Building permits, zoning and land rules in Houston County, Alabama

Yes. Houston County requires a $100 building permit for house construction in the unincorporated county before work begins¹. The application package requires the completed county form, approved Health Department onsite-sewage installation permit where applicable, and a plot plan or survey showing the structure footprint¹. Houston County does not perform residential building inspections and consequently cannot issue a certificate of occupancy². The county permit is still required even though it does not lead to routine county inspections or a county occupancy certificate^1,2. Alabama's owner-builder licensing exemption can cover an owner who personally acts as contractor and provides all material supervision on a qualifying home for the owner's own use, but it does not waive Houston County's permit⁵.

The Houston County Road & Bridge Department is the permit counter for building, driveway, mobile-home moving, utility-work and flood-zone matters⁶. Reach Road & Bridge at 334-792-4149 or visit 2400 Columbia Hwy. Dothan, AL 36303; its posted hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m⁶.. Houston County publishes an online application, and the house-permit package includes the completed form, Health Department septic approval where applicable, a plot plan or survey, and the fee¹. Houston County performs no residential building inspections and therefore issues no certificates of occupancy². Ask Road & Bridge which adopted building-code requirements apply, because we could not confirm the code edition for unincorporated construction. Inside a city, ask city hall which office issues building permits and zoning approval; septic permits for property off public sewer still come from the Houston County Health Department³.

Houston County's zoning status for unincorporated land remains unconfirmed⁴. Alabama counties lack broad, general land-use authority under general state law, although local laws and specific statutes can create limited authority⁷. That statewide limit does not prove that a Houston County parcel is unrestricted. Ask the Houston County Commission whether the parcel is affected by a local law, floodplain rule, airport restriction, subdivision condition or municipal jurisdiction. Houston County regulates subdivision plats outside municipal boundaries, and the County Commission is the official platting authority⁸. Subdivision plats must show building setback lines⁸. In a platted subdivision, residential lots must meet Health Department minimum dimensions and a front setback line of 20 feet unless the County Commission approves otherwise⁸. A rural subdivision seeking the curb-and-gutter exception needs lots of at least 2.5 acres with 250 feet of road frontage; that is a condition of the exception, not a minimum for every parcel⁸. We could not confirm general rules for minimum dwelling size, accessory dwellings, lot coverage or building height. City zoning, where a city has it, applies only inside city limits, so ask city hall for those parcels.

The Houston County Health Department administers onsite-sewage permitting for property not connected to public sanitary sewer³. A local Health Department permit is required before installing a new onsite system or repairing an existing one, so an off-grid plan still needs an approved sanitation system³. The application calls for professional soil information, a legal description, plot plan, vicinity map and, when applicable, a construction plan; the Health Department reviews the application and soil results before issuing a permit³. Contact the Houston County Health Department Environmental Office at 334-678-2815 or 1781 East Cottonwood Road Dothan, Alabama 36301⁹. Septic comes before the house permit because Road & Bridge requires Health Department approval in the permit package where applicable¹. Only about 22.4% of Houston County soils avoid a "very limited" rating for conventional septic drain fields, so make the site and soil review an early purchase contingency¹⁰.

We could not confirm a Houston County rule for RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land. Houston County's zoning status is also unresolved, so the absence of a confirmed rule is not permission to live in an RV or tiny home on every rural parcel⁴. Ask the Houston County Commission about occupancy limits for the exact parcel and Road & Bridge whether a proposed tiny home needs the county house permit. Any off-grid residence not connected to public sewer still needs Health Department approval before a new onsite sewage system is installed³. A manufactured home is a separate legal category from an RV or site-built tiny home; Alabama recognizes a qualifying manufactured home for residential use subject to required utility connections and applicable local rules¹¹. Houston County publishes a $100 charge for installing a mobile home when it moves on county roadways¹.

1. Ask the Houston County Commission whether parcel-specific zoning or land-use restrictions apply, because countywide zoning remains unconfirmed⁴.
2. Confirm that the lot is a lawful split; Houston County regulates subdivision plats outside municipal boundaries⁸.
3. Contact the Houston County Health Department for soil review and the onsite-sewage application when public sewer is unavailable³.
4. Obtain the Health Department permit before septic installation or repair and before submitting the county house-permit package^1,3.
5. Submit the completed building application, septic approval where applicable, plot plan or survey, and $100 fee to Road & Bridge before construction starts¹.
6. For a flood-zone site, include the additional $50 permit and plans; Houston County checks elevation after the lowest floor is installed and before walls rise¹.
7. Plan separately for any specialty or third-party inspections because Houston County does not perform residential building inspections or issue certificates of occupancy².

Start with wastewater feasibility: only about 22.4% of Houston County soils avoid the most restrictive conventional-drain-field rating, and Health Department approval belongs in the house-permit package when onsite sewage applies^1,10. Check flood maps early because a flood-zone house needs a $50 county floodplain permit, plans and an elevation check during construction¹. Every regulated subdivision needs access over a public street, road or highway, with separate-driveway conditions applying to certain subdivision exceptions⁸. A parcel used solely for agriculture can get a county driveway pipe through a Road & Bridge agreement only if the owner promises not to build a residence for at least two years¹². Access onto an Alabama state highway requires an ALDOT turnout permit¹³. For a newly divided rural tract, request evidence of Houston County subdivision approval rather than assuming the deed settled development eligibility⁸. We could not confirm ordinary private-well permitting, so ask the Health Department and relevant water authority about water options. Houston County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.3%, with a median annual property-tax bill of about $534¹⁰.