Inside city limits you should expect to need a demolition permit from the city, and the City of Tuscaloosa, for one, lists a Demolition permit in its permit system. Outside a city the answer depends on the county, and everywhere in Alabama the state's asbestos and demolition debris rules, the utility disconnects and an Alabama 811 locate still apply.
Start with where the house sits
The first question is whether the house is inside a city, inside a city's police or planning jurisdiction, or out in the county. Cities issue demolition permits through their building departments. Counties vary, and many rural tracts in west Alabama sit outside any city's reach. Look at your tax notice or call the city clerk with the address if you are unsure. Whatever the answer, do not take it from a contractor's memory, ours included. Call the office that covers the address and ask what it requires before a house, a mobile home or a barn comes down.
Tuscaloosa
The City of Tuscaloosa handles building permits through its Building and Inspections department. The city's permit page tells owners doing a tear-down and rebuild to file a Demolition permit as well as a New Construction permit. It also lists a wastewater review for the demolition of any structure that has or had water or sewer connected, and a Historic Preservation Commission review for any project in a locally designated historic district. So an old house near downtown can need more than one sign-off. Start with Building and Inspections and let them route you.
Jasper, Cullman, Northport and smaller towns
In Jasper, the city's Building Inspections Department at the City Hall Annex issues building, plumbing, HVAC and electrical permits. In Cullman, the Building Inspection Department issues and tracks permits for work inside the city limits. Neither city's public page spells out demolition on its own, so call and ask what a tear-down needs. Do the same at Northport City Hall and in smaller towns such as Fayette, Winfield and Hamilton. Ask three things: is a demolition permit required, who has to apply, and does the city want proof that the utilities are off before work starts.
ADEM's asbestos rules
ADEM's asbestos page calls for a 10-day notification to the agency before demolition of a regulated structure begins, and says regulated structures must be surveyed first by an asbestos inspector who holds Alabama accreditation. ADEM also says privately owned residential buildings of four or fewer units that remain residential property are exempt from the asbestos regulations, though they still have to follow the disposal rules. Commercial buildings, larger projects and a house coming down for a non-residential use are different cases. ADEM's Air Division, at (334) 271-7879, can tell you which side your building is on.
Where the debris has to go
ADEM says all debris from demolishing a residential, commercial or industrial building is regulated solid waste. It goes to a permitted landfill, with an exception ADEM lists for uncontaminated concrete, brick, block, asphalt and soil. ADEM also recommends that the demolition contract require receipts showing the waste went to a permitted landfill. That is a fair thing to ask any contractor for. On our house demolition jobs, building debris is loaded and hauled to a permitted site, and the footprint is filled and graded behind it.
Utilities and the 811 locate
Power, water and gas have to be disconnected by the utility before a building comes down, and that is the owner's call to make with each provider. Ask the city whether it wants proof of that before it releases a permit. Septic tanks, cisterns and old wells need to be found and dealt with, not just covered. Alabama 811 has to be contacted before the slab and footings are dug out, and its website gives a minimum of 2 to 10 working days of notice, not counting the day you ask. A locate does not mark private lines, so point out anything you ran yourself.
Mobile homes and outbuildings
A mobile home is a building for demolition purposes and can also be titled property, with its own steps at the Alabama Department of Revenue and the county revenue office. Sort the paperwork before the home is torn down. Our guide on how to get rid of an old mobile home in Alabama covers that side. Barns, sheds and carports inside a city can fall under the same permit rules as a house, so ask about them by name. See barn and outbuilding demolition for how that work goes.
A simple order to do it in
Call the city or county office for the address and ask what is required. Ask ADEM about asbestos if the building is anything other than a small private home staying residential. Schedule the utility disconnects. Get the permit in hand. Then set the date. Have your permit in hand, or ask us what to line up first. Once the paperwork is clear, the work is four jobs: take it down, haul it off, take out the slab and footings, then fill and grade. Our house demolition cost guide explains what moves the price.
Common Questions
Who pulls the demolition permit, the homeowner or the contractor?
Ask the city, because some offices want the owner and some want the contractor to apply. On our jobs the property owner is responsible for permits unless we have agreed otherwise in writing. Either way, the permit should be in hand before a machine touches the building, so have it ready or ask us what to line up first.
Do I need an asbestos inspection to tear down a house in Alabama?
ADEM says regulated structures must be surveyed by an asbestos inspector with Alabama accreditation before demolition. It also says privately owned residential buildings of four or fewer units that remain residential property are exempt from its asbestos regulations but must follow disposal rules. Call ADEM's Air Division to confirm which applies to your building.
Can I burn or bury an old house on my own land in Alabama?
ADEM treats all building demolition debris as regulated solid waste, and the Alabama Forestry Commission says a permitted burn must not contain construction material. Plan on the debris going to a permitted landfill, and ask your contractor for the landfill receipts, as ADEM recommends.
What to Do Next
Tell us the address, the age of the building and what it is built of, and we will look at it and give you a free estimate. Call or text (205) 535-6376. Make the call to the city or county office the same week so the permit is not what holds the job up.
See our house demolition page or call or text (205) 535-6376.