Building and Permits
256-386-5654
Welcome to the City of Tuscumbia Building & Permitting Department. Here you will find useful information and can access forms and certain types of permit applications. If you need any additional assistance, please call us at 256-386-5654 or email dbuszka@cityoftuscumbia.org.
We are located at 301-A East 7th Street in Tuscumbia. Our office hours are 8:00 to 4:00 Monday through Friday. We are closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00.
Responsibilities
The department oversees and approves all residential, commercial, and industrial construction within the city. Permit applications, plan review, and inspections are processed daily. Staff members assist with the tasks of providing permit information and procedures along with enforcing code compliance.
Other departmental services include:
1. Issuance of all construction, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas permits.
2. Enforcement of Zoning Regulations according to comprehensive City Zoning Ordinance to ensure property value protection and control setbacks from property lines for new construction.
3. Enforcement and protection of exterior concepts and structures located in the historic district.
4. Abatement of Condemned and Unsafe Buildings in an attempt to ensure that buildings are maintained or upgraded to meet minimum standards or are demolished to protect public health and safety.
Requirement for Building Permits
Any job over $1,000.00 requires a building permit.
Building permits are required not only for new construction, additions and renovations, but also for demolition or moving of structures, electrical changeovers, electrical upgrades, plumbing work, construction of garages, carports, swimming pools, storage buildings and signs. When in doubt whether a permit is required, please contact the Building Department.
Any owner, authorized agent, or contractor shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit for the work before beginning to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system.
A printed set of construction plans are required (which the building department keeps) to be approved with a plot plan which must be prepared by a registered land surveyor indicating the proposed placement of the dwelling on the lot. Review time is generally within 7 days. The green permit card given at the time a permit is purchased is required to be visible at the job site. No work shall be done to any part of a building beyond the point required for each inspection and no work shall begin until permit is obtained.
Any electrical wiring, equipment or apparatus installed within the city must be done by a qualified licensed electrician. Any person doing their own electrical work must occupy that home.
Any utilities that have been off for an amount of time as deemed necessary by the Tuscumbia Utility Department, homeowner must obtain a inspection permit in order to have utilities turned on.
Due to the hazardous nature of gas, the City of Tuscumbia, as well as the State of Alabama, requires that all gas work be done by a certified gas contractor.
Any gas service that has been off for a year or more must have an inspection which will require a permit, air test and ground rod. This has to be purchased by a certified gas contractor.
ADEM PERMITS
All construction sites disturbing 1 or more acres, including site development
need stormwater permit coverage!
If you answer “yes” to either of
these questions below
YOU NEED PERMIT COVERAGE
Will your construction project
disturb 1 or more acres of land?
Will your construction project
disturb less than 1 acre but is part of a larger plan of development or sale, such as a single lot within a larger subdivision?
Does Your Construction Site Need a Stormwater Permit?
A Guide to the Stormwater Permit Program
Why should we be concerned about stormwater runoff?
As stormwater flows over a construction site, it picks up pollutants like sediment, debris, oil, grease, and other pollutants and carries them to storm drains or directly to nearby waterbodies. Because most storm drain systems do not provide any treatment to the water they collect, preventing contamination of stormwater is crucial, or polluted runoff will be discharged, untreated, into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking water.
So what’s being done to reduce these pollutants from construction activities?
Under the Clean Water Act, new regulations require many construction sites to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit coverage for stormwater runoff. These permits require operators of these sites to implement steps to prevent sediment and other pollutants from washing into nearby streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
What activities need stormwater permit coverage?
All land-disturbing activities, including clearing, grading, and excavation, that disturb 1 or more acres of land are required to be covered under a NPDES construction stormwater permit prior to land disturbance. Small construction activities that disturb less than 1 acre but are part of a larger common plan of development or sale, such as a single lot within a larger subdivision, are also required to obtain permit coverage.
I need a permit… What do I need to do?
1. You can download a copy of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) General NPDES Permit No. ALR100000 from ADEM’s Construction Stormwater website. Read the permit carefully, and remember operators are legally responsible for complying with all its provisions.
2. Develop a Construction Best Management Practice Plan (CBMPP) The CBMPP is a plan for how you will control stormwater runoff from your construction site and helps assure compliance with the terms and conditions of the CGP. It is more detailed than a typical erosion and sediment control plan, and it must be certified by a Qualified Credentialed Professional (QCP). The CBMPP must be completed before you file an NOI to apply for coverage under the NPDES construction permit and must be available on-site once permit coverage is obtained. For Priority Construction Sites that fall within designated construction stormwater watersheds, the CBMPP must also be submitted to ADEM, for review, along with the NOI. The Priority Construction Sites Map, as well as details on how to develop and maintain a CBMPP, can be found on ADEM’s Construction Stormwater website. Contact ADEM for additional guidance.
3. File a Notice of Intent (NOI) The “operator” must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) form before beginning any land disturbance on the site. The operator is the entity that has operational control over the construction plans or day-to-day activities that are necessary to implement the CBMPP. On some sites, several entities may meet the definition of operator and all must file NOIs. Operators may include companies, owners, general contractors, and subcontractors. The NOI form lets ADEM know you are filing for permit coverage. It is also your certification that you have read, understood, and implemented the requirements of the permit. The fastest and easiest way to obtain permit coverage is through ADEM’s eNOI online permit application system. Guidelines for the NOI contents can be found in the General Permit.
4. Implement and Maintain all Best Management Practices (BMPs) outlined in your CBMPP Remember to follow your CBMPP. It is the responsibility of the operator(s) to implement and maintain all BMPs during each stage of the project. BMPs are the techniques (buffers, silt fences, detention ponds, swales, etc.), schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, and maintenance procedures to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants. All BMPs must be inspected, maintained regularly and repaired when necessary, and the plan must be updated as site conditions and BMPs change. Specific inspection requirements, and who must conduct the inspections, can be found in the General Permit. Remember to keep records of maintenance activities, inspections and any CBMPP modifications.
5. File a Notice of Termination (NOT) You should terminate permit coverage when your project is completed and the property has been stabilized or when another operator has assumed control over the site (new operators will need to file a NOI and meet the requirements of ADEM’s permit). The NOT form informs ADEM your construction project is complete and ends your responsibilities under the permit.
Construction Stormwater Resources
ADEM’s Construction Stormwater website – www.adem.state.al.us/programs/water/constructionstormwater.cnt
eNOI – https://app.adem.alabama.gov/eNOI/
Construction General Permit Forms – links are located on ADEM’s Construction Stormwater website
EPA’s menu of BMPs – http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm
Completed permit applications may be dropped off at the office or emailed to dbuszka@cityoftyuscumbia.org
Site Development Permit Application
Luster Echols, Building Official
Donna Buszka, Administrative Assistant
