Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Springville, Alabama

Springville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New building construction, alteration/repair and swimming pools inside Springville city limits

  • Plans must be approved by the building official/inspector before a building permit is issued.
  • New building permits do not include trade permits; electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits are applied for and paid separately by each subcontractor.
  • Requirements for new building permits list a business license, state certification, an online permit application, a plot plan, and building plans.

  “it is unlawful to begin work prior to issuance of any building permit or trade permit.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Commercial and residential construction inside Springville city limits

  • Foundation survey is required after footings are poured and before framing begins, per the permit requirements text on the same page.
  • Inspection stages beyond the foundation survey were not itemized on the page reviewed.

  “our inspections department also inspects all commercial and residential construction within the city.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Springville city limits, Alabama (St. Clair County). The city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance 2011-12, adopted 11/21/11, with amendments).

  • The ordinance and the city's mobile home permit form both name St. Clair County, Alabama, which confirms this is the Springville in St. Clair County.
  • Zoning classification of a lot must be determined before any building permit is issued, per the cited section.
  • Not applicable to unincorporated St. Clair County land.

  “1.3.2. no building shall be erected, converted, enlarged, reconstructed, moved, or structurally altered except in conformity with the use regulations, area regulations and height limit of the district in which the building is located.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts for land inside Springville city limits

  • Districts are listed in the ordinance table of contents, including A-1 agriculture, R-E, R-1 single-family, R-2 multi-family, R-3 single-family and mobile home, R-4, R-5, R-6 mobile home park, and business and industrial districts.
  • District boundaries are set on the Springville zoning map, which the ordinance says is adopted as part of it; the map itself was not opened.

  “vi-27.1. intent. the intent of the single-family & mobile home district (r-3) is to provide areas suitable for medium- density single-family dwellings”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the A-1 agriculture district (rural residential) inside Springville city limits

  • The extracted table lists 5 acres and 150 feet; column placement of side yard is ambiguous in the extracted text, so only lot area and width are recorded here.

  minimum lot area: >= 5 acres · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft

  “vi-2.4. area and dimensional regulations. setbacks minimum lot size front rear side area width 30’ 25’ 5 acres 150’ 20’”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in the A-1 agriculture district inside Springville city limits

  • Height is stated in stories and feet; the extracted table does not show which applies if they differ.

  maximum building height: <= 3 stories · maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “maximum building height stories feet 3 35’”

• Tiny homesAllowed

  Tiny home dwellings in the A-1 agriculture district inside Springville city limits

  • A tiny home is defined as a dwelling of no more than 400 square feet of improved (heated/cooled) area.
  • Listed among uses permitted in the A-1 district.

  maximum improved area: <= 400 sq ft

  “dwelling, tiny home/tiny house – a residential dwelling consisting of no more than four hundred (400) square feet of improved (heated/cooled) area.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Tiny home dwellings in the R-3 single-family and mobile home district inside Springville city limits

    “vi-27.3 special exception uses. the following uses shall be permitted subject to a special exception use permit granted by the board of zoning adjustment and further subject to appropriate permits and/or licenses being issued: ❖ dwelling, tiny home/tiny house”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Pre-owned manufactured (mobile) homes placed anywhere inside Springville city limits

  • Homes older than 15 years are prohibited; pre-owned homes must carry a current Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission resale decal.
  • Manufactured homes must attach to an approved sanitary sewer system or an onsite system approved by the St. Clair County Health Department.

  maximum age of manufactured home: <= 15 years

  “9.3.1. manufactured (mobile) homes older than fifteen (15) years old are hereby prohibited from being placed within the city of springville.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Allowed — Manufactured homes in the R-3 single-family and mobile home district inside Springville city limits

    “vi-27.2. uses permitted. ❖ single-family dwelling ❖ manufactured home”

  • Prohibited — Dwellings with a permanent metal chassis in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Springville city limits

    “vi-25.3. uses prohibited. ❖ dwellings with a permanent metal chassis are expressly prohibited”

• Septic permitLimited

  Manufactured (mobile) home permits in Springville city limits where the home uses onsite septic

  • The city's mobile home permit checklist lists a septic permit only 'if applicable'.
  • General septic permit requirement for site-built homes was not established.

  “sanitary sewer (septic permit, if applicable)”

• Permit feesPublished

  Mobile home permit application fee inside Springville city limits

  • The inspections page links 'building permit and construction permit fee ordinance 2021-16'; that ordinance was not opened, so building permit fee amounts are not established here.

  mobile home permit application fee: 125 USD (signed application and fee on the city's mobile home permit form; building permit fee schedule not opened)

  “(for office use only) signed application & fee ($125.00) age of mobile home verified zoning verified”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit application process inside Springville city limits

  • Application is made through the city's online permit portal with address, description of work, value of work, plot plan, and building plans.
  • A foundation survey is required after footings are poured and before framing begins.
  • Trade permits are applied for separately.

  “complete online permit application through our permit portal”

Rules another office applies inside Springville

Springville 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)

  Onsite sewage disposal for manufactured (mobile) homes placed inside Springville city limits, approved by the St. Clair County Health Department

  • Applies to manufactured (mobile) homes. The city ordinance requires an approved sanitary sewer system or an onsite system approved by the county health department.
  • The city's mobile home permit form also says sanitary sewer must be approved by the appropriate sanitation authority.
  • Authority for conventional site-built homes was not established in the sources reviewed.

  “9.2.5. sanitary sewer. all manufactured (mobile) homes must be attached to an approved sanitary sewer system or an onsite sewage disposal system approved by the st. clair county health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Springville or St. Clair County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from contractor licensing or permitting in Springville city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Springville city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for single-family homes in R-1 and A-1 inside Springville city limits
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in residential districts inside Springville city limits
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV or travel trailer occupancy on private land inside Springville city limits

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.