Bolthole Index

Washington County, Alabama

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Town of McIntosh, Alabama

The Town of McIntosh, Alabama requires a building permit from the town's administrative official before you excavate, build, move or alter a structure1. The town has its own zoning code with residential and agricultural districts2. Septic permits for properties off public sewer come from the Washington County Health Department, not the town3.

At a glance

Building permit
Required inside town limits, issued by the town's administrative official1
Zoning
Town zoning code with R-1, R-2, R-3 and A-O districts4
Septic
Permit from the Washington County Health Department where no public sewer53
RV or travel trailer
Temporary use only, with written town approval6
Mobile homes
Prohibited in the R-2 district7
Owner-builder
State licensing exemption for owner-occupied one- or two-family homes; town permit still applies8
Property tax
Washington County effective rate 0.2%9

Who to call

Septic permits

Washington County Health Department - Environmental Office

Septic tank (onsite sewage system) permits and complaints, including for addresses inside the Town of McIntosh

251-206-6089

14900 St. Stephens Avenue, Chatom, Alabama 36518

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

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Does McIntosh, Alabama have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and mobile homes?

Yes. The Town of McIntosh in Washington County has its own zoning chapter in its code of ordinances, with district-specific use and dimensional rules2. The published districts include R-1, R-2, R-3 and A-O4.

In the R-1 low-density residential district, buildings may not exceed 35 feet or 2½ stories, whichever is less10. In R-2, total building area may not exceed 30 percent of the gross lot area11, and mobile homes and mobile home parks are prohibited7. Check which district a lot is in before you buy.

A single travel trailer or mobile unit may serve as a temporary residence during construction for up to six months, with written approval from the administrative official6. We could not confirm town rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings or minimum house size; ask Town Hall.

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

Yes. A building permit is required from the town's administrative official before you excavate for or build any structure, including accessory structures, store building materials, or move or alter a structure; repairs, painting and work that does not change the character of the structure are excepted1.

Apply on the forms the administrative official provides. A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within six months, or if work is suspended or abandoned for one year12.

Residential construction costs one-fourth of one percent of the contract price, with a $50 minimum13. Moving a structure costs $75, demolition $50 and repair $2013. Starting work before getting the permit doubles the fee13.

We could not confirm which technical building code the town enforces, whether it inspects, or whether it requires a certificate of occupancy. Ask Town Hall before you design.

How do septic permits work inside McIntosh?

The town does not issue septic permits. Alabama law requires homeowners and businesses not connected to a public sanitary sewer to get a permit from the local health department before installing or repairing an onsite system5. In McIntosh, that is the Washington County Health Department, which sends septic requests to its Environmental Office3.

The installer calls the health department before starting to schedule an inspection, and the department issues an Approval for Use before the building can be occupied14. Where soil is slow-draining, shallow or wet, a conventional system may not work and an engineer may need to design one15. Only about 9% of soils in Washington County rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation16.

Whether a new home must tie into public sewer or water, and what private wells require inside town limits, we could not confirm. Ask Town Hall and the health department.

Building a home in McIntosh: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district with Town Hall, and whether public sewer reaches it4.
  2. Call the Washington County Health Department's Environmental Office if the lot is off sewer, and apply for a Permit to Install before any septic work5.
  3. Apply to the town's administrative official for a building permit12.
  4. If you build the house yourself, Alabama's homeowner exemption covers the builder license for an owner-occupied one- or two-family home, but not the town permit; subcontractors must be licensed above $10,0008.
  5. A driveway onto a state highway needs an ALDOT permit using form BM-11117.
  6. Schedule the septic inspection and get the Approval for Use before moving in14.

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

Land outside McIntosh town limits follows county and state rules instead. Washington County has adopted no county zoning ordinance, so no county rule sets lot size, setbacks or RV limits there18. See the Washington County page for the unincorporated rules.

Flooding deserves a check. The Tombigbee River forms the town's eastern boundary, and the county's 2016 hazard mitigation plan says McIntosh was not an NFIP participant and was sanctioned19. That status may have changed; ask Town Hall and your insurer before buying.

Background for the area: Washington County's effective property tax rate is 0.2%9, and the median property tax bill is $357 a year20.

Watch-outs

  • Mobile homes are prohibited in McIntosh's R-2 district, so check the district before buying a lot for a manufactured home7.
  • A travel trailer may serve as a temporary residence during construction for at most six months, and only with written approval6.
  • The county's 2016 hazard mitigation plan lists McIntosh as not participating in the National Flood Insurance Program; confirm the current status with Town Hall19.
  • We could not confirm the town's building-code edition, inspection rules, well rules or sewer-connection requirements; ask McIntosh Town Hall12.

Sources

  1. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-180. Building permit required (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  2. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-119. R-1 Residential District (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  3. Washington County Health Department Contact Us (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  4. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-119. R-1 Residential District (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  5. Onsite Sewage Disposal (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  6. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-154. Temporary usage (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  7. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-120. R-2 Residential District (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  8. Exemptions (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  10. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-119. R-1 Residential District (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  11. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-120. R-2 Residential District (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  12. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 34-180. Building permit required (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  13. Code of Ordinances: Sec. 8-25. Building and construction related permit fees (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  14. Onsite Sewage Disposal — installation process (Town of McIntosh), quoted and re-checked
  15. Can I Live On This Lot?, quoted and re-checked
  16. 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
  17. ALDOT Permit Manual (Alabama statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Alabama law on county zoning and building authority
  19. Washington County, Alabama Hazard Mitigation Plan, quoted and re-checked
  20. Median property tax bill: 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 Town of McIntosh

Town of McIntosh’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Excavation, construction, storage of building materials, temporary field offices, moving, or alteration of buildings and accessory structures inside McIntosh town limits.

    • Repairs, painting, wallpapering, and work not changing the character of the structure are excepted.
    • The permit application must use forms provided by the administrative official.
    • A permit becomes invalid unless work starts within six months, or if work is suspended or abandoned for one year.
    “It shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for or the construction of any building or other structure, including accessory structures, or to store building materials or erect temporary field offices, or to commence the moving or alteration (except repairs, painting or wall papering and work not changing the character of the structure) of any structure, including accessory structures, until the administrative official has issued for such work a building permit, including a statement that the size, specifications and intended use of such structure in all respects conform with the provisions of this chapter.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside McIntosh town limits; the town code contains Chapter 34 Zoning and district-specific regulations.

    • District-specific use, dimensional, and administrative requirements apply.
    “The use regulations and the space and height regulations of the low density residential district are as follows:”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside McIntosh town limits, including R-1, R-2, R-3, and A-O.

    • District-specific regulations differ by district.
    “The use regulations and the space and height regulations of the multiple-family residential district are as follows:”
  • Lot coverageDistrict specific

    R-2 single- and two-family residential district inside McIntosh town limits.

    maximum total building area: <= 30 percent of total gross lot area

    “Maximum total building area. 30 percent of total gross lot area.”
  • Building heightDistrict specific

    R-3 multiple-family residential district inside McIntosh town limits.

    • Public and semi-public structures may be 45 feet or three stories, whichever is less.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet (or three stories) · public/semi-public maximum height: <= 45 feet (or three stories, whichever is less)

    “Maximum height. 35 feet or three stories. [...] Maximum height shall be 45 feet or three stories, whichever is less;”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

    A single mobile unit or travel trailer used inside McIntosh town limits.

    • Allowed for a subdivision office by the developer, a temporary residence during construction, or other special purposes.
    • Written approval from the administrative official is required.
    • The period may not exceed six months.
    • A nonconforming travel trailer or mobile home must be removed after notice.

    maximum duration: <= 6 months (written approval from the administrative official required)

    “A single mobile unit, or travel trailer, may be used for an office in a subdivision by the developer or temporary residence during construction or for other special purposes, for a period not to exceed six months upon written approval from the administrative official.”
  • Manufactured homesProhibited

    Mobile homes, using the code's terminology, in the R-2 single- and two-family residential district inside McIntosh.

    “Uses prohibited. Business, commercial, industrial uses and services conducted for profit; home occupations unless specifically permitted by the board of adjustment; billboards; signs; mobile homes; mobile home parks; and overnight parking of any commercial vehicle larger than a pickup truck.”
  • Who permits septicCounty

    Onsite sewage matters inside McIntosh town limits are handled through the local county health department when property is not connected to public sanitary sewer.

    • The Washington County Health Department directs septic-tank requests to its Environmental Office.
    • Public sewer availability changes whether onsite sewage permitting is needed.
    “If you have requests about septic tanks or would like to file a complaint on an establishment, please call our office and ask for the Environmental Office.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New onsite sewage systems or repairs to existing systems inside McIntosh town limits where the property is not connected to public sanitary sewer.

    • The permit is obtained from the local county health department.
    • The application and plans must meet applicable rules.
    • A Permit to Install must be issued before construction of the onsite system begins.
    “Alabama State Law requires homeowners and businesses not connected to a public sanitary sewer to obtain a permit from the local health department prior to installing a new system or making repairs to an existing onsite system.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Installation of an onsite sewage system inside McIntosh town limits where public sanitary sewer is unavailable or not used.

    • The installer must call the health department before beginning installation to schedule an inspection.
    • The health department issues Approval for Use before the building may be occupied.
    “Call the health department prior to beginning the installation to schedule an inspection. The health department will issue an "Approval for Use" before the building can be occupied.”
  • Permit feesPublished

    Building, construction, moving, demolition, and repair permits inside McIntosh town limits.

    • Residential construction or addition: one-fourth of one percent of contract price, or if no contract price, one-fourth of one percent of square feet multiplied by $50 per square foot.
    • Residential minimum fee is $50.
    • Residential non-livable adjacent structure minimum fee is $25.
    • Moving fee is $75; demolition fee is $50; repair fee is $20.
    • Starting work before obtaining a required permit doubles the specified fee and does not relieve compliance or penalties.

    residential fee rate: 0.25 percent of contract price (if no contract price, one-fourth of one percent of square feet times $50 per square foot) · residential minimum fee: >= 50 USD

    “Residential. One-fourth of one percent of the contract price for the construction or addition of any building, structure or construction project, or, in the event there is no contract price, then one-fourth of one percent of square feet of construction or addition of any building, structure or construction project times $50.00 per square foot. The minimum fee is $50.00 dollars.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Municipal building-permit process inside McIntosh town limits.

    • Apply to the administrative official on forms provided for that purpose.
    • The permit must state that size, specifications, and intended use conform to Chapter 34.
    • Work must begin within six months or the permit becomes invalid if work is suspended or abandoned for one year.
    “Application for a building permit shall be made to the administrative official on forms provided for that purpose. Any building permit issued shall become invalid unless the work authorized by it shall have been commenced within six months of its date of issue or if the work authorized by it is suspended or abandoned for a period of one year.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions from McIntosh building-permit requirements.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside McIntosh town limits.
  • Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside McIntosh town limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements for buildings inside McIntosh town limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for dwellings inside McIntosh town limits.
11 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • 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 Town of McIntosh publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Washington County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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