Before You Build in Auburn, AL: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Auburn's Zoning Ordinance does not set a single citywide residential fence-height number. Fences, walls and hedges are allowed within minimum required yards so long as they meet all other rules. A city building permit is required only for fences over 7 feet tall, and corridor-overlay front yards cap fences at 4 feet.

The City of Auburn requires a building permit for fences over 7 feet tall and for retaining walls over 4 feet. Permits are handled by Inspection Services (Codes Enforcement) at 171 North Ross Street. Applications, a site plan showing setbacks and impervious surface, and plans are submitted through the Auburn Permit Portal.

Auburn's Zoning Ordinance does not assign cost-sharing for boundary-line fences; that is governed by Alabama's partition-fence statute (Code of Alabama Title 35, Chapter 7). The city's zoning rules instead control placement, bufferyards and visibility. Fences must not encroach a required bufferyard or block clear views at intersections.

The City of Auburn requires a building permit for any retaining wall that exceeds 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall. Engineered design is required for walls over 4 feet, or walls over 24 inches that support a surcharge. Retaining and terrace walls are not counted as 'structures' under the Zoning Ordinance.

Common fence materials - wood, vinyl, masonry, decorative metal and chain link - are generally allowed in Auburn residential yards, with no citywide material list in the Zoning Ordinance. Corridor Overlay areas prohibit wire-fabric fencing forward of the front building plane. Some commercial uses require opaque masonry or wood screening fences.

A residential swimming pool in Auburn requires a building/swimming pool permit from Inspection Services, plus a zoning certificate confirming setbacks. Pools are built to the city's adopted 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and 2021 International Residential Code.

Above-ground pools in Auburn need a permit and meet the 2021 ISPSC barrier rules. The pool wall can serve as part of the barrier only if it is at least 48 inches high and access ladders/steps are removable, lockable, or fenced.

Auburn follows the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code for barriers. Outdoor residential pools must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with openings too small for a 4-inch sphere, and self-closing, self-latching gates.

Residential pool safety in Auburn is set by the 2021 ISPSC and IRC: a 48-inch barrier, self-latching gates, clear zones, and lighting that does not shine onto neighbors. Private pools may not be operated as a business or club.

Hot tubs and spas in Auburn are regulated by the adopted 2021 ISPSC. They generally need the same 48-inch barrier, but a spa or hot tub with a lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is exempt from the barrier requirement.

Auburn permits one accessory dwelling unit per lot only on an owner-occupied single-family property. The ADU is capped at 30 percent of the principal home's floor area or 1,000 square feet (whichever is less), may be up to two stories, and cannot be rented or used as income property.

Auburn has no ordinance specifically titled 'garage conversion.' Converting a garage into living space is treated as a building project under the city's adopted 2021 International Residential Code and, if it creates a separate unit, must meet the Zoning Ordinance's accessory dwelling unit standards. Permits and a zoning certificate are required.

Sheds and other detached accessory structures in Auburn need a zoning certificate and must follow Section 511. They sit at least 10 feet behind the front building line, at least 5 feet from property lines, and at least 10 feet from the main house, and all accessory structures together cannot exceed 50 percent of the home's floor area.

Auburn's Zoning Ordinance defines a carport as an unenclosed paved, covered space for vehicle storage on the same lot as the principal building. Carports are accessory structures subject to Section 511 setbacks, and open carports count toward the 50 percent cap on combined accessory floor area for the lot.

Auburn's code has no ordinance using the term 'tiny home.' A tiny house on a permanent foundation is regulated as a single-family dwelling or, as a second unit, under the ADU standards; one on wheels is treated as a recreational vehicle/manufactured home and is not a permitted permanent residence in standard residential districts.

The Auburn Fire Department does NOT require a burn permit for fires contained in a device manufactured for cooking (grills, smokers, BBQ pits, pizza ovens) or for heating devices like patio heaters, chimineas, and fireplaces. An uncontained ground fire pit used to burn debris, however, does require a free burn permit.

Open burning of natural vegetation and untreated wood is allowed in Auburn only with a free burn permit and a fire-department site inspection. Burning is restricted to 8 a.m.-3 p.m., must be 500 ft from occupied dwellings, attended at all times, and is banned during drought, rain, or overcast conditions. Prohibited materials include plastics, rubber, garbage, and treated wood.

Auburn does not regulate pruning of trees on private property. However, any pruning of a tree in the city right-of-way (a street tree) requires a Street Tree Permit from the City. The Tree Commission and Urban Forestry staff oversee street-tree care.

Trees on private property are not regulated by the City of Auburn, so private owners generally need no city permit to remove their own trees. Removing a tree in the city right-of-way (a street tree) requires a Street Tree Removal Permit, and a Tree Risk Assessment must be done first.

Outdoor watering in Auburn is governed by the Water Works Board's drought-response phases. During a Phase II Drought Warning, irrigation is limited to odd/even days by address, allowed only between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., banned on Sundays, with house/pavement washing eliminated and surcharges for excess use.