Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Waverly, Alabama

Town of Waverly’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Waverly town, including new buildings and accessory or temporary structures. This is a town zoning permit; it is not confirmed to be a state-code building permit.

  • Covers site preparation and excavation, moving structures onto a property, relocating structures, and alterations that change the size of a structure.
  • Whether a separate building-code permit is also required was not confirmed in the pages read.

  “all property owners within the town of waverly must apply for and receive a zoning permit before undertaking any construction activities, which shall include site preparation and excavation for the construction of new buildings (including accessory or temporary structures);”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Waverly town's corporate limits. The town administers its own zoning ordinance (2025 Zoning Ordinance) through its zoning official, planning commission and zoning board of adjustment.

  • Zoning applies inside the town limits only; the town's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction is covered for subdivision review, not by this zoning finding.
  • The town's zoning map is a separate official document incorporated by reference into the ordinance.

  “the zoning ordinance of the town of waverly, alabama, as adopted by the town council upon recommendation of the waverly planning commission, provides for:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Waverly town

  • The official zoning map is part of the ordinance and is certified by the mayor and attested by the town clerk (separate 2026 map PDF linked from the town site).

  “the town of waverly is divided into the following districts: gr general residential district nr natural resource district rr rural residential district ch central historic district hr historic residential district gc gateway corridor overlay districts: pud planned unit development residential district pid planned industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  General residential (GR) district inside Waverly town

  • Article 2, Section 1 splits GR and RR parcels into those of 5 acres or more and those under 5 acres: these districts have been broken down into those parcels greater than or equal to 5 acres and those less than 5 acres. The 5-acre split table was not read in full.

  minimum lot area: 3 acres (5-acre split described in Article 2, Section 1)

  “minimum lot area for all general residential. three (3) acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Rural residential (RR) district inside Waverly town (agricultural and low-density residential)

    “minimum lot size. three (3) acres. b. minimum lot width at building line. one hundred (100) feet.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural residential (RR) district inside Waverly town: maximum impervious surface area

  • The source sentence is cut at the end of the page window; the full sentence (what the 10 percent is measured against) was not read.
  • General residential (GR) district coverage limit was not read within budget.

  maximum impervious surface area: 10 percent of total lot area (as far as read)

  “d. maximum impervious surface area. ten (10) percent of total lot area.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Maximum building height in the General residential (GR) district inside Waverly town

  • General height exception (Article 2, Section 7): an additional twenty-five (25) feet above the height limitation of a zoning district shall be allowed for church steeples, belfries, cupolas and domes, barns, silos, windmills, solar installations, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, radio and television towers, cooling towers, water tanks, smokestacks, derricks, conveyors, and similar structures required to support manufacturing and industrial processes.
  • RR district height limit was not read within budget.

  maximum building height: 35 feet (exceptions in Article 2, Section 7 for steeples, towers and similar structures)

  “d. maximum height of buildings. thirty-five (35) feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory residential structures on residential lots inside Waverly town

  • Only one accessory residential structure per lot of record is permitted.
  • Accessory structures may not be independent living quarters except for legally related individuals, individuals providing care for occupants of the primary structure, or short-term (less than one month) guests.
  • Only one principal residential structure per lot of record, except allowed multi-family housing.

  “accessory structures shall not include independent living quarters, except for living quarters for legally related individuals, individuals providing care for occupants of the primary structure, or short-term (less than one month) guests. only one such accessory residential structure per lot of record is permitted.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdividing property inside Waverly town and inside its extraterritorial planning jurisdiction

  • Waverly Planning Commission subdivision regulations apply (separate PDF linked from the town site).

  “property owners in the town of waverly who wish to subdivide property within the town and within the town’s extraterritorial planning jurisdiction must complete a subdivision application form.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Any building for human occupancy inside Waverly town

  • Access must be to a dedicated public street, or a private street dedicated for public use, built to applicable town street standards.
  • Driveway width and permit details were not read.

  “no building intended or used for human occupancy (both residential and nonresidential) shall be erected without vehicular access to a dedicated public street or a private street dedicated for public use and constructed in accordance with all applicable town street standards.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit process for construction inside Waverly town

  • Applicants submit a completed zoning permit application (2018 form linked from the town site).
  • Building-permit and inspection steps were not found in the pages read.

  “the permit process allows the zoning official to establish compliance with the zoning ordinance prior to the commencement of construction activities.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Waverly or Lee County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Waverly town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Waverly town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Waverly town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Waverly town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in the GR and RR districts inside Waverly town

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.