Bolthole Index

Shelby County, Alabama

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Calera, Alabama

Inside Calera city limits, the City of Calera Building Inspections Department oversees the building permit process for new construction and renovations1. Septic permits come from the county health officer, not the city2. We could not confirm whether Calera has a general zoning ordinance, so call the city before you buy. Land outside the city falls under Shelby County rules instead.

At a glance

Building permit
City Building Inspections Department oversees permits for new construction and renovations inside Calera1
Building code
Calera has adopted the 2018 International codes, including the Residential Code3
Zoning
County zoning map excludes city limits; Calera's own zoning not confirmed, so ask the city4
Septic
Permit from the county health officer before construction, only where public sewer is unavailable2
Public sewer
Required where adequate city sewer is available5
Floodplain
Lowest floor at least 1 foot above base flood elevation where that elevation is mapped6
RV or tiny home living
County RV and tiny-home answers cover unincorporated land only; city rules not confirmed7
Owner-builder
State contractor-license exemption exists; city treatment not confirmed8

Who to call

Building permits

City of Calera Building Inspections Department

Building permits, plan review and inspections for construction inside Calera city limits

205-668-3638

1074 10th St. Calera , AL 35040

Septic permits

Shelby County Health Department

Septic permits for parcels in the Shelby County part of Calera; Chilton County parcels go to the Chilton County Health Department

(205) 685-4178

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 Calera means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Calera, Alabama?

Building permits for work inside Calera are handled by the city, not the county. The City of Calera Building Inspections Department oversees the building permit process for all construction, from new to renovations, residential and commercial1. Calera has adopted the 2018 International Building Code, International Residential Code and related codes by ordinance, and a designated city official enforces them3.

Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Law lets an owner act as their own contractor on a one-family or two-family home they will occupy, but that exemption concerns contractor licensing8. We could not confirm a separate owner-builder exemption from Calera's permit process, so ask the Building Inspections Department before you plan on pulling your own permit.

Who do you call for building permits and inspections in Calera?

Call the City of Calera Building Inspections Department at 205-668-3638, at 1074 10th St., Calera, AL 350401. Shelby County's Permits and Inspections office handles unincorporated land, so a parcel inside Calera should not be sent to the county counter for a building permit. Land outside city limits follows the rules on the Shelby County page.

When you apply, the application must show how the project will meet sewage-disposal rules, and a public-sewer connection is inspected before it is covered9.

Does Calera have zoning, and what about RVs and tiny homes?

We could not confirm whether Calera has a general zoning ordinance, a zoning map, or district rules for lot size, setbacks, height or dwelling size. Shelby County's zoning map covers only territory outside the corporate limits of any municipality, so the county's zoning districts do not apply inside Calera4.

For the same reason, rules on living in an RV, a tiny home or a manufactured home inside the city are unconfirmed. The county's tiny-home and RV answers are written for unincorporated Shelby County and should not be assumed inside Calera7. Call the Building Inspections Department at 205-668-3638 and ask what is allowed on the specific parcel before you buy1.

How do septic permits work inside Calera?

Calera requires a permit from the county health officer before any septic tank is built inside the city or its police jurisdiction2. A septic system is allowed only where adequate public sanitary sewer is not available; where city sewer is available, sewage must go to it5. Private disposal is otherwise limited to what county and state law permit10.

Because Calera lies in both Shelby and Chilton counties, the health department that issues the permit depends on where the parcel sits11. For Shelby County parcels, the Shelby County Health Department is at (205) 685-417812. Alabama's Department of Public Health coordinates the onsite sewage program through county health departments13. Calera's code does not say whether septic systems get a separate inspection, so ask the health department.

Is Calera in a flood zone, and what are the elevation rules?

Calera regulates development in its special flood hazard areas. Where base flood elevation data exists, new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor, including a basement, at least 1 foot above that elevation6. Where an area has no base flood elevation data, the lowest floor must be at least 3 feet above the highest adjacent grade, subject to an additional freeboard adjustment in the code6. Check the parcel on FEMA's flood map and ask the Building Inspections Department whether it falls in a special flood hazard area1.

How do you build a home in Calera, in order?

  1. Ask the City of Calera Building Inspections Department, at 205-668-3638, whether the parcel is zoned and what that allows1.
  2. Find out whether public sewer reaches the lot; if it does, plan to connect5.
  3. If sewer is not available, apply to the county health department for a septic permit before construction begins2.
  4. Check the flood map and meet the elevation rules if the lot is in a special flood hazard area6.
  5. Apply for the building permit with the city; the plans must follow the adopted 2018 codes3.
  6. Schedule inspections through the Building Inspections Department1.

What stays with Shelby County, and what should you check before buying in Calera?

The county, not the city, handles septic permits for Shelby County parcels, through the county health department11. For land outside Calera city limits, the county's building permit, zoning and inspection rules apply instead; see the Shelby County page.

Before buying, confirm four things with the city: zoning, whether public sewer is available, flood status, and whether the parcel is in Shelby or Chilton County. Typical home values in Shelby County run about $362,04914, and the effective property tax rate is about 0.4%15.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm whether Calera has a zoning ordinance, so setbacks, lot sizes and RV or tiny-home rules inside the city are unknown until the Building Inspections Department answers1.
  • Calera spans Shelby and Chilton counties, so the septic permit office depends on the parcel11.
  • Shelby County's rules for unincorporated land do not apply inside Calera city limits4.
  • Calera has no confirmed well-permit rule in its code, so ask the county health department before drilling12.

Sources

  1. City of Calera Building Inspections Department (cityofcalera.org)
  2. Sec. 8-42. Disposal by sanitary sewer or septic tank; septic tank permit required (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  3. Sec. 4-1. Adoption of standard codes; designated official (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  4. Zoning Regulations of Shelby County, Alabama, quoted and re-checked
  5. Sec. 8-42. Disposal by sanitary sewer or septic tank; septic tank permit required (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  6. Sec. 10-80. Specific technical standards (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  7. shelbyal.com, quoted and re-checked
  8. Exemptions (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Sec. 8-43. Compliance prerequisite to building permit issuance (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  10. Sec. 9-26. Disposal facilities only in accord with article (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  11. Sec. 8-42. Disposal by sanitary sewer or septic tank; septic tank permit required (Calera), quoted and re-checked
  12. Shelby County Health Department (shelbyal.com)
  13. Soil and Onsite Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  14. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  15. Effective property tax rate: 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 Calera

Calera’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Construction inside Calera city limits.

    • The adopted codes include the 2018 International Building Code, 2018 International Residential Code, 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 International Plumbing Code, 2018 International Mechanical Code, 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, 2018 International Existing Building Code, 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, 2018 International Fire Code, and 2017 National Electrical Code.
    • The designated Calera official performs corresponding enforcement duties.
    “The following codes are hereby adopted by reference, as though there were copied herein fully: (1) International Building Code, 2018 Edition. (2) International Residential Code, 2018 Edition - Including Appendix A, B, C, G, J.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private sewage disposal inside Calera city limits.

    • Private disposal is permissible only when available sanitary sewer service is unavailable.
    • County and state law apply, and a county health officer permit is required for a septic tank.
    • Privies, privy vaults, cesspools, and other sewage-disposal facilities are otherwise unlawful except as provided by the code.
    “The disposal of sewage by private disposal systems shall be permissible only in those instances where service from the available sanitary sewer system is not available.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    New buildings and modified buildings inside Calera city limits.

    • When adequate public sanitary sewers are available, sewage disposal must use them.
    • When public sewer is unavailable, private disposal may be used only under applicable county and state law and with the required county health officer permit.
    • Failure to connect after written notice triggers the code's 90-day and 120-day enforcement timeline.

    initial notice period: 90 days (after written notice to connect) · lien/enforcement deadline: 120 days (after the first day of the initial notice to connect)

    “At places located within the city or its police jurisdiction where adequate public sanitary sewers are available, the disposal of human excreta or other sewage waste shall be to said sanitary sewers”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New construction, substantial improvements, manufactured homes, subdivisions, and other development in Calera special flood hazard areas.

    • Where BFE data is available, the lowest floor, including basement, must be at least one foot above BFE.
    • In SFHAs without BFE data, the lowest floor must be at least three feet above highest adjacent grade, subject to the code's stated additional freeboard rule.
    • Development in Zone A must comply with the listed cross-referenced sections.
    • Subdivisions or other development greater than 50 lots or five acres, whichever is lesser, must provide the listed floodplain plans, utilities, drainage, and buildable-area information.

    freeboard above BFE: >= 1 foot (where BFE data is available) · elevation above highest adjacent grade without BFE: >= 3 feet (subject to Sec. 10-82(4)'s stated freeboard adjustment)

    “Where BFE data is available, new construction, reconstruction or repairs made to a repetitive loss structure, and substantial improvement of any structure or manufactured home shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building permits and public-sewer connections inside Calera city limits.

    • Building-permit applications must include sewage-disposal compliance evidence where applicable and provisions for public sewer use.
    • A building-sewer permit applicant must notify the superintendent when the sewer is ready for inspection and connection; the sewer must not be covered until approval for backfill.
    “The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connections shall be made under the supervision of the superintendent or the superintendent's representative. The building sewer shall not be covered until approval for backfill has been given by the superintendent.”

Rules another office applies inside Calera

Calera 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 (with conditions)

    Private sewage-disposal systems inside Calera city limits when public sanitary sewer is unavailable.

    • Calera's code assigns the permit decision to the county health officer; the applicable county depends on the parcel's location because Calera is in Shelby and Chilton counties.
    • Private disposal remains subject to local county and state law.
    “No septic tank shall be constructed within the city or its police jurisdiction prior to the issuance of a permit by the county health officer to the owner of the place or premises to construct and use a private individual disposal system.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    A private septic system inside Calera city limits where public sanitary sewer is unavailable.

    • The county health officer must issue the permit before construction.
    • Where adequate public sanitary sewers are available, sewage must be disposed of through those sewers instead.
    “At places located within the city or its police jurisdiction where adequate public sanitary sewers are available, the disposal of human excreta or other sewage waste shall be to said sanitary sewers and at places located where said sanitary sewers are not available disposal of human excreta or other sewage waste shall be to a septic tank as permitted by the county health officer. No septic tank shall be constructed within the city or its police jurisdiction prior to the issuance of a permit by the county health officer to the owner of the place or premises to construct and use a private individual disposal system.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Calera city limits.
  • Inspections — General building inspections inside Calera city limits.
  • Local zoning — Land inside Calera city limits.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning districts and maps inside Calera city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Calera city limits.
14 more unanswered
  • Minimum lot size
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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

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