Madison County, AL Ordinances (2026)

A pool or spa in unincorporated Madison County needs a county Swimming Pool and Spa Permit. The county adopts the 2018 ICC ISPSC (International Swimming Pool and Spa Code) and the 2017…

Every pool in unincorporated Madison County must sit behind a barrier at least 48 inches high under the adopted 2018 ISPSC Section 305.2. The county issues no pool permit until the…

A tiny house in unincorporated Madison County is a real dwelling only if it is built and inspected to the 2018 IRC, using Appendix Q for homes 400 square feet or less. A park-model RV…

Madison County exempts one-story detached accessory structures under 200 square feet from a building permit, but a garage, tool shed, or other similar structure is expressly carved out…

In unincorporated Madison County, any bar, lounge, club, nightclub or restaurant that features topless female entertainment automatically forfeits its Alcoholic Beverage Control Board…

Anyone running a junkyard within 1,000 feet of a highway right-of-way in unincorporated Madison County needs a county license under Ala. Code § 45-45-173.03. The county will not issue…

Madison County's junk-and-debris public nuisance law does not reach working farms. Ala. Code § 45-45-173.01(b) exempts farm buildings, farm equipment, and farm materials stored around…

Madison County levies a 1 percent privilege and license tax on every hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, tourist cabin, and any other place that regularly rents rooms or lodging to…

In unincorporated Madison County it is a public nuisance to let a building, lot, junkyard or other premises pile up with garbage, junk, inoperable vehicles, appliances or debris. Ala…

In unincorporated Madison County a dog or cat only escapes the county's licensing and impoundment scheme while it is on the owner's property or on a leash. Ala. Code § 45-45-170.01…

Parking, leaving or storing more than one unregistered, untagged motor vehicle in public view on any Madison County property is a public nuisance under Ala. Code § 45-45-173.02. The…

Madison County and its municipalities may add up to $20 to any residential building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical permit under Ala. Code § 45-45-200.02. The surcharge funds the…

Madison County has adopted the 2018 International Plumbing Code, minus Appendix A, to regulate plumbing installation in public and private buildings across the unincorporated area…

Madison County has adopted the 2017 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) plus the 2018 ICC Electrical Code administrative provisions for the unincorporated area, covering any wiring…

Construction activity and construction equipment are exempt from Madison County's Noise Ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.; building outside that window forfeits the…

Any stationary or mobile sound device in unincorporated Madison County, from a home stereo to a truck-mounted speaker, is capped at 85 db(A) between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and drops…

Madison County treats a dog that barks, bays, yelps, howls, cries or squawks for 10 straight minutes, or on and off for 30 minutes, as an unlawful noise disturbance under the county's…

Madison County's Noise Ordinance bars playing any radio, television, drum, musical instrument or other sound-amplifying equipment loud enough to disturb a reasonable neighbor…

Unincorporated Madison County sets a nighttime noise curfew: any noise that disturbs the peace and exceeds 75 db(A) at the property line or on a public street between 11:00 p.m. and…

Madison County bans blasting a car radio or CD player loud enough to disturb others on public streets, parking lots or private property, and separately outlaws driving with a…

In Madison County's unincorporated area, new construction and substantial improvements in a Special Flood Hazard Area must have the lowest floor built at least one foot above the base…

Unincorporated Madison County requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any construction begins in a FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Area. The county's Flood Damage Prevention…

Every new subdivision in unincorporated Madison County must submit an engineered Storm Drainage Plan before its plat is approved. Section 4.3.8(2) sets the design-storm standards: a…

Road and site construction in unincorporated Madison County subdivisions must follow the state's erosion-control manual and secure ADEM permits before work begins. Section 5.4 makes…

In unincorporated Madison County, the county does not enforce your HOA's CC&Rs. Article XI, Section 11.2 of the Subdivision Regulations makes private covenants operate alongside county…

Madison County exempts retaining walls from a building permit only up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and only if the wall isn't supporting a…

Madison County does not require a building permit to put up a fence as long as it stands 7 feet or less. The exemption sits inside the county's amended Residential Code permit rules…

Madison County has no zoning code, but its Subdivision Regulations set numeric yard setbacks for every new lot created in the unincorporated county. Under Section 4.3.7(13), front…