HVAC permit requirements in Alabama

Alabama has no statewide permitting system for private residential work — a genuine outlier among the states we cover. Here is how it actually works.

The framework. The Alabama Energy and Residential Codes Board, housed at ADECA, adopts the state residential code — currently the 2015 IRC with Alabama amendments — under Code of Ala. 1975 sections 41-23-80 through 85. But the board only sets the code. Adoption and enforcement rest entirely with municipal and county governments.

City enforcement. Huntsville is the clearest example: its official permit pages state that any plumbing, electrical, gas or mechanical work must be permitted by the appropriate contractor — meaning your licensed HVAC contractor pulls the mechanical permit, not you. Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery also require mechanical permits for HVAC work inside city limits.

The rural reality. Many rural and unincorporated county areas maintain no building department at all. Outside city limits in those counties, no local permit exists for an HVAC changeout — there is simply no office to issue one.

Fees: unverified. Permit fees are set city by city with no statewide schedule. Huntsville publishes no amounts online (fees run through its Inspection Office), and Mobile’s fees sit inside its permitting portal. Expect a permit line on your quote inside city limits and confirm the amount with your contractor.

Licensing is the constant. Regardless of whether a local permit exists, HVAC contractors must be licensed statewide by the Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors. A rural address with no building department is not a licensing loophole — the HACR Board requirement follows the contractor, not the jurisdiction.