The City of Alabaster Department of Building Safety is established to ensure the safeguarding of the citizens of Alabaster regarding public health, safety and general welfare through aggressive implementation and enforcement of the Codes adopted by the City encompassing hazards that may be imposed on the built environment.

In order to facilitate the functions of the Department of Building Safety, a staff of highly trained individuals is tasked with this endeavor. The Department currently consists of eight (8) staff members, which includes the Building Official, City Planner, Planning & Zoning Coordinator, one (1) Fire Official / Building Inspector, one (1) Building / Plumbing Inspector, one (1) Building / Electrical Inspector, one (1) Senior Clerk, and one (1) Code Enforcement Officer.

The Department of Building Safety’s responsibilities include overseeing the building permit process for all construction, from new to renovations, within the jurisdiction of the City of Alabaster; both residential and commercial. Safety is a paramount issue with the Department while performing the prescriptive tasks of inspections.

Planning & Zoning, an integral portion of the Department of Building Safety, coordinates all proposed projects for the City of Alabaster, both residential and commercial, prior to the permitting phase.

ADMINISTRATIVE CODE VIOLATION CITATION PROCESS

Any person, firm, or corporation commiting an offense considered a violation of the City of Alabaster Code of Ordinances adopted by the City of Alabaster Council, may be issued a citation for such violation by the Code Enforcement Officer. This method of enforcement may be used in lieu of an arrest warrant secured by a complainant.

The process for issuing a citation for an Ordinance violation shall be as follows:

1.   Verbal, Personal, or Written communications shall initially be made with a violator. The nature of the violation shall be clearly communicated to the violator, as well as the action necessary to resolve the issue. A specific time frame should be established for resolving the violations.

2.    In the case of a zoning violation, an abatement notice as required under the City of Alabaster, Alabama Zoning Ordinance 99-010-05-Z-07, shall be given to the violator. This notice may be in the form of a warning letter.

3.    For violations of the City of Alabaster Code of Ordinances, the Code Enforcement Officer may elect to issue a warning letter if in his or her judgement the violation is a minor first offense that will be corrected in ten (10) calendar days.

4.   After the expiration of a reasonable time, ten (10) days, the Code Enforcement Officer may issue a citation to the violator.

5.   For violations from repeat offenders or those determined to be "Life/Safety" issues in the opinion of the Code Enforcement Officer may issue a citation as the initial communication, however a Zoning violation shall require an abatement notice as described above regardless.

6.   After issuance of a citation, the Code Enforcement Officer will adhere to the following process for handling citations:

      A.   The Code Enforcement Officer shall appear before the magistrate within forty-eight (48) hours, when possible, but in no case longer than seventy-two (72) hours.

      B.   The Code Enforcement Officer will follow the procedure for institution of the charge(s) as prescribed by law.

      C.   A signed sworn copy of the complaint shall be retained by the Code Enforcement Officer to indicate the complaint was transmitted to the court. (This requires the complaints be printed in a three-part form to allow the original, the "defendant" copy, and the issuing official's copy.)

      D.   The Code Enforcement Officer shall appear on the court date as required for disposition of the use.

7.   As the citation states under the "Court Appearance Information", a Failure To Appear letter shall be sent to the violator. If the violator fails to respond to the Failure To Appear letter, then a warrant shall be issued for the violator by the magistrate.

8.   The Code Enforcement Officer, who has issued the citation or sworn out the warrant, shall forward to the prosecutor: A copy of the citation, a copy of the code highlighting the section of the code allegedly violated, and documentation of warnings and / or other pertinent information from the case file. All of this shall be done in a timely manner before the assigned court date.

PROCEDURES FOR OBTAINING BUILDING PERMITS

Permit Application:

Any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who desires 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, the installation of which is regulated by the technical codes, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit for the work. Applicants for permits must be contractors licensed to do business in the City of Alabaster, or owners of property when acting as their own contractor providing material supervision themselves. Each application for a permit, with the required fee, shall be filed with the Chief Building Official on a form provided for that purpose and shall contain a description of the proposed work consistent with the requirements contained in the 2009 International Building Codes and Zoning Ordinance 99-010, 05-Z-07 adopted by the City of Alabaster.

All requests for and subsequent approval to construct any structure within the City of Alabaster, Alabama or the police jurisdiction, requires that certain drawings (2-sets), specifications, documents or other items be submitted to this department for review. The required submittals will vary depending on the size and nature, the location, and the relative complexity of the referenced project.

In addition to the Department of Building Safety, commercial, multi-family and industrial projects require reviews by the City Engineer, and the City Planner. As a general rule, these types of projects require a planning and zoning board review only when located within the city limits of Alabaster, Alabama and in the statutory police jurisdiction. In addition, should the project require the approval of the Shelby County Health Department or any other regulatory agency other than the City of Alabaster, Alabama, it is the responsibility of the owner or contractor in charge to obtain approval prior to submission to this department..

We encourage you to work closely with the staff of the Alabaster Department of Building Safety for the duration of your project to ensure a smooth progression of work and to avoid delays and expenses that could have otherwise been avoided through effective communication.

Building Permit Procedure Handbook

Grease Trap Sizing and Installation Procedure

ADOPTED BUILDING CODES:

The City of Alabaster has adopted the following codes which are enforced by the Department of Building Safety:

* 2009 International Building Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, G,I , J and K.

* 2009 International Residential Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, N, O, P and Q with specific amendments as Exhibit "C".

* 2009 International Fire Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J with specific amendments as Exhibit "E".

* 2009 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) as published by the National Fire Protection Association including annex A, B, and D.

* 2009 International Plumbing Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A, B, C, D, E, F, and G with specific amendments as Exhibit "B".

* 2009 International Fuel Gas Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A, B, and C with specific amendments as Exhibit "D".

* 2009 International Mechanical Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A and B.

* 2009 International Existing Building Code as published by the International Code Council including Appendices A and B.