Etowah County
Etowah County Engineering Department (County Engineer, Floodplain Administrator)
In short
Etowah County Engineering Department (County Engineer, Floodplain Administrator) issues 2 permits we publish for Etowah County, last verified 2026-09-29. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floodplain Development Permit (Special Flood Hazard Areas)only if it applies to you | Etowah County Engineering Department (County Engineer, Floodplain Administrator) | The Floodplain Development Ordinance and the county's permit application state no permit fee. The fee, if any, is not published in any public source; contact the County Engineering Department at 256-549-5358 for the current amount. | valid one year from issue; void if work is not begun within 180 days | 2026-09-29 |
| Major Subdivision Fees (Permit to Develop and Plat Review)only if it applies to you | Etowah County Engineering Department (County Engineer, Floodplain Administrator) | Major subdivision under Sec. 1-3 of the Subdivision Regulations: permit to develop $25; plat review $500 per submission; $25 per lot; $0.75 per linear foot of road. A minor subdivision has no fee. | one-time, per subdivision project | 2026-09-29 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Floodplain Development Permit (Special Flood Hazard Areas)
Under the Etowah County Floodplain Development Ordinance (document dated February 20, 2024), a Floodplain Development Permit is required before any development, including buildings, grading, filling, paving, excavation and storage of equipment or materials, in identified Special Flood Hazard Areas and Community Flood Hazard Areas. The County Engineer is the Floodplain Administrator, at 402 Tuscaloosa Ave., Gadsden, 256-549-5358. The permit is valid one year from issue and is void if work is not begun within 180 days; the penalty for violation is a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment. The county's three-page permit application states no fee. Inside a municipality, the city's own floodplain rules apply.
Major Subdivision Fees (Permit to Develop and Plat Review)
A contractor or developer dividing land in Etowah County under the Commission's Subdivision Regulations pays a permit to develop of $25, plat review of $500 per submission, $25 per lot and $0.75 per linear foot of road for a major subdivision; a minor subdivision has no fee. The regulations were adopted by resolution of May 5, 2009 and cite Ala. Code §11-24-3. The county's License Inspectors enforce the regulations, with a fine of $1,000 per lot sold, offered, transferred or leased in violation. This applies to land developers, not to an ordinary tenant business. Plats inside a municipality follow that city's own subdivision rules.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Etowah County
- Phone
- 256-549-5358
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Etowah County Application for Permit to Develop in a Special Flood Hazard AreaEtowah County Engineering Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County Engineering Department page — floodplain, subdivision, utility permit, logging notice, access managementEtowah County Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County Floodplain Development Ordinance (Art. 3.A permit requirement; County Engineer as Floodplain Administrator)Etowah County Engineering Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County License Inspector department pageEtowah County Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
- Etowah County Subdivision Regulations (Sec. 1-3 fees; resolution of May 5, 2009)Etowah County Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
Other offices serving Etowah County
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