Bolthole Index

Franklin County, Alabama

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Russellville, Alabama

Most construction projects inside Russellville, Alabama city limits require a building permit from the city's Building, Licensing and Zoning Department1. Russellville sets its own zoning, with districts from R-1 to M-2 and AG-123. Septic permits for every address in Franklin County, city or not, come from the Franklin County Health Department's environmental office45.

At a glance

Building permit
Required for most construction projects inside city limits1
Inspections
New construction and many remodels, at several phases6
Zoning
City zoning with R-1, R-2, R-3, MH-1, B, M and AG-1 districts23
Septic
Permit to Install from the Franklin County Health Department4
Minimum lot (R-1)
20,000 square feet and 100 feet wide, more if the health authority requires7
Maximum height
35 feet in R-1, R-2 and R-38910
Owner-builder
Alabama exempts owners building their own one- or two-family home from builder licensing; that does not itself waive the city permit11
RV living
Not permitted as a use in any district unless the zoning ordinance authorizes it12

Who to call

Building permits

City of Russellville Building, Licensing and Zoning Department

Building permits, inspections and zoning inside Russellville city limits (phone is the City Hall main line shown on the page)

256-332-6060

304 N. Jackson Ave., Russellville, AL 35653

Septic permits

Franklin County Health Department, Environmental Office (Alabama Department of Public Health)

Onsite sewage disposal system permits (Permit to Install), inspections and approval for use in Franklin County

256-332-2700

801 Highway 48, Russellville, AL 35654

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Russellville, Alabama?

Yes, for most projects. The city says most construction projects inside Russellville city limits require building permits, though requirements may vary by project type113. New construction and many remodeling projects also need inspections at several phases, such as electrical and plumbing work6. The city does not publish a fee amount or a full application checklist, so call before you start14. Alabama's state building code does not reach private homes: the state Division of Construction Management has no jurisdiction over residential property, so the city's own permit process is the one that matters15. We could not confirm which building code the city has adopted or whether a certificate of occupancy is required, so ask the department13.

Who issues building permits in Russellville, and how do you reach them?

The City of Russellville Building, Licensing and Zoning Department issues building permits and handles zoning questions inside city limits; start with Russellville City Hall at 304 N. Jackson Ave. or the main line, 256-332-60601413. Septic is a different office: the Franklin County Health Department's environmental office at 256-332-2700 handles septic permits for Russellville addresses as well as the rest of the county165. A driveway onto a state highway needs a permit from the Alabama Department of Transportation, applied for on form BM-111 to the ALDOT District Administrator; ALDOT's manual leaves non-state roads to local agencies, and the city page describes no driveway permit1714.

Does Russellville have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Russellville has zoning inside city limits, and certain areas of the city are zoned for specific types of structures and uses213. The ordinance lists R-1, R-2, R-3, MH-1, B-1, B-2, B-3, M-1, M-2 and AG-1 districts3. Minimum lot area is 20,000 square feet in R-1, 12,000 square feet in R-2, and 9,000 square feet for a single-family detached home in R-3, with more required where the Public Health Authority says so in R-1 and R-271819. In R-1, the front and rear yards are 50 feet and the interior side yard is 20 feet20. In R-2, those yards are 40, 35 and 12 feet21. In R-3, they are 30, 35 and 10 feet22. Height is capped at 35 feet in all three residential districts8910. We could not confirm a minimum dwelling size or lot-coverage limit; ask the department13. Outside city limits the picture reverses: unincorporated Franklin County has adopted no county zoning ordinance, so these district rules stop at the city line23.

How do septic permits work in Russellville?

Septic permits do not come from the City of Russellville. Alabama requires homeowners and businesses not connected to a public sanitary sewer system to get a health department permit before installing or repairing a system24. Before building an onsite sewage disposal system in Franklin County, you submit an Application for a Permit to Install to the county health department, and construction may begin only after the permit is issued4. Where municipal sewer is unavailable, a professional engineer, surveyor, geologist or soil classifier may need to evaluate the soil, and the installer must be licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board4. Alabama also requires an inspection before any part of the installation is covered, and the system may not be used until the health department issues an Approval for Use25. Only 3.5% of Franklin County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so expect soil evaluation to matter26. In R-1 and R-2, lot size may also be increased by the Public Health Authority718. Septic is the usual choice where municipal sewer is unavailable or impractical27.

Can you live in an RV, manufactured home or tiny home in Russellville?

Russellville's zoning ordinance does not permit manufactured homes, buses, recreational vehicles or motor homes to be used for anything but transportation in any district, unless Article IV authorizes the use as a permitted use or special exception12. Living in an RV on a lot inside the city is therefore not allowed unless the ordinance authorizes it, so ask the Building, Licensing and Zoning Department before you place one1213. The city's zoning does include an MH-1 manufactured-home district, and planned manufactured-home communities must connect to public water and sanitary sewer and have plans approved by the Water and Sewer Board of the City of Russellville328. We could not confirm a Russellville rule on tiny homes13.

How do you build a home in Russellville, step by step?

  1. Confirm the lot is inside Russellville city limits and which district it is in23.
  2. Ask the department whether your subdivision has covenants and restrictions, which the city says are common in neighborhoods such as Woodridge and Briarleigh13.
  3. Check lot size, setbacks and height for the district1821.
  4. If there is no city sewer, apply to the Franklin County Health Department for a Permit to Install before construction416.
  5. If you act as your own contractor on a one- or two-family home, Alabama's exemption from builder licensing applies, but it is not an exemption from local permits; hired subcontractors must be licensed once their work costs more than $10,00011.
  6. Get your building permit from the city before construction1.
  7. Book inspections at each phase and obtain the health department's Approval for Use for any septic system625.

What should you check before buying land in Russellville?

Check for covenants and restrictions first: the city names Woodridge, Briarleigh, Hester Heights and Woodland Hills as neighborhoods that have them, and the department can provide details13. Ask about sewer, because Franklin County soils rarely suit conventional septic fields26. Confirm the district for lot size, setbacks and height3. Ask the Franklin County Floodplain Administrator whether the lot sits in a designated flood hazard area, where a Floodplain Development Permit is required before any development; we could not confirm whether the county ordinance also covers lots inside city limits29. For land outside the city, Franklin County's subdivision rules apply to areas outside municipal limits, so splitting a parcel there is a separate county approval30. Franklin County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.3%, and its median annual property-tax bill is about $4323132.

Watch-outs

  • Septic permits for Russellville addresses come from the Franklin County Health Department, not the city416.
  • Many Russellville subdivisions have private covenants and restrictions on top of city zoning; ask the Building, Licensing and Zoning Department13.
  • Alabama's owner-builder exemption covers builder licensing only, not local permits or inspections11.
  • We could not confirm Russellville rules for tiny homes, a certificate of occupancy, short-term rentals or the adopted building code; call the department before you commit13.

Sources

  1. Building, Licensing, and Zoning (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 40.0 - Establishment of districts (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  3. Section 40.0 - Establishment of districts (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  4. Can I Live On This Lot?, quoted and re-checked
  5. Soil and Onsite Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  6. Building, Licensing, and Zoning (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 41.0 - R-1 Low Density Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 41.0 - R-1 Low Density Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 42.0 - R-2 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 43.0 - R-3 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  11. Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
  12. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 54.0 - Structures (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  13. City of Russellville Building, Licensing and Zoning Department (russellvilleal.org)
  14. Building, Licensing, and Zoning (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  15. State Building Code, quoted and re-checked
  16. Franklin County Health Department, Environmental Office (Alabama Department of Public Health) (alabamapublichealth.gov)
  17. ALDOT Permit Manual, quoted and re-checked
  18. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 42.0 - R-2 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  19. Section 43.0 - R-3 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  20. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 41.0 - R-1 Low Density Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  21. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 42.0 - R-2 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  22. Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Section 43.0 - R-3 Residential District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  23. Alabama law on county zoning and building authority
  24. Onsite Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  25. Rule 420-3-1-.08 OSS/EDS Installation, quoted and re-checked
  26. 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
  27. Septic Tank Systems, quoted and re-checked
  28. Section 44.0 - MH-1 Manufactured Home District (Russellville), quoted and re-checked
  29. Franklin County Floodplain Development Ordinance No. 24-001, quoted and re-checked
  30. 2022 Franklin County Subdivision Regulations, quoted and re-checked
  31. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  32. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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 Russellville

Russellville’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Most construction projects inside Russellville city limits.

    • The city page states that most, rather than all, construction projects require permits.
    “Most construction projects require building permits.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    New construction and many remodeling projects inside Russellville city limits.

    • The city identifies inspections at many phases and for different work areas, including electrical and plumbing work.
    “New construction and many types of remodeling require inspections at many phases for different areas, such as electrical work and plumbing.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Russellville city limits.

    • Development is subject to the district-specific zoning ordinance.
    “For the purpose of this Ordinance, the City of Russellville is hereby divided into the types of districts designed as follows:”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Russellville city zoning districts.

    • The ordinance lists R-1, R-2, R-3, MH-1, B-1, B-2, B-3, M-1, M-2, and AG-1.
    “For the purpose of this Ordinance, the City of Russellville is hereby divided into the types of districts designed as follows:”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-3 Residential District inside Russellville city limits.

    • Different dwelling types have different minimum lot-area rules.

    single-family detached minimum lot area: 9000 square feet · two-family minimum lot area: 10500 square feet · first multifamily unit lot area: 9000 square feet · each additional multifamily unit lot area: per 1500 square feet

    “Single family detached dwellings—9,000 square feet.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicles used or placed in Russellville zoning districts.

    • A recreational vehicle is not permitted for uses other than transportation and transportation enterprises unless Article IV authorizes it as a permitted use or special exception.
    “Manufactured Homes, buses, recreational vehicles, motor homes or any other structure so built to be, or give the reasonable appearance to be, mobile in character of its construction will not be permitted in any district (except as authorized by Article IV either as a Permitted Use or Special Exception) for any use other than for the purposes of transportation and transportation enterprises.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Planned manufactured-home communities inside Russellville city limits.

    • Design plans must connect the community to public water and sanitary sewer facilities.
    • Plans must also be submitted to and approved by the Water and Sewer Board of the City of Russellville.
    “Design plans for connecting the Planned Manufactured Home Community to the public water supply and sanitary sewer facilities.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building-permit process for construction inside Russellville city limits.

    • The city provides a permit-application link and directs prospective builders to contact the Building, Licensing, and Zoning Department; the opened page does not state a complete review process.
    “Before you pick up that hammer or call your contractor, you may need to get in touch with the Russellville Building, Licensing, and Zoning Department.”

Rules another office applies inside Russellville

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

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Russellville or Franklin County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders undertaking residential construction inside Russellville city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Russellville city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Russellville city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Russellville city limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Russellville city limits.
9 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • 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 Russellville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Franklin County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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