Decatur, AL Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Sec. 7-10 of the Code of Decatur, Alabama, governs what happens when inspected work falls short. The building director's notice includes those inspections where the work is found to need correction. The licensee or permit-holding owner must immediately make the corrections and request re-inspection to verify compliance. Sec. 7-9 charges $25.00 for each re-inspection after the initial inspection, and failing to pay it counts as non-compliance subject to the Code's penalties.

An aggrieved person can appeal the director's decision to the board of appeals for construction industries under Secs. 7-29 and 7-32. The notice of appeal must be in writing and filed within thirty calendar days after the decision, and the board meets within thirty calendar days after notice is received (Sec. 7-34). For a building the director finds unsafe, unsanitary, or dangerous, the director can shorten the appeal period (Sec. 7-33). The board has five members, and modifying a decision of the building director takes not less than three affirmative votes (Sec. 7-26). A licensee denied permits is entitled to a public hearing before the board to show cause why the denial should be stayed, and the city council can revoke a license for non-compliance after notice and a public hearing, once any appeal to the board has been adjudicated.

Other inspection points appear elsewhere in the Code. Under Sec. 25-7, within three days after the owner or agent notifies the building inspector that a building is ready for occupancy, the inspector makes a final inspection and either issues a certificate of occupancy or refuses it in writing with the cause. Sec. 7-57 charges $15 per inspection on work valued at $1,000 or less when an inspection is required. Sec. 7-11 requires a sanitary sewer serving a building to be plugged at the property line and inspected by the waste water department before a demolition permit issues.