Bolthole Index

Blount County, Alabama

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Blountsville, Alabama

The Town of Blountsville, Alabama in Blount County has its own adopted zoning ordinance with residential districts1. The town's own code requires a planning-department building permit for temporary trailers used as business quarters2; we could not confirm a general home permit, so ask Town Hall. Septic and private-well lot-size questions go to the Blount County Health Department3.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, the town has an adopted zoning ordinance with residential districts1
Building permit
Required for temporary business trailers; home permits not confirmed, ask Town Hall2
Building code
Town cites the current adopted International Building Code4
Septic
Blount County Health Department sets lot-area needs for lots without public sewer3
RV living
Large RVs must be screened behind the front building line in residential districts5
Mobile homes
R-1MH district allows a mix of single family homes and mobile homes6
Owner-builder
Alabama exempts owner-builders from home-builder licensing under conditions7

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Blountsville Town Hall

The town's main office; ask here which office takes building permits and zoning questions inside Blountsville

(205) 429-2406

10017 Lee St W, Blountsville, AL 35031

Septic permits

Blount County Health Department, Environmental Services

Onsite sewage (septic tank) applications and permits, and private well questions, for Blount County

205-947-1076

1001 Lincoln Avenue, Oneonta, Alabama 35121

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Blountsville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Blountsville, Alabama have zoning?

Yes. The Town of Blountsville has an adopted zoning ordinance with residential zoning districts1. Two districts we could read are R-P Planned Residential and R-1MH, which is meant for a mix of single family residences and mobile homes6.

In R-P, establishing the zone takes a site of at least 5 contiguous acres with 20 percent common open space8. Single-family lots need 6,000 square feet, patio-home lots 4,500, and townhouse lots 2,000 (interior) or 3,500 (end unit)8. Single-family yards are 30 feet front, 10 feet side and 20 feet rear9. Single-family homes and patio homes top out at 1½ stories, townhouses at 35 feet10.

Those figures are for R-P only; check the zoning map and your parcel's district with Town Hall before you buy. We could not confirm minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or accessory dwelling rules6.

Do you need a building permit in Blountsville, and who issues it?

The Town of Blountsville's code requires a permit from the building office of the planning department for a temporary mobile home or trailer used as business quarters in a business or industrial zone; it lasts 120 days and renews once for 120 more2. For a house, we could not confirm the permit steps, so call Town Hall at (205) 429-240611.

The town's own application says it follows the current adopted International Building Code4. Alabama's State Building Code does not cover residential property12, so the town is the office that decides what a house needs.

When a permit is required for work needing a home-builders license, the building official must refuse it without proof of a license or an exemption13. In flood-hazard areas, new construction must have its lowest floor at least one foot above base flood elevation14.

How do septic permits work inside Blountsville?

Blountsville's zoning code sends lots without public water and sewer to the Blount County Health Department: the lot must meet the minimum area the department requires, and the department may set a larger one for private wells or septic systems3. The town does not issue septic permits.

Before building a system, Alabama requires an application for a Permit to Install to the county health department, and construction can begin only once it is issued15. Reach Environmental Services at 205-947-107616.

Soils matter in Blount County: about 6.9% of soils rate not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system17.

Can you live in an RV, mobile home or tiny home in Blountsville?

We could not confirm a townwide rule on living in an RV, and tiny homes are not addressed as their own category18. What the code does say: in a residential district, a vehicle over 7,500 pounds, including recreation vehicles and campers, must be parked in a completely screened area behind the front building line5.

In flood-hazard areas, an RV must stay fewer than 180 consecutive days under the listed conditions or meet new-construction requirements18. The R-1MH district is meant for single family residences and mobile homes6. Alabama requires a certified installer for any manufactured home19. Ask Town Hall before you buy.

Building a home in Blountsville: the steps, in order

  1. Ask Town Hall at (205) 429-2406 for the parcel's zoning district and whether it sits in a flood-hazard area11.
  2. Confirm with Town Hall what building permit your project needs and which office takes it.
  3. If the lot has no public sewer, apply to the Blount County Health Department for a Permit to Install before building a septic system15.
  4. Hire a licensed home builder, or confirm you qualify as an owner-builder who supervises the work yourself for your own use and not for sale7.
  5. Have the work inspected and ask whether the town requires a certificate of occupancy; we could not confirm it.

What stays with Blount County, and what to check before you buy

Septic and private-well lot-area decisions stay with the Blount County Health Department3. The county's subdivision rules, such as half-acre minimum lots on local county roads, apply to land outside municipal limits, not to Blountsville lots20. See the Blount County page for the county's answers on unincorporated land.

County-level figures: Blount County's effective property tax rate is 0.3% and its median property tax bill is $508 per year2122.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm whether Blountsville requires a building permit for a new house, so ask Town Hall at (205) 429-2406 before you buy or build11.
  • The county's subdivision rules cover land outside municipal limits and do not decide Blountsville lots20.
  • Fees, driveway access and short-term rental rules inside Blountsville were not confirmed; ask Town Hall at (205) 429-240611.

Sources

  1. Town of Blountsville City Documents (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Code of Ordinances: Temporary placement of mobile home or trailer (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  3. Code of Ordinances: Lots not served by public water and sewer (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  4. Town of Blountsville Alcohol Beverage License Application (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  5. Code of Ordinances: Parking prohibitions (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  6. Code of Ordinances: R-P Planned Residential District (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
  8. Code of Ordinances: R-P Planned Residential District (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Code of Ordinances: R-P Planned Residential District (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Code of Ordinances: R-P Planned Residential District (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  11. Town of Blountsville Town Hall (blountsvilleal.com)
  12. State Building Code - Division of Construction Management, quoted and re-checked
  13. Permitting Home Builders Licenses, quoted and re-checked
  14. Code of Ordinances: Flood hazard reduction standards (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  15. Can I Live On This Lot?, quoted and re-checked
  16. Blount County Health Department, Environmental Services (alabamapublichealth.gov)
  17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  18. Code of Ordinances: Flood hazard reduction standards (Town of Blountsville), quoted and re-checked
  19. Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission — Installers, quoted and re-checked
  20. Blount County Subdivision Regulations, amended August 7, 2025, quoted and re-checked
  21. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 15, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Blountsville

Town of Blountsville’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Temporary mobile homes, travel trailers, or mobile trailers used for business or industrial quarters inside Blountsville.

    • The area must be zoned for business or industrial purposes.
    • A permit from the building office of the planning department is required.
    • The permit lasts 120 days and may be renewed for one additional 120-day period, but no longer.

    permit term: 120 days (one additional 120-day renewal allowed)

    “The permit will be valid for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days and may be renewed for one additional 120-day period, but no longer.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    The Town of Blountsville's building-code administration for the business-license certification addressed by the official town application.

    • The opened official town source confirms a current adopted International Building Code as prescribed by the town, but does not identify the edition or establish the complete code applicable to every residential project.
    • Alabama's State Building Code does not generally govern residential property; DCM states it does not have jurisdiction over residential property except hotels/motels and movie theaters.
    “does meet all the requirements of the international building code, current adopted edition, as prescribed by the town of blountsville”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Blountsville town; the town has an adopted zoning ordinance with residential zoning districts.

    “R-P District intent. This district consists of areas suitable for planned residential developments of single family detached and attached dwellings—single family residences, patio homes, and townhouses—at a medium density.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Blountsville's adopted zoning districts, including R-P Planned Residential and R-1MH Single Family Residential and Mobile Home District.

    • The cited sections are district-specific excerpts and do not constitute the complete Appendix A district schedule.
    “R-1MH District intent. This district consists of areas suitable for a mix of single family residences and mobile homes.”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-P Planned Residential District: single-family residences, patio homes, and townhouses inside Blountsville.

    • A minimum five-contiguous-acre site is required to establish the R-P zone.
    • The development must devote at least 20 percent of the site to common open space.
    • Single-family residences require 6,000 square feet; patio homes 4,500 square feet; townhouse interior units 2,000 square feet; townhouse end units 3,500 square feet.
    • Article III supplemental district regulations may modify the standards.

    R-P establishment site area: >= 5 contiguous acres · single-family lot area: 6000 square feet · patio-home lot area: 4500 square feet · townhouse interior-unit lot area: 2000 square feet · townhouse end-unit lot area: 3500 square feet

    “A minimum site area of five (5) contiguous acres is required to establish this zone, and the development must devote a minimum of twenty (20) percent of the site to common open space maintained through a homeowners' association or equivalent legal entity. [...] - minimum lot area: 6,000 square feet [...] - minimum lot area: 4,500 square feet [...] - minimum lot area - interior unit: 2,000 square feet - minimum lot area - end unit: 3,500 square feet”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-P Planned Residential District inside Blountsville.

    • Single-family residences: front 30 feet, side 10 feet, rear 20 feet.
    • Patio homes: front 20 feet, side 8 feet, rear 15 feet.
    • One patio-home side yard may be reduced to zero if a five-foot maintenance easement is reserved and buildings are separated by at least 20 feet.
    • Townhouses: front 20 feet, end-unit side 15 feet, rear 15 feet.
    • Yard requirements apply only to the outside perimeter of the development.

    single-family front yard: 30 feet · single-family side yard: 10 feet · single-family rear yard: 20 feet · patio-home front yard: 20 feet · patio-home side yard: 8 feet (one side may be reduced to zero under stated conditions) · patio-home rear yard: 15 feet · townhouse front yard: 20 feet · townhouse end-unit side yard: 15 feet · townhouse rear yard: 15 feet

    “- minimum front yard: 30 feet - minimum side yard: 10 feet - minimum rear yard: 20 feet”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-P Planned Residential District inside Blountsville.

    • Single-family residences and patio homes: maximum 1½ stories.
    • Townhouses: maximum 35 feet.
    • Other principal uses: maximum 35 feet.
    • The standards are subject to Article III supplemental district regulations.

    single-family maximum height: 1½ stories · patio-home maximum height: 1½ stories · townhouse maximum height: 35 feet · other principal uses maximum height: 35 feet

    “- maximum building height: 1½ stories [...] - maximum building height: 1½ stories [...] - maximum building height: 35 feet [...] - Maximum building height: 35 feet”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicles and campers inside Blountsville residential districts and special flood-hazard areas.

    • In a residential district, vehicles exceeding 7,500 pounds, including recreation vehicles and campers, must be parked within a completely screened area behind the front building line.
    • In flood-hazard areas, an RV must either remain fewer than 180 consecutive days with the listed licensing, readiness, utility, and attachment conditions, or meet new-construction anchoring and elevation requirements.

    gross weight threshold: > 7500 pounds (The vehicle must be screened behind the front building line.) · floodplain temporary period: < 180 consecutive days (The alternative is compliance with new-construction requirements.)

    “No vehicle exceeding seven thousand five hundred (7,500) pounds gross weight shall be kept within a residential district unless such vehicle is parked within a completely screened area behind the front building line. This prohibition shall also apply to boats, trailers, recreation vehicles, campers, and similar equipment.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Temporary RV presence in Blountsville special flood-hazard areas.

    • RVs must satisfy either the fewer-than-180-consecutive-days alternative with all listed conditions or the new-construction alternative.
    • The opened sources do not establish a general townwide camping rule outside flood-hazard areas.

    temporary floodplain stay: < 180 consecutive days (Alternative compliance with new-construction requirements is allowed.)

    “All recreational vehicles placed on sites must either: 1. Be on the site for fewer than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days, fully licensed and ready for highway use if it is licensed, on its wheels or jacking system, attached to the site only by quick disconnect type utilities and security devices, and has no permanently attached structures or additions; or 2. The recreational vehicle must meet all the requirements for "new construction," including the anchoring and elevation requirements of sections 7.5-18 (3)(a.) and 7.5-18 (3)(c.).”
  • Who permits septicCounty

    For lots inside Blountsville not served by public water and sewer, the municipal zoning code assigns minimum-lot-area and private-well/septic determinations to the Blount County health department.

    • The source identifies the Blount County health department as the responsible authority for the stated lot-area determination; it does not independently establish every separate health-department permitting function.
    “Any lot not served by public water and sewer shall have the minimum lot area required by the Blount County health department. The county health department may set a larger minimum lot area requirement to accommodate private wells or septic systems.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Temporary mobile homes, travel trailers, or mobile trailers used as temporary business or professional quarters inside Blountsville.

    • The unit must be located in an area zoned for business or industrial purposes.
    • A planning-department building permit is required.
    • The unit need not connect to water or sanitary sewer.
    • All other applicable Town ordinances still apply.
    “The mobile home, travel trailer or mobile trailer is not required to connect to a water or sanitary sewer system but must comply with all other applicable ordinances of the Town of Blountsville.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    New development and temporary mobile-home/trailer uses inside Blountsville.

    • Lots not served by public water and sewer are governed by Blount County health-department minimum-lot-area requirements for private wells or septic systems.
    • Temporary mobile homes, travel trailers, or mobile trailers used for business or industrial quarters need not connect to water or sanitary sewer, but must comply with all other Town ordinances.
    “The mobile home, travel trailer or mobile trailer is not required to connect to a water or sanitary sewer system but must comply with all other applicable ordinances of the Town of Blountsville.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision proposals inside Blountsville in areas governed by the Town flood-damage-prevention chapter.

    • Subdivision proposals must minimize flood damage.
    • Public utilities and facilities must be located and constructed to minimize flood damage.
    • Adequate drainage is required.
    • Base-flood-elevation data is required for new subdivision proposals and other proposed development greater than 50 lots or 5 acres, whichever is lesser.

    base-flood-elevation trigger: greater than 50 lots or 5 acres, whichever is the lesser

    “All subdivision proposals shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood damage.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New construction, substantial improvements, manufactured homes, recreational vehicles, accessory structures, and other development in Blountsville special flood-hazard areas.

    • In A1-30, AE, AH, and A zones with available base-flood-elevation data, the lowest floor must be at least one foot above base flood elevation.
    • Flood-resistant enclosures have opening, use, partitioning, and utility restrictions.
    • Manufactured homes and RVs have additional elevation, anchoring, duration, and attachment requirements.
    • Until a regulatory floodway is designated, development in A1-30 and AE zones requires demonstration that cumulative effects will not increase the base-flood water surface elevation more than one foot at any point.
    • Accessory structures under $1,000 may be wet-floodproofed only if the listed conditions are met and they are not used for human habitation; a permit is required before construction or installation.

    minimum elevation above base flood elevation: >= 1 foot · accessory structure value: < 1000 USD (must not be used for human habitation and must meet listed conditions) · interim cumulative-rise limit: <= 1 foot (until a regulatory floodway is designated)

    “Where base flood elevation data is available, new construction and substantial improvement of any structure or manufactured home shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than one (1) foot above the base flood elevation.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Temporary mobile-home/trailer placement for business or industrial quarters inside Blountsville.

    • The location must be zoned for business or industrial purposes.
    • Application is made to the building office of the planning department.
    • The permit is valid for 120 days and may be renewed once for an additional 120-day period.

    permit validity: 120 days (one additional 120-day renewal allowed)

    “after obtaining a permit from the building office of the planning department. The permit will be valid for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days and may be renewed for one additional 120-day period, but no longer.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Blountsville or Blount County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions from Blountsville construction requirements.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Blountsville town.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Blountsville town.
  • Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Blountsville town.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Blountsville town.
8 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Blountsville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Blount County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Blount County: county rules, score and offices