A new house in Boaz can't get a certificate of occupancy until it passes a checklist. The front porch needs a roof. Any exposed wood on that porch has to be painted or stained. The roof needs at least a 4:12 pitch and a 12-inch overhang. The foundation can't show plain cinder block. The air conditioner has to sit beside or behind the house. And the front of the house can't look like the one next door.
None of that was the rule a year ago. If you're weighing a new Boaz home against one in Albertville, Guntersville or out in the county, this checklist matters more than the median price. It sets a floor under every new detached house built inside the city, and it changes what you're actually comparing.
The Pause That Came First
The checklist came out of a timeout. At a work session on March 9, 2026, Mayor Tim Walker asked the council for a 180-day moratorium on some residential building permits. According to the work session minutes, he said the city "needs affordable housing but doesn't need affordable housing that will take advantage of people," and he wanted to make sure new homes would be "substantial structures for the future of our town."
The council pushed back on the length. Members worried that six months would drive off builders and the subcontractors who depend on them. One member said the city should focus first on cleanup and enforcing the ordinances it already had. Later that same night, the council adopted Resolution No. 2026-1952. It started as a 30-day pause, was amended to 45 days, and passed unanimously. On April 13, Resolution No. 2026-1954 extended it through May 1, 2026.
The exceptions in the extension resolution show who the pause was really aimed at. It did not apply to:
- People building their own home to live in, as long as they signed a statement promising to live there at least 12 months after it was finished
- Projects already permitted and under construction
- Repairs and renovations on existing homes
- Homes in subdivisions the city had already approved
Take those groups out and what's left is mostly builders putting new houses on scattered lots outside approved subdivisions, many of them built to sell. That's the kind of construction the city stopped to study.
What Every New Detached House Has to Include Now
On April 27, after a public hearing where no one spoke for or against it, the council adopted Ordinance No. 2026-1196. The vote was six to zero. Mayor Walker said it was "to raise our minimum standards on building new houses." The same night, the council also adopted Ordinance No. 2026-1195, which brings the city onto the 2021 building code.
The published text of the ordinance sets a minimum living area of 1,200 square feet for detached single-family homes in the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 districts, and 900 square feet for attached single-family homes. On top of that, a new detached house must meet all ten of these standards before it can get a certificate of occupancy:
| Standard | What the ordinance requires |
|---|---|
| Ceilings | 8-foot minimum interior height |
| Moisture barrier | 10-mil barrier under crawl spaces and slabs |
| Foundation exterior | No plain cinder block; painted split-face block, stucco, brick, rock or another material the Building Official approves |
| Front porch | Roofed; exposed wood painted or stained; no lean-to roof on elevated porches; 1x4 wood enclosing the space below elevated porches |
| Roof | At least 4:12 pitch with a 12-inch overhang |
| Vinyl siding | .044 thickness or higher |
| HVAC | Outdoor units beside or behind the house |
| Front design | No identical fronts on houses next to each other |
| Sidewalks | Matching sidewalk, curb or gutter where the lot borders an existing one |
| Driveway | On lots of 10,000 square feet or less, a permanent surface such as concrete, asphalt or pavers, not gravel or dirt |
There's also a lighting rule for single-family homes: lights can't cast any light past the property line.
Each of these items costs something to build. Together they put a floor under what the cheapest legal new house in Boaz can be. A builder can't finish a small house with a bare block foundation and a gravel drive on a small lot inside the city, no matter what that house would sell for.
Builders Started Planning Around the Rules Right Away
The first planning commission meeting after the ordinance passed was May 5. A builder asked to rezone a parcel near 600 Doris Street from R-4, which is multifamily, to R-2, which is detached homes. The minutes say he "made clear he was aware of the changes to building standards the city had passed recently" and argued the project would "raise the look and the cost of the surrounding area." Nobody spoke against it. The council adopted the rezoning as Ordinance No. 2026-1197 on May 26. When a resident at the hearing asked what it meant, officials explained that someone was buying the land to build single-family homes.
A new house in Boaz is now expected to cost more and look more finished than the city's minimum used to require.
The subdivisions approved since then are small:
| Plat | Location | Lots | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catanzaro, Dailey Street | Across from Douglas Street | 7 | Preliminary approved May 5; final approved July 7 |
| Catanzaro, Bassett Street | Bassett Street | 4 | Preliminary approved May 5 |
| Ricky Young | Highway 205 at Aurora Road, across from the golf course clubhouse | 7 | Preliminary approved July 7 |
| Doris Gardens, Iron Clad Construction | Doris Street, near Snead State Community College | 7 | Preliminary approved July 7 pending a setback fix; final approved July 30 |
That's four plats and 25 lots. Each will be built under the new standards, and none comes close to a large tract development. New supply in Boaz is coming a handful of lots at a time on infill parcels around the city. So if you want a new Boaz home, the choice at any given moment may come down to a few houses on one street.
What This Does to the New-Versus-Resale Comparison
The ordinance works through the certificate of occupancy for a new detached dwelling, so it governs what gets built from here on. Homes already standing are the stock with no such floor. That gives you a few practical consequences when you compare listings.
A newer Boaz home and an older Boaz home are now built to different rules. When an older house under 1,200 square feet, or one with a gravel drive and an uncovered stoop, sells for much less than a new build down the road, part of that gap is set by city ordinance and isn't just a difference in age or condition. And under the current rules, that smaller, simpler kind of house can't be built new inside the city.
New homes in Boaz and new homes in a town without these rules aren't the same product either. Two new 1,300-square-foot houses with similar prices can differ in roof pitch, foundation finish, porch and driveway, depending on which side of the city limit they sit on.
The county numbers give some context. In September 2026, Marshall County recorded 96 home sales at a median price of $278,000, compared with 102 sales at $288,000 in September 2025. Listings rose to 528 from 501, and average days on market fell to 69 from 84. That's according to the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors September 2026 report, which draws on ValleyMLS data. More choices and a slightly lower median give buyers some room. But those are countywide figures, and they mix old and new homes from many towns.
Questions Worth Settling Before You Commit to a New Boaz Build
- Is the lot inside the city limits? The planning commission also reviews lot splits within one and a half miles outside the city, like the Peachtree Lane split it approved on May 5. Ask the city which rules apply to the specific parcel.
- Was the permit pulled before or after the new standards took effect? The council adopted the ordinance on April 27, 2026, and its text makes it effective after adoption and publication or posting. Homes permitted earlier, or built in subdivisions approved before the pause, may have been built under the older rules. Ask the builder and the city which standards the house was permitted under.
- Is the lot 10,000 square feet or smaller? If it is, a paved driveway is part of the required build. Confirm it's in the price.
- Does the lot border an existing sidewalk, curb or gutter? If it does, matching infrastructure is required. Ask who is paying for it.
- Has the home received its certificate of occupancy? Under the ordinance, that's the point where the standards are checked.
This post is general information about city rules, not legal or financial advice. Before you rely on any requirement, confirm how it applies to your property with the Boaz Building Official or the right professional.
A Few Common Questions
Does the ordinance affect a house I already own in Boaz? The standards are tied to the certificate of occupancy for a new single-family detached dwelling. The pause also exempted standard repairs and renovations on existing homes. If you're planning an addition or a rebuild, check with the city.
Can a modular home go on a Boaz lot? At an August 4, 2026 meeting, the planning commission discussed modular homes. According to the minutes, members "came to the conclusion that modular housing is outlawed according to ordinance already in place." That's the commission's reading of the code. Get a direct answer from the city before buying a lot for that purpose.
Is the city looking at more changes? At that same August meeting, the commission talked about revisiting the city's comprehensive plan, rezoning nonconforming areas and possibly limiting neon paint colors. Those were discussions, not adopted rules.
If you're weighing a new Boaz build against an older home or a lot just outside town, we'd be glad to sit down with you and the city's rules and go through the houses you're considering, one at a time. Reach out to Lowery Real Estate Group and Contact Us whenever you're ready.
