Confirm the requirements for your address and your use with the permit office. Have a lawyer review the lease, and have the space designed by the licensed professionals the law requires.

1. Say exactly how the space will be used

Write down what the business will do in the space, how many people will be in it, and what it was used for before. The city says a building permit is needed before changing the use or occupancy of an existing building, so a change of use is a question for the permit office even when little construction is planned.

2. Gather what exists

  • Drawings of the space, if the landlord or a previous tenant has them.
  • Records of earlier permits and inspections.
  • What the electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling systems are and what they can carry.

3. Have the right professionals look at it

Structure, accessibility, exits, fire and life safety and building systems are matters for qualified professionals, not for a checklist. Whether plans must be sealed by a licensed professional depends on the size and the use of the building and on the exceptions that apply. Ask the permit office what your project needs.

4. Settle who is responsible for what

A lease may make the landlord responsible for some work and the tenant for the rest, and may require the landlord's approval of drawings. Get legal advice on the lease before you commit to a scope of work.

5. Confirm the approval path

In the City of Tuscaloosa, permits go through Building and Inspections, which has a separate application for commercial work. Which approvals, licenses and sealed plans a project needs depends on the work, the use of the building and the exceptions that apply. Confirm with the permit office what your project needs, and read the city's pages linked below.

6. Separate construction from everything else

Furniture, equipment, technology, signs and stock are usually bought by the owner and are not part of a construction price. List them separately so the construction scope is clear.

What to bring to a first conversation with a builder

  • The address, and the lease or the terms being discussed.
  • What the business will do in the space.
  • Any drawings and records you have.
  • The equipment you plan to install.
  • Your designer or architect, if you have one.
  • The date by which you need to open, and how fixed it is.

Official sources