Birmingham, AL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 103 of Birmingham's Administration chapter opens with a blanket prohibition: no person, firm, or corporation may erect, construct, enlarge, install, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, or demolish any building, structure, elevator, escalator, or electrical, gas, fire protection, mechanical, or plumbing system in the city without first obtaining a permit from the Building and/or Fire Official. 1 requires any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who wants to do that work to first apply to the Building and/or Fire Official and obtain the permit. The section lists thirteen narrow exceptions where no permit is needed, among them portable heating or cooling equipment, self-contained refrigeration systems holding 10 pounds or less of refrigerant, accessory structures under 150 square feet on one- and two-family lots when the Planning Division signs off, roof shingle replacement on single-family homes, retaining walls under 3 feet from the top of the footing, and interior finish work like painting or carpeting.

A pool still needs no building permit itself, but its electrical and plumbing work and inspections do. 5, an application is deemed abandoned if no permit issues within 6 months of filing, though the Building Official can grant 90-day extensions for good cause. 1 gives the permit holder 90 days to start work or the permit becomes invalid, and work cannot sit idle for 90 days without lapsing either. 2 double automatically if work starts before the permit is obtained.