General building work permit checklist — Montgomery, Alabama
Assembled from Montgomery’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Montgomery requires a permit for general building work.
Section 5-71 of the City Code amends the residential code's permit-exemption list; exempt items include fences up to 3 feet tall, retaining walls up to 4 feet that support no surcharge, sidewalks and driveways, painting and similar finish work, prefabricated pools shallower than 24 inches, playground equipment, wall-supported window awnings projecting 54 inches or less, and freestanding decks no larger than 200 square feet and no more than 30 inches above grade that do not serve the required exit door.
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Sources
- building — permit rules, building — fee schedule ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Montgomery publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Montgomery before you build.