Alabama health facility rules remain open for written comment through 5 p.m. Dec. 4. One would require electronic fee payments for health-facility plan review, another would update hospital and outpatient design guidance from the 2014 edition to the 2026 edition, and a third would clarify which transfer-station application material is confidential.
The Alabama Department of Public Health held hearings Nov. 3, but the written-comment window remains open. None of the proposals should be treated as effective law until the rulemaking process is completed.
Alabama health facility rules compared
| Rule | Proposed change | Who should examine it |
|---|---|---|
| 420-5-21-.03, Payment of Fees | Remove the Montgomery payment option and require electronic payment through the Plan Review submission process | Health-facility owners, architects, contractors and billing staff |
| 420-5-22-.03, Codes and Standards | Replace the 2014 hospital and outpatient design guidelines with the 2026 edition | Hospital, outpatient and emergency-facility planners and designers |
| 420-3-5-.11, Transfer Stations | Clarify that only subsection 6 of the application material is confidential | Transfer-station applicants, local health departments and public-record users |
The comparison brings three separate filings onto one deadline. It does not combine their legal effect: each proposal has its own rule number, subject and agency contact. Anyone commenting on the Alabama health facility rules should name the exact filing rather than treating the package as one rule.
Fee payments would move online
The payment proposal concerns fees associated with final-stage drawing approval and final inspections. The current rule text refers to checks or money orders and receipt at the Technical Services Unit in Montgomery. The proposed language would direct payments through the Plan Review electronic-submittal process.
The filing says the proposal does not have an economic impact and does not directly or indirectly increase the cost of goods or services. That statement is the agency’s filing response; it does not mean offices will have no workflow or training changes.
The rest of the rule continues to tie drawing-approval fees to construction estimates and inspection fees to the contractor’s latest payment request. Fees remain nonrefundable under the displayed proposal.
Design guidance would advance by 12 years
The codes proposal would move the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities from the 2014 edition to the 2026 edition. The rule applies that guideline to ambulatory surgical treatment facilities, hospitals and freestanding emergency departments.
Other standards listed in the rule, including the referenced International Building Code and NFPA editions, remain visible in the proposed text. Readers should not infer that every listed code is being advanced to a 2026 edition; the stated substance of the proposal specifically identifies the hospital and outpatient guideline update.
Transfer-station change concerns confidentiality
The transfer-station filing says its purpose is to clarify that only subsection 6 is confidential. The broader rule still describes local approval, annual permits, inspections and application materials such as property records, disposal-facility letters, site plans and a one-mile area map.
The proposal is therefore a records-access clarification, not a repeal of the underlying permit and inspection system. Its filing also says the proposal has no economic impact.
How to comment by Dec. 4
Comments on the two facility-management rules go to Kristi Rollins, Office of Facilities Management and Technical Services, Alabama Department of Public Health, P.O. Box 30317, Montgomery, AL 36130-3017. The listed telephone number is 334-206-5218.
Comments on the transfer-station proposal go to Matt Conner, Bureau of Environmental Services, at the same department mailing address. The listed telephone number is 334-206-5375.
A useful comment should name the exact rule, identify the proposed sentence or operational effect at issue and provide a concrete reason or supporting record. The official ADPH regulations page links each filing and remains the best place to check whether the Alabama health facility rules or deadline changed.
The Daily Quill’s health and wellness desk tracks official health notices. Alabama residents looking for other agency contacts can use the public services directory.
The next decisive record will be a final filing, revised proposal or withdrawal after Dec. 4. Until that appears, the Alabama health facility rules remain proposals.
