleville, AL 36322, and its phone number is 334.598.2345.10

Before submitting plans, give Building & Zoning the parcel address, proposed use, scope of work, structure type and utility plan. The city material reviewed here does not confirm a general certificate-of-occupancy rule or a published online permit portal, so ask the office which application, plan set, inspections and final approval apply to the project.6

Does Daleville have zoning for RVs, tiny homes and lot size?

Daleville regulates land through zoning, and the city code expressly refers to commercial, office and industrial zones.3 The available material does not supply a complete district list, zoning map or dimensional schedule, so obtain the parcel's district and written rules from Building & Zoning before relying on a listing description.6

We could not confirm Daleville-specific rules for living in an RV, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy, accessory dwellings, minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage or building height. Ask Building & Zoning about the exact unit, foundation or chassis, intended length of occupancy and proposed utility connections.6 The absence of a confirmed rule here is not permission, and unincorporated Dale County's land-use rules should not be applied to property inside Daleville.3

How do septic permits work inside Daleville?

For a Daleville property without available sanitary sewer, a septic tank needs a permit from the Dale County Board of Health and must be a type the board approves.7 The county health officer or representative must approve and inspect construction before the system is covered.5 Daleville also requires the owner to agree to connect to sanitary sewer when it becomes available.7

Call the Dale County Health Department at 334-774-5146 and ask for the Environmental Office; the office is at 532 W. Roy Parker Road, Ozark, Alabama 36360.11 Dale County's mapped soils vary: 34.9% avoid severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make site and soil approval a purchase contingency rather than assuming a conventional system will work.12

Can you build as an owner-builder in Daleville?

Alabama provides a licensing exemption when an owner acts as the owner's own contractor, personally provides all material supervision and builds or improves a one-family or two-family residence for the owner's own occupancy or use rather than for sale.8 The exemption is nontransferable, and offering the residence for sale within one year after substantial completion is presumptive evidence that it was built for sale.8 A subcontractor must be licensed when that subcontractor's portion costs more than $10,000.8

The state owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing; it does not establish an exemption from Daleville building permits, zoning, adopted codes or inspections.8 Ask Building & Zoning what documentation an owner-builder must provide with the city application.6

Building a home in Daleville: the steps, in order

  1. Ask Daleville Building & Zoning to confirm the parcel's district, allowed residential use, dimensional standards and whether the planned work needs a building permit.36
  2. Determine whether sanitary sewer is available; Daleville permits septic only where sewer is unavailable and requires later connection when sewer becomes available.7
  3. If septic is needed, apply through the Dale County Health Department and obtain approval before the installation is covered.75
  4. Submit the city building-permit materials at City Hall and pay the prescribed fee before issuance.19
  5. Ask Building & Zoning which inspections and final approval apply, because a general Daleville inspection sequence and certificate-of-occupancy rule could not be confirmed.6

What should you check before buying land in Daleville and Dale County?

Confirm that the parcel is inside Daleville before using the city's zoning and building-permit process.3 Ask Building & Zoning for the official district, allowed use, setbacks, lot standards and treatment of an RV, tiny home, manufactured home or accessory dwelling.6 For property in a special flood-hazard area, Daleville imposes elevation and development standards, including a lowest floor at least one foot above base-flood elevation where that data is available.13

Resolve wastewater before choosing the house site because septic requires county-health permitting and pre-cover inspection.75 Dale County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.3%, and its median annual property-tax bill is about $426.1415 If access is from an Alabama state highway, an ALDOT driveway permit requires a completed BM-111 application.16

Watch-outs

  • Daleville offers building permits at City Hall, but the available city material does not identify every project that requires one; ask Building & Zoning before work begins.6
  • Unincorporated Dale County's lack of general zoning does not answer what is allowed inside Daleville, where city zoning applies.3
  • A Daleville septic installation must be permitted through the Dale County Board of Health and inspected before it is covered.75
  • Daleville's specific RV, temporary-camping and tiny-home occupancy rules could not be confirmed; request a parcel-specific answer from Building & Zoning.6

Sources

  1. Building & Zoning | Daleville Alabama (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Sec. 10-1. Technical codes adopted by reference; enforcement (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  3. Sec. 1-11. Ordinances, resolutions and activities not affected by Code (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  4. Sec. 24-42. Construction of septic tanks (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  5. Sec. 24-42. Construction of septic tanks (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  6. City of Daleville Building & Zoning (dalevilleal.com)
  7. Sec. 24-42. Construction of septic tanks (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Exemptions (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Sec. 10-1. Technical codes adopted by reference; enforcement (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Daleville City Hall (dalevilleal.com)
  11. Dale County Health Department, Environmental Services (alabamapublichealth.gov)
  12. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  13. library.municode.com (Daleville), quoted and re-checked
  14. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  15. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  16. ALDOT Permit Manual, quoted and re-checked

Written October 9, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Daleville

Daleville’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Building regulation inside Daleville city limits.

    • The listed codes are adopted by reference.
    • The cited section lists 2009 editions of the International Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Swimming Pool & Spa, Fire, and Fuel Gas Codes.
    “The following codes are hereby adopted by reference as though they were copied herein fully:”
  • Zoning districtsPartial

    Land inside Daleville city limits; the opened code confirms zone-based regulation but did not provide a complete district schedule or map.

    • The code preserves zoning ordinances and separately contains regulations for commercial, office, and industrial zones.
    • The complete district list and dimensional schedule were not located in the opened sources.
    “Signs are allowed as follows in commercial, office and industrial zones:”
  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    Septic systems inside Daleville city limits; the operative permitting and inspection authority named by Daleville's ordinance is the Dale County Board of Health.

    • The county board of health approves septic-tank types.
    • The county health officer or representative approves and inspects construction before covering.
    “Septic tanks of types approved by the county board of health may be constructed and maintained upon issuance of permit by the county board of health”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Premises inside Daleville city limits where sanitary sewers are not available.

    • A permit from the county board of health or its authorized representative is required.
    • The septic system must be of a type approved by the county board of health.
    • The permit must provide for agreement to connect to the sanitary sewer when available.
    “Septic tanks of types approved by the county board of health may be constructed and maintained upon issuance of permit by the county board of health”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Construction of septic tanks inside Daleville city limits where sanitary sewers are unavailable.

    • Inspection must occur before the septic tank is covered.
    • The county health officer or representative performs or approves the inspection.
    “the construction of same to be approved and inspected by the county health officer, or his representative, before being covered”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    On-site sanitation inside Daleville city limits where public sanitary sewer is unavailable.

    • Septic tanks may serve premises where sanitary sewers are not available.
    • A county health department permit and inspection are required.
    • Connection to sanitary sewer is required when it becomes available.
    “to serve premises where sanitary sewers are not available, the construction of same to be approved and inspected by the county health officer, or his representative, before being covered”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Dwellings, buildings, and places inside Daleville city limits where approved water and sanitary sewer are available within a reasonable distance.

    • An approved water supply under suitable pressure must be available.
    • A sanitary sewer must be available within a reasonable distance.
    • Sewer accessibility is defined as within 200 feet of the outside line of the lot, subject to the no-crossing-another's-property condition.
    • Existing septic use may continue only while approved by the county health officer or representative.

    sewer accessibility distance: <= 200 feet (Public sewer must be reachable without crossing another person's property.)

    “a water closet, or water closets, as herein prescribed, connected to such water under pressure and sanitary sewer shall be immediately installed”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New construction, substantial improvements, manufactured homes, recreational vehicles, and subdivisions in Daleville areas of special flood hazard.

    • In A1-30, AE, AH, and A zones with estimated base-flood elevation, new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor at least one foot above base-flood elevation where data is available.
    • Nonresidential floodproofing may be used in lieu of elevation under the stated certification and design conditions.
    • RV placement is limited to fewer than 180 consecutive days unless the RV meets new-construction requirements.
    • Subdivision proposals must minimize flood damage, locate utilities to minimize flood damage, provide adequate drainage, and provide base-flood data for proposals greater than 50 lots or five acres, whichever is lesser.

    lowest-floor elevation: >= 1 foot above base flood elevation (Where base-flood elevation data is available.) · subdivision threshold: 50 lots or 5 acres (Whichever is lesser.)

    “Where base flood elevation data is available, new construction and substantial improvement of any structure or manufactured home shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Daleville building permits governed by the fee provision in Sec. 10-1.

    • No fee is required for valuation not exceeding $100.00.
    • For valuation over $100.00, the fee is one-eighth of one percent of valuation.
    • The minimum fee is $10.00.
    • No permit may be issued until prescribed fees are paid.
    • Permit amendments require payment of any additional fee caused by increased estimated cost.

    permit fee rate: 0.125 percent of valuation (Minimum fee of $10.00; no fee if valuation does not exceed $100.00.)

    “For a valuation over $100.00, the fee shall be one-eighth of one percent of such valuation; provided, however, there shall be a minimum fee of $10.00 for any such permit issued.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building-permit process inside Daleville city limits.

    • The city page directs applicants to City Hall for permits.
    • The code requires payment of prescribed fees before permit issuance.
    “Building permits are availble at City Hall”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Daleville or Dale County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Daleville city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing inside Daleville city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Daleville city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Daleville city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Lots inside Daleville city limits.
11 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Daleville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Dale County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Dale County: county rules, score and offices