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

A residential building permit appears not to be required on unincorporated land in Marengo County¹. A reviewed countywide planning source also says Marengo County enforces no building codes and has no comprehensive or zoning plans with countywide jurisdiction². That answer stops at city limits: Demopolis requires a building permit for excavation, construction or alteration costing $1,000 or more³. Septic permits stay with the Marengo County Health Department inside Demopolis too¹¹. Whether the county requires inspections or certificates of occupancy on rural land is unconfirmed, so ask the County Commission before you pour a foundation¹.

Marengo County does not list a building or zoning department, so start with the Marengo County Commission for questions about an unincorporated parcel¹. The Commission is at 101 E. Coats Ave., Linden, AL 36748, and its phone number is (334) 295-2200¹. Septic is separate: contact the Marengo County Health Department at 334-295-4205 or 303 Industrial Drive, Linden, Alabama 36748⁵. For a parcel inside Demopolis, the city's own building and zoning offices handle building permits and zoning³.

Marengo County has no comprehensive or zoning plan with regulatory jurisdiction countywide². On unincorporated land, county zoning therefore sets no minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setback, lot-coverage limit or building-height limit, and imposes no zoning restriction on accessory dwellings, RV occupancy, tiny-home occupancy, manufactured-home occupancy or temporary camping⁷. Inside Demopolis, the city's zoning ordinance and map govern all land within the corporate limits³. A Demopolis parcel needs a check with the city's Zoning Administrator, not the county³.

The Alabama Department of Public Health sets the statewide rules for onsite sewage and coordinates the program through county health departments¹². In Marengo County, septic requests go to the Environmental Office at the Marengo County Health Department⁵. Alabama law requires a permit from the local health department before a property not on public sewer installs a new system or repairs an existing one⁶. The Permit to Install is issued only for complete applications that meet the rules, the installer must be licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board, and construction starts only after the permit is issued⁴. Where public sewer is unavailable, the soil must be tested, and many sites need an engineer-designed system⁴. Only about 5.6% of Marengo County soils are rated free of limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency¹³.

Unincorporated Marengo County has no county zoning restriction on RV occupancy, tiny-home occupancy, manufactured-home occupancy, accessory dwellings or temporary camping⁷. That zoning answer does not waive the septic permit required before installing an onsite sewage system¹⁴. A manufactured home used as a residence must also satisfy Alabama's statewide manufactured-home conditions, including the HUD Seal and required utility connections¹⁵. Inside Demopolis, the city's zoning ordinance governs, so verify the parcel is outside city limits first³. Renting an RV or cabin to guests is a separate matter: see the short-term rental tax below.

1. Verify whether the parcel is unincorporated; Demopolis requires building permits and zoning approval for land inside the city³.
2. Call the Marengo County Health Department's Environmental Office about soil review and obtain the septic Permit to Install before onsite-system construction^5,6.
3. If acting as owner-builder, serve as your own contractor, supervise all material work yourself, build for your own use, and license any subcontractor whose portion costs more than $10,000⁸.
4. For regulated land disturbance, retain a Qualified Credentialed Professional, prepare the required materials and submit a Notice of Intent through AEPACS¹⁶.
5. If the driveway enters a state highway, submit a completed BM-111 application to the ALDOT District Administrator before building the turnout; ALDOT permits originate in its district offices^17,18.
6. If the parcel is in a mapped flood hazard area, ask the community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program for a development permit¹⁹.

Check septic feasibility first: only about 5.6% of Marengo County soils are rated free of limits for a conventional drain field¹³. Check access, because a driveway onto a state highway needs an ALDOT permit while other county and city roads are not covered by that rule¹⁸. Ask the Commission who handles floodplain development for a mapped parcel¹. ADEM construction-stormwater coverage generally applies when disturbance reaches one acre, and the application fee is $1,385¹⁶. For taxes, owners of five acres or more used only for farming, pasture or timber may apply for a current-use assessment below market value, and applications must be filed by December 31 to count for the next tax year⁹. Planning short-term rentals? Alabama's lodgings tax applies to stays under 180 days at 4% of charges in Marengo County, and local lodgings taxes may be separate, so ask the County Commission and any city^1,10.