Bolthole Index

Jefferson County, Alabama

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Bessemer, Alabama

Inside Bessemer, Alabama, the city's Building Inspections office issues building permits and the city enforces its own zoning ordinance12. Septic permits for land inside the city come from the Jefferson County Department of Health, not City Hall3. Camping and travel trailers cannot be lived in on residential lots in the city4. Land outside city limits falls under Jefferson County's rules instead.

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the City of Bessemer; apply through the city's online permit portal25
Zoning
Yes: Bessemer has an adopted zoning ordinance covering land inside city limits1
Building code
Bessemer enforces the 2021 International Building Code suite and 2020 National Electrical Code6
Permit fee
$26 minimum; building permits are 1% of job cost plus a $1 issuance fee7
Septic
Jefferson County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division3
RV living
Not allowed on residential lots in the city, except in an authorized mobile home park4
Owner-builder
Homeowners may buy a building day labor permit and act as their own general contractor2

Who to call

Building permits

City of Bessemer Building Inspections

Building permits, plan review, inspections, zoning applications and rezoning requests inside Bessemer city limits

(205) 424-4060

1700 3rd Avenue North, Bessemer, AL 35020

Septic permits

Jefferson County Department of Health, Community Environmental Protection Division

Onsite sewage disposal (septic) permits and inspections in Jefferson County, including inside Bessemer

(205) 930-1230

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Bessemer, Alabama have zoning?

Yes. The City of Bessemer has an adopted zoning ordinance that governs construction and land use inside city limits1. Zoning maps, zoning definitions and applications for rezoning or a Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing are handled through the city's Building Inspections office2.

RV living is the rule most land buyers trip on: a camping or travel trailer may not be occupied, temporarily or permanently, on a residential lot or in a residential district in Bessemer, with an exception for a mobile home park authorized under the zoning ordinance4. Garages facing a street must sit at least 25 feet from the street right-of-way line, and accessory structures may not go in a required front yard8.

We could not confirm the numeric minimum lot size, minimum house size, lot coverage or height limits for Bessemer's residential and agricultural districts, or whether tiny homes are allowed. Ask Building Inspections at2 for the district you are looking at before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in Bessemer, and who issues it?

Yes. Building permits inside Bessemer come from the City of Bessemer's Building Inspections office on the first floor of City Hall, not from Jefferson County2. Plans must be submitted and reviewed before a permit issues, and the city says plans should be reviewed within 10 business days5.

The city enforces the 2021 International Building Code suite and the 2020 National Electrical Code6. The minimum fee for any permit is $26, and a building permit costs 1% of the job cost plus a $1 issuance fee7. Applications go through the city's online permit portal5.

Homeowners can buy a building day labor permit to act as their own general contractor, but all electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas work still has to be done by a licensed contractor and inspected by the city2. Occupying a building without a certificate of occupancy is a code violation9.

How do septic permits work inside Bessemer?

Septic permits inside Bessemer city limits are issued by the Jefferson County Department of Health, not by the city3. A septic system is only an option where public sewer is not provided: the city's subdivision rules require sanitary sewers, allow septic tanks to substitute only with health-department approval, and require written health-department approval before a building permit can issue10.

The process starts when you hire a local engineer, land surveyor or soil scientist for preliminary soil work and submit a permit application and plot plan; after the health department issues the septic permit, the building permit follows11. Jefferson County's soils matter here: only about 24% of the county's soils are rated "not limited" for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system12. The health department advises checking a lot for onsite system approval before you buy11. For fees and questions, call the Community Environmental Protection Division at (205) 930-123011.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Bessemer?

Not in an RV on a residential lot. Bessemer's zoning ordinance says a camping or travel trailer shall not be occupied, temporarily or permanently, on residential lots or in residential districts, except in a mobile home park authorized under the zoning ordinance4.

We could not confirm any rule specific to tiny homes in Bessemer; the city materials we reviewed address modular, mobile and manufactured homes but do not define tiny homes. A tiny home built on a permanent foundation would still go through the city's building permit process, so ask Building Inspections at (205) 424-4060 before buying2.

Building a home in Bessemer: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district of the lot and what it allows with Building Inspections2.
  2. If the lot will not be on sewer, hire an engineer, surveyor or soil scientist and apply to the Jefferson County Department of Health for a septic permit; it must be issued before the building permit11.
  3. Submit plans for review through the city's online permit portal and pay the permit fee57.
  4. Hire licensed trades for electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas work, or buy a building day labor permit if you will act as your own general contractor2.
  5. Schedule inspections through the city and obtain a certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in9.

What stays with Jefferson County, and what to check before you buy

Septic permits stay with the Jefferson County Department of Health for every address in the county, including inside Bessemer3. Land outside Bessemer city limits is a different case: unincorporated Jefferson County requires a county building permit through Jefferson County Development Services and is covered by county zoning1314. See the Jefferson County page for those rules.

We could not confirm a city well-permit rule, a general driveway-permit rule, or whether agricultural buildings are exempt from permits inside Bessemer. Ask Building Inspections about driveway access and farm structures.

County-level figures for context: Jefferson County's effective property tax rate is about 0.6%15, and the typical home value is about $219,53316.

Watch-outs

  • Bessemer's own city rules apply only inside city limits; check whether a parcel is inside the city or in unincorporated Jefferson County before you pick an office113.
  • Septic approval comes before the building permit, so a lot that cannot get a septic permit or sewer approval cannot be built on1110.
  • We could not confirm Bessemer's minimum lot size, minimum house size, height limits or tiny-home rules; ask Building Inspections at (205) 424-40602.

Sources

  1. Code of Ordinance (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Bessemer Building Inspections (bessemeral.org)
  3. Environmental Health Division (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  4. Storage and parking of trailers and commercial vehicles (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  5. Building Inspections (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  6. Adoption of residential code (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  7. Building Inspections (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  8. General yard requirements (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  9. Building permit fees (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  10. Sanitary sewers (Bessemer), quoted and re-checked
  11. Jefferson County Department of Health, Community Environmental Protection Division (jcdh.org)
  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. ePermit | Jefferson County, AL (2026 county census)
  14. Development Services | Jefferson County, AL (2026 county census)
  15. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  16. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data

Written October 15, 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 Bessemer

Bessemer’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Bessemer city limits.

    • The city code adopts the 2015 International Residential Code with listed modifications; the current city Building Inspections page states that the city enforces the 2021 International Building Code suite and 2020 National Electrical Code.
    “The 2015 edition of the International Residential Code, published by the ICC is hereby adopted by reference”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Occupancy of buildings inside Bessemer city limits.

    • The code provides a violation and fee for occupancy without a certificate of occupancy; the exact issuance process was not located in the opened material.
    “occupancy on any building without a certificate of occupancy in violation of this article”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Bessemer city limits.

    • The City of Bessemer code contains an adopted zoning ordinance governing construction and land uses.
    “No structure shall be constructed, erected, placed or maintained and no land use commenced or continued within the City of Bessemer”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Required yards and garage placement in Bessemer city limits.

    • District-specific yard requirements also apply.
    • Accessory structures may not be located in a required front yard.

    garage setback from street right-of-way: >= 25 feet (Attached or detached private garage facing a street.)

    “shall not be located closer than 25 feet to the street right-of-way line.”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Temporary or permanent occupancy of camping or travel trailers parked or stored on residential lots or lots in residential districts inside Bessemer city limits.

    • Exception: occupancy is allowed in a mobile home park authorized under the zoning ordinance.
    “A camping or travel trailer shall not be occupied either temporarily or permanently”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and subdivision sewer design inside Bessemer city limits.

    • Sanitary sewers must be installed as approved by the city and/or Jefferson County Environmental Services Department.
    • Septic tanks may substitute for sewer lines only with health-department approval.
    • Written health-department approval is required before a building permit may issue.
    “Sanitary sewers shall be installed in each subdivision as approved by the city”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    City building permits inside Bessemer city limits.

    • The city page states a $26 minimum fee and 1% of job cost plus a $1 issuance fee.
    • Commercial permits also carry a $1 per $1,000 Alabama Building Commission assessment.
    • The code states some fees are established by city council and maintained in a city-clerk fee schedule.

    minimum permit fee: 26 USD (Current city Building Inspections page.) · permit fee: 1 percent of job cost (Plus $1 issuance fee.) · issuance fee: 1 USD (Plus 1% of job cost.)

    “1% of the job cost plus $1.00 issuance fee.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building-permit applications inside Bessemer city limits.

    • Applications may be submitted through the online portal.
    • Plans must be submitted and reviewed before permit issuance.
    • The city page says three hard copies and one digital copy should be delivered and plans should be reviewed within ten business days.
    • Paper applications were temporarily accepted at Bessemer City Hall.

    plan review period: 10 business days (City page states plans should be reviewed within ten business days.)

    “plans should be reviewed within ten (10) business days.”

Rules another office applies inside Bessemer

Bessemer does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicCounty

    On-site sewage systems serving land inside Bessemer city limits, through the Jefferson County Department of Health Environmental Health Division.

    • The city subdivision code also requires health-department approval and refers to Jefferson County Environmental Services for sewer installation.
    “On-site sewage (septic) system permitting and inspections”

Still unanswered

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

  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family and agricultural residential districts inside Bessemer city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Residential and A-1 Agricultural districts inside Bessemer city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Residential and A-1 Agricultural districts inside Bessemer city limits.
  • Building height — Residential and A-1 Agricultural districts inside Bessemer city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Bessemer city limits.
3 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access

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 Bessemer publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Jefferson County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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