Service area · Alabama

Metal buildings in Alabama.

We supply shops, garages, ag buildings, commercial buildings and more across Alabama. Our work reaches from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast, and anywhere else you’re building.

Building code

Set & enforced locally

Farm buildings

Exempt from residential code

Home builders

License over $10,000

Owner-builders

Allowed for own use

From the Home Builders Licensure Board statute (Code of Alabama Title 34, Chapter 14A) and the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Cities and counties enforce the codes and set their own zoning, and we confirm yours before drawings are produced.

Call 417-218-8348

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What matters when building in Alabama?

Two buildings with identical dimensions can need different engineering depending on where they sit and how they’re used.

Wind

Wind loads climb toward the Gulf Coast, so we confirm them address by address and design to whichever governs.

Flood zones

Coastal and river cities check flood maps on every permit. Gulf Shores asks for an elevation certificate, and Enterprise checks the flood zone on every accessory permit.

Metal siding

Several cities limit it. Tuscaloosa bans sheet-metal siding on accessory buildings over 120 sq ft, and Prattville wants buildings over 200 sq ft to match the house.

City or county

Alabama codes are enforced locally. Size, height, siding and placement rules change at the city line.

Where you build changes the rules

Alabama sets a residential code at the state level but leaves enforcement and zoning to cities and counties. Here’s how it breaks down.

Building codes

Since Act 2024-443, the Home Builders Licensure Board has sole authority to adopt the Alabama Residential Building Code and Residential Energy Code. They’re enforced by local jurisdictions that run permitting and inspection programs.
County commissions can adopt building codes for unincorporated areas by resolution, effective 120 days after adoption. Starting January 1, 2027, licensed builders must build to the applicable local or state residential code.

Contractors

Building or improving a home, or a structure used as a residence, costing more than $10,000 takes a Home Builders Licensure Board license. Residential roofing over $2,500 takes a roofer’s license.
Commercial projects of $100,000 or more take a license from the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors.

Owners & farms

Owners can build or improve their own one- or two-family home without a license when it’s for their own use and not for sale. A sale within a year of completion is presumed to mean it was built for sale.
Agricultural buildings are exempt from both the home builder license and the Alabama Residential Building Code, except for any living space inside them.

In Alabama, the city decides what your building can look like. Tuscaloosa doesn’t allow sheet-metal siding on accessory buildings over 120 sq ft, Prattville wants anything over 200 sq ft to match the house, and Huntsville requires a special exception for metal siding on larger non-residential buildings. We check the rules at your address before we recommend a building.

What usually fits which project

We start with what you’re building and work back to the structural system. Here’s where that usually lands.

Barns & storage

Tubular steel fits up to sixty feet wide. Past eighty, or with big doors and heavy loads, red iron takes over.

Insulated shop

It’s still tubular under sixty feet. Insulation costs the same per square foot whatever the frame is.

Drywalled shop or barndominium

Steel truss is the fit here. Drywall screws straight to the frame, so there’s no wood wall to build inside the steel.

Commercial & wide spans

Cold-formed suits permitted commercial work with a finished eave. Red iron takes over past eighty feet, including equipment and packing sheds.

Near the Gulf Coast, higher wind loads can shift the math. See what a steel building costs for real per-square-foot ranges.

Local guides for Alabama

We deliver and install anywhere in Alabama. These guides cover the permit rules in individual cities, and we check the rules for every other address the same way.

Building somewhere that isn’t listed? Tell us the address and we’ll confirm who permits it and what applies. See our whole service area.

Common questions about building in Alabama

Do I need a permit for a metal building in Alabama?

It depends on where you build. Alabama’s codes are enforced by cities and counties that run permit and inspection programs, and most cities require one for an accessory building. Gulf Shores, for example, wants engineer-stamped plans for anything over 200 sq ft. Give us the address and we’ll tell you what applies.

Can I build it myself?

Yes, for your own one- or two-family home or improvement to it, when it’s for your own use and not for sale. You have to provide the material supervision yourself, and the exemption can’t be passed to someone else. Anyone you hire for a residential job over $10,000 still needs a Home Builders Licensure Board license.

Do farm buildings have to meet the residential code?

No. Agricultural buildings are exempt from the Alabama Residential Building Code and from home builder licensing, except for any living space inside them. Local zoning can still apply. Madison’s AG district, for example, lets barns exceed its height limit as long as they sit 50 feet from the property line.

How big can an accessory building be?

It depends on the city. Madison allows 500 sq ft or 25% of the house, whichever is greater. Tuscaloosa allows 650 sq ft or 40% of the house’s footprint. Auburn caps all accessory buildings together at 50% of the house, and Opelika at 40%.

Are metal buildings allowed everywhere?

The frame almost always is, but the siding varies. Tuscaloosa doesn’t allow aluminum or sheet-metal siding on accessory buildings over 120 sq ft, Prattville wants cladding similar to the house over 200 sq ft, and Huntsville needs a special exception for metal siding on non-residential buildings over 1,000 sq ft in several districts. We check before you buy.

What sizes are most common in Alabama?

Sizes of 30×40 and 30×50 cover most residential and small farm projects. Larger farm and commercial operations run 40×60 through 60×80 and wider. See what a steel building costs, or call 417-218-8348 for an actual number.

Start with a conversation

Let’s talk about your Alabama project.

Tell us what you’re planning and where you’re building. We’ll help you work out the next steps.

Tell us what and whereSend us the size, how you’ll use the building and the address.
We check the siteWe confirm who permits the address and which code and loads apply.
You get a clear recommendationWe recommend the frame that fits and price it against the alternatives.