Alabama: every permit portal for solar, wind, and storage
The quick find: which office handles each approval a utility-scale project touches in Alabama, with the agency's own page. Counties and cities add their own land-use approvals; the state table is the part that is the same across the state.
State and grid
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| State siting or certificateWhether the state itself approves where a generating facility goes, or leaves it to counties and cities. | No state siting permit for merchant solar; county governsAlabama Public Service CommissionAlabama Power certification via the PSC for utility-owned generation. |
| Grid interconnectionThe queue the project enters to connect: the regional grid operator, or the utility and public utility commission outside an RTO. | SIMPL - Southern Company Interconnection PortalSouthern Company (Alabama Power transmission provider)Southern Company's interconnection request portal for generators seeking to connect to the Alabama Power / Southern transmission system (non-RTO). |
| Construction stormwater permitNPDES coverage for land disturbance of one acre or more, before earthwork starts. | Construction General Permit (CGP) ALR100000Alabama Department of Environmental ManagementADEM NPDES construction stormwater general permit ALR10 for land disturbance of one acre or more. Program page confirmed (title 'Construction General Permit (CGP)', NPDES ALR100000, links AEPACS permit portal and 2026 permit PDF). Same path as old URL but on adem.alabama.gov instead of web-prd host. |
| Historic preservation reviewSection 106 consultation through the State Historic Preservation Office when a federal permit, federal funding or federal land is involved; many states add their own review on state land. | Section 106 ReviewAlabama Historical CommissionAHC Section 106 project review consultation procedures and submittal requirements. |
| Wildlife and habitat reviewThe state wildlife agency's project screening or natural-heritage data request; federal species go through USFWS IPaC. | ALNHP Data RequestsAlabama Natural Heritage Program (Auburn University)Alabama's natural heritage element-occurrence data requests for project screening are handled by ALNHP, hosted at Auburn University rather than a .gov domain. |
| State road access and utility permitsA driveway onto a state highway, and a gen-tie or cable in state right of way. | Permits (access/driveway, utility accommodation)Alabama Department of TransportationPermits index page confirmed; links Access Permits (https://www.aldot.gov/business/permits/accessPermits.html) and Utility Accommodations & Special Use (https://www.aldot.gov/business/permits/uasuPermits.html). Site moved from dot.state.al.us to aldot.gov. |
| Floodplain (state NFIP coordinator)Local floodplain development permits are county or city; the state coordinator lists who administers them. | Floodplain ManagementADECA Office of Water ResourcesState NFIP coordinating office for Alabama within ADECA's Office of Water Resources. |
| Water rights and wellsConstruction water, dust control and O&M wells: the state engineer, water board or environmental agency. | Water Management (Certificate of Use)ADECA Office of Water ResourcesRegistration and Certificate of Use for withdrawals over 100,000 gallons per day under the Alabama Water Resources Act. |
| Property-tax incentive programState abatement or exemption programs for renewable generation, where one exists. | Chapter 9B AbatementsAlabama Department of RevenueLocal-option abatements of non-educational property and sales/use taxes for qualifying industrial projects, including electricity generation. |
Federal portals (the same in every state)
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Clean Water Act Section 404 / Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 | U.S. Army Corps of EngineersRegulatory Request System: applications, pre-application meetings and jurisdictional determinations; the district office is by watershed. |
| Endangered species and critical habitat | U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIPaC: official species list and the Section 7 consultation path for the project footprint. |
| Tall structures (wind turbines, met towers) | Federal Aviation AdministrationForm 7460-1 notice through OE/AAA before construction above the 14 CFR 77.9 heights. |
| Construction stormwater where EPA is the permitting authority | U.S. EPAEPA's Construction General Permit (NeT eNOI) in New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, D.C., Indian country and the territories. |
| Projects on federal land | Bureau of Land ManagementRight-of-way applications and NEPA documents for BLM-managed land. |
| Transmission and wholesale market rules | Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionOrder No. 2023 cluster-study reforms, followed by every FERC-jurisdictional transmission provider, RTO or utility; ERCOT has its own process. |
County and city pages for Alabama
From the nationwide permit finder; counties and cities issue most land-use approvals, so start with the jurisdiction that covers the parcel.
- Alabama — Water permitting programs (State): Alabama environmental authority. Start with this agency for the linked water program. Check construction stormwater, wastewater and water-quality approvals separately; this link does not cover every environmental permit.
- Alabama — local government contacts (City & local): State government / local-government association. Locate the relevant government using this directory; some directories list only cities or only counties. Confirm municipal boundaries and any separate fire, drainage, water or other district authority.
Other states
How this list is made. Each link was found on the agency's own site and is re-checked by a script that loads it and records the date; a link that stops answering is shown without a link rather than dropped. Programs change with each legislative session: confirm fees, forms and thresholds on the agency page before filing. General information, not legal advice. How we check our data · Report an error.