The City of Birmingham’s Online Permit Inquiry System includes information about various types of permits as well as planning and zoning cases. For a complete list of case types, click here.

All permit or planning and zoning case information on this site is complete from December 2000. Limited information dating back to 1993 for building, demolition, electrical, elevator, gas, house move, mechanical, motor fuel dispenser, plumbing, special use and sign permits was imported from legacy data. As a result, many permits and permitting details prior to December 2000 may not be available. If you need assistance, please email or call 254-2823.

Disclaimer

The City of Birmingham makes every attempt to provide accurate information. All data are provided as is and without any guarantees either expressed or implied. All data are for general reference, and the City of Birmingham, Alabama, does not guarantee that the data will meet your specific requirements. The general parcel information is based on Jefferson County Tax Assessor and City of Birmingham Geographic Information System (GIS) data. The Jefferson County Tax Assessor and GIS information undergo consistent updates. The Permit Inquiry System is updated periodically from these sources. Therefore, no guarantee is offered as to the accuracy or timeliness of data accessed on this site. All data should be confirmed with the appropriate official source.

Instructions for Using Birmingham’s Permit Inquiry System

General Search Instructions

There are two primary methods for looking up information, one related to the permit/case number, and the second related to parcel information. For either method, you do not have to fill in all boxes or enter a complete permit/case number, address, name or parcel number. Listing partial information will display an extensive list of items from which to select. Similarly, listing more information will display a shorter list of items from which to select.

Permit/Case Search

After clicking the search button, the results of your search will display in permit/case number order. For each permit/case in the list, the case number, site address, applicant, and brief project description will display. To access additional information about any of the permits/cases in the list, click on the permit/case number displayed in bold.

Parcel Search

After clicking the search button, the results of your search will display in parcel number order. For each parcel in the list, the parcel number, site address and property owner will display. To access additional information about any of the parcels in the list, click on the parcel number displayed in bold. Permits/Cases associated with the parcel are listed at the bottom of the page. To access additional information about any of the permits/cases in the list, click on the permit/case number displayed in bold.

Birmingham Permit Inquiry System will only return 100 results for each search. If there are more than 100 permit/case or parcel results, a message will display at the top of the page, and you will need to enter more information in the search fields.

Please note that each permit/case is different, and details vary.

Case Type Listing

The case number is a unique number, which identifies the permit type, year, and number of the permit. Each permit or case is a separate request and is given its own case number. The case number format is BLD2000-00001.

The first three characters (BLD) represent the three-letter case type abbreviation. See table below for Case Type Listing. The next four digits represent the year, and the last five digits represent the case number.

There are several types of Permits and Applications. The following list identifies the types of permits. In many cases, a number of departments may be involved with the review of a permit.

Permit

Abbreviation Description

BLA Blasting Permit

BLD Building Permit

CNS Civil Construction Permit

DEM Demolition Permit

DRV Driveway/Curbcut Permit

ELE Electrical Permit

ELV Elevator Permit

EXP Excavation Permit (Private Contractor)

FLD Flood Plain Development Review

GAR Garage Sale Permit

GAS Gas Permit

HMV House Move Permit

MEC Mechanical Permit

MFD Motor Fuel Dispenser Permit

PLB Plumbing Permit

SEC Soil Erosion Control Permit

SGN Sign Permit

SPU Special Use Permit

SUB Subdivision Committee Review

ZAC Zoning Advisory Committee Review

ZBA Zoning Board of Adjustment Review

Permit Status

Each case displays a status. The following terms denote the phase of a case or permit. Not all status types are used for all cases. In general, most permits/cases follow the sequence of events listed below:

REC - Received: The status of a permit or case when filed and prior to being issued.

ACT - Active: The status of a permit or case prior to being reviewed or issued.

RVW - Review: The status of a permit or case that is being reviewed.

ISS - Issued: The status of a case after a permit or decision has been issued.

INS - Inspections: The status of a permit or case when an inspection has taken place. Often, multiple inspections take place in relation to one permit.

FNL - Final Inspection: The status of a permit or case after a final inspection has taken place.

CLO - Closed: The status of a permit or case after a specific time or after a period of inactivity.

VOI - Void: The status of a permit or case that has been cancelled. A permit or case can be voided for various reasons.

APL - Appeal: The status of a permit or case when an appeal has been filed.

Telephone Numbers

Demolition/Condemnation 205-254-2342

Engineering 205-254-2343

Field Office 205-254-2259

Floodplain Administrator 205-254-2479

Permits & Inspections 205-254-2211

Planning 205-254-2524

Zoning 205-254-2478