Mobile County Inspection Services Department

Building Permit (unincorporated Mobile County)

A contractor building, demolishing, altering or repairing a structure in unincorporated Mobile County needs a building permit from the county's Inspection Services Department (1110 Schillinger Road N, Mobile, AL 36608; 251-574-3507). This applies only in the unincorporated area: every incorporated city in Mobile County runs its own building department instead. The county's own Development and Zoning page states that 'There is no zoning in the unincorporated areas of Mobile County' and that the county will confirm this officially for a specific parcel on request. Fees under the Exhibit A schedule (effective July 1, 2026) run $25 plus $0.62/sq ft ($225 minimum) for a new 1-2 family residence, 0.6% of contract cost ($200 minimum) for new commercial construction, and 0.6% of contract cost ($100 minimum, plus a flat $100 plan review) for a commercial repair or alteration; a new dwelling is valued at not less than $125/sq ft for permitting purposes. Electrical work in unincorporated Mobile County must be performed by a certified person or business, per the License Commission's own New Business resource page. Separately, contractor licensing itself is a state matter: the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors requires state licensure for commercial/public-works contracting once a project's cost reaches $100,000 (raised from $50,000 by Act 2024-277, effective October 1, 2024), and the county publishes no additional Mobile-County-specific contractor licensing board or exam beyond that state threshold and this building-permit process.