Russell County (unincorporated), AL zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Russell County (unincorporated), AL?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: C-2, C-3, C-4.
It needs a conditional or special use approval in: C-1, MED.
It is not allowed in 10 districts: A-1, INST, M-1, M-2, MX-1, R-1, R-1A, R-1B, R-2, R-3.
1 district is not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| C-1 | Conditional | Restaurant, Fast Food: C Planning Commission + Council. | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| C-2 | By right | Restaurant, Fast Food (includes drive-through or drive-in) Y 5 stacking spaces to order board + 2 to window + 2 after (Table 8-1). | Phenix City ZO Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| C-3 | By right | Restaurant, Fast Food (includes drive-through or drive-in) Y 5 stacking spaces to order board + 2 to window + 2 after (Table 8-1). | Phenix City ZO Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| C-4 | By right | Restaurant, Fast Food (includes drive-through or drive-in) Y 5 stacking spaces to order board + 2 to window + 2 after (Table 8-1). | Phenix City ZO Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| INST | Not allowed | Restaurant, Fast Food: blank | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| M-1 | Not allowed | Restaurant, Fast Food: blank | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| M-2 | Not allowed | Restaurant, Fast Food: blank | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MED | Conditional | Restaurant, Fast Food: SE BZA special exception. | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MX-1 | Not allowed | Restaurant, Fast Food: blank | Table 5-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| PD | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| R-1 | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-1A | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-1B | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-2 | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-3 | Not allowed | No restaurant row in residential table | Table 4-2 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
"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
- Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
- Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
- 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.