Founded in 1819, the county is the most populated County in Alabama. It is home to 665,409 residents (2020 census) and has 35 municipalities within its borders. We have two industrial parks managed by the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority: McCalla with 835 acres available, and Lakeshore Drive with 41 acres available. We are responsible for more than 1800 miles of road to pave; 11,500 drainage crossings, and 296 bridges in unincorporated Jefferson County. Cities are responsible for maintaining the roads in their jurisdictions. 

The County maintains nine water reclamation facilities that serve 23 municipalities including small portions of Shelby County and St. Clair County. There are more than 3,500 miles of sanitary sewer line to maintain and our facilities treat an average of 100 million gallons of wastewater per day.

During the pandemic, the County started live streaming its Pre-Commission (Committee) meetings, Commission meeting, and Planning and Zoning meetings. An archive of the meetings can be found here: Watch Live. The agenda for Commission Meetings can be found here: Agendas & Minutes.  The agenda is usually posted the Thursday evening before the Pre-Commission meeting. A calendar of all County public meetings and events can be found here: County Calendar. 

What happens at these meetings? The Pre-Commission meeting is where the commission vets items on the agenda. If an item is approved in Pre-Commission, it then moves to the agenda for final approval at the Commission meeting. Planning and Zoning meetings are where items are vetted for zoning changes and development. If an item is approved at the Planning and Zoning meeting, it still has to go before the Commission for final approval.