Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ashford, Alabama

Ashford’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of any house or other building, repair or remodel, moving or demolition of structures, and placing mobile homes or detached buildings within Ashford city corporate limits

  • Permit must be secured from the building inspector/zoning enforcement officer before construction may proceed; construction is allowed after permit issues
  • Open uninhabited structures (pole barns) carry a $100 permit fee; fences and swimming pools $100 each

  “shall be required to secure any applicable building permit(s) from the building inspector/zoning enforcement officer to construct any house or other building”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction, repair and alteration inside Ashford city limits

  • Adopted by Ashford city as International Building Code ordinance 2022-003; edition year not stated in the ordinance text reviewed
  • Permit applications must be approved to meet the zoning ordinance and the IBC before a permit issues

  “the international building code ordinance 2022-003, adopted october 3, 2022”

• InspectionsRequired

  New construction and certain remodeling, alterations, repairs, plumbing and electrical work, and certain detached buildings inside Ashford city

  • Residential: inspections for footer, slab/plumbing/HVAC, plumbing/electrical/rough-in and final, $500 total, $50 per reinspection; resident pays
  • Contractor calls the inspector when ready; city continues to write the permits
  • Commercial: five inspections by Wilcox Inspections for $2,000 total, plus fire inspection by the city fire chief

  “all new construction and certain remodeling of structures involving alterations, repairs, plumbing and electrical work, as well as certain detached buildings will be subject to inspections”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Commercial buildings in Ashford city (commercial inspection track in Ordinance 2024-005)

  • Certificate of occupancy issues only after the final inspection is completed and all fees are satisfied
  • Residential certificate-of-occupancy procedure not stated in the ordinance text reviewed

  “final inspection that must be completed and all fees satisfied prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Ashford city limits; the city's own zoning ordinance administered by its zoning enforcement officer

  • Ordinance is adopted under Title 11, Chapter 52, Code of Alabama 1975, and divides the city into twelve zoning districts
  • Current text is Ordinance 2026-004 amending 2023-002, amended June 1, 2026; original adoption shown as December 15, 2014
  • Jurisdiction check: the ordinance names the city of Ashford, Alabama and refers to the Houston Co. health department, placing it in Houston County

  “hereby ordains and enacts into law an official zoning ordinance in accordance with the laws of alabama”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Ashford city

  • Official zoning map is kept in the office of the Ashford city clerk (Article III, Section 32); map itself not opened

  “r-1: low-density single family residential district r-2: single residential district r-3: multi-family residential district c-1: central business/local shopping district c-2: special commercial district c-2mu: commercial 2 mixed-use district m-1: wholesale and light industrial district m-2: general industrial district fh: flood hazard district a-c: agricultural-conservation district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 low-density single-family residential district inside Ashford city (main single-family district), lots on septic tank and well

  • Row lists two minimum lot areas, 22,500 sq ft and 15,000 sq ft, and the extracted table does not clearly label which figure goes with septic-tank-and-well versus septic-tank-only lots; confirm against the printed table
  • Minimum lot width measured at the building line is 100 ft in both listed rows
  • Table is Section 71.1 (single-family dwelling units in districts permitting them); R-2 row is not reliably parsed and is not stated here
  • Agricultural-conservation (A-C) district minimum lot size not reviewed

  “r-1 residential single family septic tank & well septic tank 22,500 15,000 100ft 100ft 25% 25%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 low-density single-family residential district inside Ashford city

  • Maximum lot coverage 25% shown for both listed R-1 rows in Section 71.1
  • Coverage figure taken from the same table row as lot size; the table layout is ambiguous, so confirm against the printed table

  “r-1 residential single family septic tank & well septic tank 22,500 15,000 100ft 100ft 25% 25%”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailer (RV) parks in Ashford city where the district permits them; occupancy on private single lots is not covered by this rule

  • Park minimum 2 acres, with direct access to a county, state or federal highway; no entrance or exit through a residential district
  • Spaces rented by the day or week only; occupant may stay no more than 30 days
  • Park site plan must carry a certificate of approval of the Houston Co. health department
  • Private-lot RV occupancy not stated in the sections read

  “the spaces shall be rented by the day or week only. the occupant of such space shall remain in the trailer park for a period of no more than (30) days”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Short-stay camping in travel trailer parks in Ashford city; tent and other temporary camping not reviewed

  • Stays in a travel trailer park limited to 30 days; spaces rented by the day or week only
  • Park minimum 2 acres and highway access requirement apply

  “the occupant of such space shall remain in the trailer park for a period of no more than (30) days”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home parks in Ashford city where the district permits them; single manufactured homes on individual lots (RMH district) not yet verified

  • Park minimum 5 acres; minimum 8 completed spaces before first occupancy
  • Space minimums 3,500 sq ft for singlewides and 4,500 sq ft for doublewides; 15 ft front, back and side open space per lot
  • Placing or moving a mobile home requires a building permit under Ordinance 2024-005 ($100 manufactured home permit fee)

  “the minimum lot area per park shall be (5) acres and the minimum lot width for portions used for the entrance and exit shall be 50ft”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private on-site water and sewage disposal in the R-1 district inside Ashford city

  • Permissible only depending on specific location; health approval for septic not verified
  • Becomes a connection requirement once public sanitary sewer is available within 150 ft (see utility claim)

  “private, on-site water supply and sewage disposal may be permissible in this district depending on specific location”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Dwelling units in the R-1 low-density single-family district inside Ashford city

  • Required to connect to public sanitary sewer only where the unit is within 150 ft of a sanitary sewer main, and only after service becomes available
  • Connection due within two years after service is available
  • Water connection requirement not stated in the R-1 text reviewed

  “however, as public sanitary sewer service becomes available, it shall be required that all dwelling units located within 150ft of a sanitary sewer main be connected to the public system within two years after the service is available”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees in Ashford city, residential and commercial

  • Residential new construction: $250 up to 1,000 sq ft; $250 plus $0.20 per sq ft over 1,000 sq ft (schedule as printed)
  • Remodeling or repair scaled by valuation, $10 to $75; roofing $100; moving $100; demolition $100; manufactured home $100; pool $100; fence $100; open uninhabited structure $100
  • Commercial new construction on a sliding schedule from $150 (first $1,000) up to $3,045 (first $1,000,000) plus $2.25 per additional $1,000
  • Ordinance adopted and approved December 16, 2024; fee schedule as printed in that ordinance

  “1. schedule of residential permit fees new construction: permit fees shall be based upon total square footage as follows”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit process in Ashford city

  • Applications are approved by the building inspector/zoning enforcement officer for zoning and IBC compliance before a permit is issued
  • Contractor calls the inspector for each inspection; city writes the permit
  • Online application or status system not verified on an official city page

  “the city will continue to write the permits and the contractor will call inspector when ready for inspection”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from city permits in Ashford city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Ashford city
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear yard setbacks for dwellings in Ashford city
• Building height — Maximum building height in Ashford city
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy in Ashford city

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.