Alabama
Buying Land in Dallas County, Alabama
County seat Selma, on the Alabama River in the heart of the state's historic Black Belt -- named for its dark, fertile soil and long a center of Alabama agriculture. Selma also carries deep national historical significance as the site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. No general zoning act was found for the county's unincorporated land.
Black Belt soil, and a county with deep national historical weight
Dallas County sits at the heart of Alabama's Black Belt, a crescent-shaped region across the central part of the state named for its dark, fertile soil, which supported large-scale cotton agriculture through the 19th and early 20th centuries and remains a defining feature of the region's land character today. That soil profile matters practically for a land buyer: heavy Black Belt clay drains differently than the sandier soils common in south Alabama, which affects both crop selection and septic-system site suitability -- get a site-specific perc test on any Dallas County parcel rather than assuming results similar to land you may have evaluated elsewhere in the state.
Selma, the county seat, also carries national historical weight beyond its role as an agricultural county seat. It's the site of the March 7, 1965 "Bloody Sunday" march, where roughly 600 civil rights demonstrators were attacked by state troopers and local possemen at the Edmund Pettus Bridge while attempting to walk to Montgomery. The subsequent successful march, held March 21-25, 1965, grew to an estimated 25,000 people by the time it reached the state capitol, and directly preceded the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 less than five months later. This history is genuine regional context worth knowing as a buyer in the area, though it doesn't change the zoning, septic, or water framework that actually governs a specific land purchase, which is this page's main focus.
Zoning: no county act found, but Selma runs its own
Consistent with Alabama's general no-zoning-without-a-local-act default, this research pass found no evidence that Dallas County has adopted a zoning ordinance for its unincorporated land -- a finding based on the same reserved-Article-26 pattern this project has confirmed directly across several other Alabama counties, applied here by consistency rather than a fresh line-by-line read of Dallas County's own Title 45 chapter. The City of Selma, by contrast, maintains its own zoning ordinance and zoning map through its Office of Planning & Development, whose stated mission includes livable neighborhoods and economic development within city limits.
The practical takeaway: confirm directly and specifically whether your target parcel sits inside Selma's city limits (where an active zoning code applies) or in unincorporated Dallas County land (where, on the evidence available this pass, no zoning ordinance applies). Given the historic and current significance of the Selma area, also check whether any part of your parcel falls within a designated historic district, since those can carry their own separate review requirements independent of ordinary zoning -- and it's a real, sizable overlay here: Selma has four separate National Register historic districts covering roughly 535 combined acres, with a binding Certificate of Appropriateness process on top of the city's zoning code. See our dedicated page on Selma's historic districts for the specific boundaries and what that review process actually requires.
Septic and water for a Dallas County parcel
Septic permitting follows Alabama's statewide standard (Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 420-3-1), administered locally through the Dallas County Health Department at 100 Samuel O. Moseley Drive in Selma. Call the environmental line directly to schedule a site evaluation -- given the county's heavy Black Belt clay soil, don't assume a straightforward conventional system will pass without a specific site test, and budget time for the possibility of an alternative system design. Confirm any installer holds a current Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board (AOWB) license, particularly if buying land with an existing system already installed.
Water use on a typical Dallas County parcel, including land along the Alabama River, falls under Alabama's riparian framework with no state permit required for ordinary household or small agricultural use. Only a use with the capacity to withdraw 100,000 gallons a day or more -- relevant mainly to larger irrigation operations on Black Belt farmland -- triggers ADECA's Office of Water Resources registration requirement.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Dallas County
Confirm current zoning status (county vs. Selma city limits, and any historic-district overlay), fees, and department hours directly before relying on this page.
Planning & Zoning
Dallas County Commission
Confirming current zoning status (none found for unincorporated land as of this research pass) for a specific parcel.
Planning & Zoning
City of Selma -- Office of Planning & Development
Zoning district lookups and permit questions for parcels inside Selma's city limits, including historic-district review.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Dallas County Health Department
Septic site evaluations and Permit to Install applications; ask for the Environmental Office.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Dallas County Probate Office
Recorded deeds, plats, and title history for a specific parcel.
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Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Dallas County
Sources
- Dallas County - Encyclopedia of Alabama — Encyclopedia of Alabama (accessed 2026-09)
- Alabama: The Edmund Pettus Bridge — U.S. National Park Service (accessed 2026-09)
- Selma to Montgomery March — The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University (accessed 2026-09)
- Planning & Development -- The City of Selma Alabama — City of Selma, Alabama (accessed 2026-09)
- Contact Us -- Dallas County — Alabama Department of Public Health (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09