South of Hoover, in Shelby County
Crawl space and basement waterproofing help in Pelham
Pelham homeowners can call the number on this page about a damp crawl space, a basement that leaks or a yard that sends water at the house. A few things about how Pelham's City Hall handles water are worth knowing first.
Call (205) 555-0115Start with what you can see
Go under the house, or send someone, after a dry week and again after a wet one. Dry-week damp is humidity: beads on the ducts, a heavy smell, insulation sagging. That is encapsulation territory. Wet-week puddles are drainage, and crawl space repair explains how they are traced.
For a basement, the wet basement page has three quick checks that separate condensation from seepage.
Flood questions go to the city engineer
Pelham names a Flood Plain Administrator, who is the City Engineer in Development Services and Public Works. The city's flood information page gives 205-620-6408 and the address pelhamflood@pelhamalabama.gov for flood questions. The same page says buildings in the special flood hazard area have to meet the city's Flood Plain Ordinance in certain situations.
If your house has taken in surface water from a creek or a flooded street, speak to that office before spending money on a drain or a liner. Those are designed for water in the soil.
How Pelham handles repair permits
After flood damage, the city says a building permit is needed before repair work starts, and that the application must come with a detailed breakdown of costs from a contractor or an insurance adjuster. A lump sum is not accepted.
A homeowner may take out the permit personally and hire subcontractors, or a state-licensed home builder may take it out on the owner's behalf. Applications go to the Building Department on the second floor of City Hall at 3162 Pelham Parkway, or by email to permits@pelhamalabama.gov.
Whether routine waterproofing counts as repair work needing a permit is for the Building Department to say. Ask the company which it expects, and who will apply.
A Pelham check on subcontractors
The city says subcontractors must hold a current Pelham business license before they work under a homeowner's permit, and that you can verify one by calling 205-620-6480. That is separate from the Alabama home builders license, which is covered in choosing a waterproofing company.