Birmingham, AL Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice required
- 24 hours before each inspection
- Enforcing agency
- Building and Fire Officials, Dept. of Planning, Engineering & Permits
- Special inspection fee
- $50.00 per additional inspection
- Final inspection
- Required before Certificate of Occupancy
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, separate offense each day
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-1-3, Section 105.6
Summary
Before any Birmingham building permit closes out, the Building and Fire Officials must sign off on a fixed sequence of inspections under Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-1-3, Section 105.6: footing and foundation, concrete slab, framing, lath and gypsum board, and a final inspection. Contractors must give 24 hours' notice before each stage, and no work may be covered until it is released.
105.6 Required Inspections. It shall be the responsibility of the permit holder/contractor to give reasonable advance notice to the Building and Fire Officials when work is ready for test or inspection. Except in case of emergency this notice should be given 24 hours prior to the requested inspection unless otherwise specified. The Building and/or Fire Official, upon notification from the permit holder or his agent, shall make the following inspections and such other inspections as necessary, and shall either release that portion of the construction or shall notify the permit holder or his agent of any violations which must be corrected in order to comply with this Code: 105.6.1 Footing and foundation inspection...105.6.4 Frame inspection. Framing inspections shall be made after the roof deck or sheathing, all framing, fire blocking and bracing are in place and pipes, chimneys and vents to be concealed are complete and the rough electrical, plumbing, heating wires, pipes and ducts are approved...105.6.9 Final inspection. The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
Birmingham's Administration chapter of the technical code, Code of Ordinances Sec. 7-1-3, sets out the inspection sequence a permit holder must follow once a construction, fire protection, electrical, elevator, escalator, gas, mechanical, or plumbing permit is issued. 6 requires the permit holder or contractor to give the Building and/or Fire Official 'reasonable advance notice' before work is ready for test or inspection, ordinarily 24 hours except in an emergency. The Official then either releases that portion of construction or lists the violations that must be fixed.
9). 8). 7 before a Certificate of Occupancy issues. 00 per inspection. 3 lets the Building, Code, or Fire Official issue a written stop work order, effective immediately, whenever work proceeds contrary to the Code or in a dangerous manner; in an emergency no written notice is required first. The Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits administers these inspections citywide.
Violations & Fines
Continuing work after a stop work order, or building past an inspection stage without the required sign-off, exposes the permit holder to prosecution under Section 114, Violations and Penalties: a misdemeanor, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense, punished within the limits of Section 1-1-6 of the General Code. The Building Official may also withhold further permits from anyone who has not completed inspections on previously started work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to request each Birmingham building inspection?
What happens if I build past an inspection stage without approval?
Is there a fee if the city has to re-inspect my project?
Does fire protection equipment get inspected separately from the building shell?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Birmingham
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