Bolthole Index

Bullock County, Alabama

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Union Springs, Alabama

Inside Union Springs, Alabama, the city has its own zoning ordinance that divides the city into use districts, and City Hall is the first stop for permits.12 Septic permits for properties off public sewer come from the Bullock County Health Department.34 We could not confirm a city building-permit requirement, so ask City Hall before you start.

At a glance

Building permit
Not confirmed; ask City Hall, which handles city permits2
Zoning
City zoning ordinance divides Union Springs into use districts shown on a zoning map1
Septic
Permit from the Bullock County Health Department when off public sewer3
Manufactured homes
Must be in authorized parks or subdivisions, with limited exceptions5
Owner-builder
Alabama allows owners to act as their own contractor on one- or two-family homes they will occupy6
RV living
RV parks must meet county health sewer requirements; residential RV rule not confirmed7

Who to call

Building permits

City of Union Springs City Hall

First contact for Union Springs city permits, licenses and records, and for zoning questions

334-738-2720

212 Prairie Street North, Union Springs, AL 36089

Septic permits

Bullock County Health Department, Environmental Office

Septic tank requests and onsite sewage permits

334-730-4306

674 Hicks Industrial Boulevard, Union Springs, Alabama 36089

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Union Springs, Alabama?

We could not confirm a city building-permit requirement, inspection schedule or certificate-of-occupancy rule for Union Springs. City Hall lists permits among the services it provides, so call 334-738-2720 and ask what your project needs.2

The city's zoning ordinance sets use districts, and a project must fit the district shown on the zoning map for its parcel.1 We also could not confirm the adopted building code or a published building-permit fee schedule.

Who handles permits and zoning in Union Springs?

Union Springs City Hall at 212 Prairie Street North handles city permits, licenses and records; call 334-738-2720.2 We did not find a separate published building-inspector or planning counter, so ask City Hall to route you.

Bullock County has no county-wide zoning, but that applies to unincorporated land, not to a lot inside the city.8 Inside Union Springs, the city's own ordinance applies.1

Does Union Springs have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs and manufactured homes?

Union Springs divides the city into several use districts, and the location, boundaries and area of each district are shown on the zoning map.1

Manufactured homes must be placed in authorized manufactured home parks or subdivisions, except in the AG-1 agriculture district, and in the RSF-1, RSF-2 and RSF-3 districts need conditional approval from the Union Springs Planning Commission.5 Each recreational vehicle park must have public or private sewer or on-site sewer meeting Bullock County Health Department requirements.7 We could not confirm tiny-home, minimum-lot-size, setback or accessory-dwelling rules, so ask City Hall.

How do septic permits work inside Union Springs?

Alabama law requires a property not connected to a public sanitary sewer to get a permit from the local health department before installing a new system or repairing an existing one.9 For Union Springs addresses off sewer, that is the Bullock County Health Department's Environmental Office at 334-730-4306.4

The application goes to the county health department, a Permit to Install is issued only if plans are complete, and the installer must be licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board.3 Conventional drain fields rate poorly here, since about 0% of soils in the county rate as not severely limited, so expect a site evaluation and often an engineered system.10

Building a home in Union Springs: the steps, in order

  1. Call City Hall at 334-738-2720 to confirm the zoning district, any permits and whether public sewer is available.2
  2. If you are off public sewer, apply to the Bullock County Health Department for a Permit to Install before building.3
  3. If you plan a manufactured home, confirm the district and Planning Commission approval.5
  4. If you will act as your own contractor, note that Alabama's owner-builder exemption covers one- or two-family residences you will occupy.6

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Union Springs' building permit, certificate of occupancy, minimum lot size, setback, tiny-home or well rules; ask City Hall at 334-738-2720.2
  • Bullock County's lack of county-wide zoning does not mean a lot inside Union Springs is unregulated, because the city sets its own zoning.1

Sources

  1. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A—Zoning, § 3.1 Establishment of zoning districts (Union Springs), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Union Springs City Hall (unionspringsal.gov)
  3. Can I Live On This Lot?, quoted and re-checked
  4. Bullock County Health Department, Environmental Office (alabamapublichealth.gov)
  5. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A—Zoning, § 4.19 Manufactured homes and trailers (Union Springs), quoted and re-checked
  6. Home Builders Licensure Law, quoted and re-checked
  7. library.municode.com (Union Springs), quoted and re-checked
  8. Bullock County Hazard Mitigation Plan, quoted and re-checked
  9. Onsite Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  10. 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

Written October 10, 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 Union Springs

Union Springs’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Union Springs city limits subject to the city's zoning ordinance.

    • District locations, boundaries, and areas are shown on the zoning map.
    “For the purposes of this zoning ordinance, the City of Union Springs is hereby divided into several use districts, the names of which are set out below. The location, boundaries and area of each use district are and shall be shown on the zoning map.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Union Springs city limits subject to the city zoning ordinance.

    • District locations, boundaries, and areas are shown on the zoning map.
    “For the purposes of this zoning ordinance, the City of Union Springs is hereby divided into several use districts, the names of which are set out below. The location, boundaries and area of each use district are and shall be shown on the zoning map.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Corner lots in all Union Springs zoning districts, except where otherwise noted in the zoning ordinance.

    • Where one street frontage exceeds the other, the shorter frontage is the front of the lot.
    • The cited 25-foot side-yard rule applies except where the ordinance otherwise notes a different standard.
    • A district-specific schedule remains to be retrieved from § 5.4.

    corner-lot side-yard setback: 25 feet (Except where otherwise noted in the zoning ordinance.)

    “On a corner lot, when the frontage of one street exceeds the frontage of the other, the one with the least frontage shall be deemed the front of the lot. The side yard setback for a corner lot shall be 25 feet in all zoning districts except where otherwise noted herein.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes inside Union Springs city limits.

    • Manufactured homes must be in an authorized manufactured-home park or subdivision unless in the AG-1 Agriculture-Farms district.
    • Conditional approval by the Union Springs planning commission is required in RSF-1 Low Density Residential, RSF-2 Medium Density Residential, and RSF-3 Multifamily Residential districts.
    “All manufactured homes shall be parked in authorized manufactured home parks or manufactured home subdivision, except as provided for in the AG-1: Agriculture-Farms district and with conditional approval by the Union Springs planning commission in the RSF-1: Low Density Residential, RSF-2: Medium Density Residential, and RSF-3: Multifamily Residential districts.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    On-site sanitary sewer facilities serving recreational-vehicle parks inside Union Springs city limits.

    • The facility must meet all requirements of the Bullock County Health Department.
    • The cited rule applies to recreational-vehicle parks.
    “Each recreational vehicle park shall be served with public/private sanitary sewer treatment facilities or on-site sanitary sewer facilities meeting all requirements of the Bullock County Health Department.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Lot subdivisions inside Union Springs city limits.

    • A lot portion may not be sold or subdivided in a way that fails to comply with zoning-ordinance lot-width and lot-area requirements.
    “No portion of a lot shall be sold or subdivided in a manner which does not comply with the lot width and area requirements established by the zoning ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Union Springs

Union Springs does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    On-site sanitary sewer facilities serving recreational-vehicle parks inside Union Springs city limits.

    • The on-site facilities must meet all requirements of the Bullock County Health Department.
    • This evidence establishes the health department's requirements for RV-park on-site facilities, not a general municipal septic-permit process.
    “Each recreational vehicle park shall be served with public/private sanitary sewer treatment facilities or on-site sanitary sewer facilities meeting all requirements of the Bullock County Health Department.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • County (with conditions) — On-site sanitary sewer facilities serving recreational-vehicle parks inside Union Springs city limits.
      “Each recreational vehicle park shall be served with public/private sanitary sewer treatment facilities or on-site sanitary sewer facilities meeting all requirements of the Bullock County Health Department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Union Springs or Bullock County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Union Springs city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Union Springs city limits.
  • Inspections — Construction inside Union Springs city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Union Springs city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Principal single-family and agricultural/rural-residential districts inside Union Springs city limits.
12 more unanswered
  • Minimum lot size
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • 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 Union Springs publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Bullock County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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