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Zoning Library › Alabama › Madison, AL

Madison, AL zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed

Madison County · 20 districts on file · last read 2026-11-14 · data.json

Is a drive-thru allowed in Madison, AL?

We have not confirmed any zoning district in Madison, AL where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right.

It needs a conditional or special use approval in: C-2, C-3, I-1, I-2.

It is not allowed in 14 districts: A-1, C-1, O-M, PUD, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-M, RE-A, RE-B, S-1, S-2.

2 districts are not confirmed yet.

Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district

DistrictDrive-thru restaurantWhat the code saysSectionSourceRead on
A-1Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
C-1Not allowedrestaurants only if located within an office buildingSec. 16.02(d)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
C-2ConditionalFast food restaurants, food product carry-out and delivery stores.
Conditional use: Mayor/Board of Aldermen after Planning Commission hearing. 5 standing spaces (26.02.2(c)(9)).		Sec. 18.03(c)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
C-3ConditionalDrive-in restaurants (fast food)
Conditional use; 5 standing spaces.		Sec. 19.03(b)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
C-4Not confirmedNot read closely enough to state a rule.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
C-5Not confirmedNot read closely enough to state a rule.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
I-1ConditionalConditional uses listed under the C-3 Major Thoroughfares Commercial DistrictSecs. 22.03(b)/23.03(a)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
I-2ConditionalConditional uses listed under the C-3 Major Thoroughfares Commercial DistrictSecs. 22.03(b)/23.03(a)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
O-MNot allowedFast food restaurants, as defined by this Ordinance, are prohibited in this district.Sec. 17.02(d)madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
PUDNot allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-1Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-2Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-3Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-4Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-5Not allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
R-MNot allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
RE-ANot allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
RE-BNot allowedNot listed in residential districtsZoning Ord.madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
S-1Not allowedNot listedSecs. 24.02/25.08madisonthecity.com2026-11-14
S-2Not allowedNot listedSecs. 24.02/25.08madisonthecity.com2026-11-14

"By right" means permitted with site plan and building permit review only. Overlay districts, planned developments (PD/PUD) and conditions attached to a past rezoning can change the answer for a single parcel.

Sources

How to confirm before you buy

  1. Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
  2. Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
  3. Call the planning office and ask whether a drive-thru restaurant needs anything beyond site plan review at that address.

Why this library exists

I'm Luke Smith. I find land for drive-thru brands like 7 Brew, Ellianos Coffee and Starbucks, sign the tenant, build the shop and sell it as a net lease property. Every deal starts with the same question: is the use allowed here without a rezoning? Getting that answer takes too long, so we read the codes (with AI research help), and I publish what we find with a link back to every source so you can check it yourself.

If you have a site that fits a drive-thru, or you want to learn how these deals are put together, join the free Reverse Deal Finder community on Skool, see cap rates and land prices by brand, or call 1-760-392-1525. Brokers welcome: I pay commissions.