Permitting how-to’s and local municipal guides.
In Georgia, each city and county operates its own permitting structure, so even if statewide codes are familiar, the local variations will define your process and timeline.
Learn everything you need to know about obtaining building permits in Georgia — from permitting requirements and costs to inspections and common pitfalls.
Georgia uses a local issuing model. Each city or county building department handles permits for its jurisdiction.
Here are examples:
Under Georgia law, if you're doing the following, you must apply for a permit according to local regulations:
Exceptions include minor cosmetic work such as paint, carpeting, countertops, or minor appliance swapping. But always confirm with your local AHJ — permit requirements vary. For example, many jurisdictions require permits for accessory structures over 1,000 sq ft or fences over a certain height.
While requirements differ by jurisdiction, most permit applications require:
Here’s what you can expect in a few representative areas:
Fees often include plan review, execution, inspections, and sometimes tech or administrative surcharges.
Most jurisdictions require state-licensed contractors to pull permits; owner-builders must sign affidavits and accept responsibility.
Counties like Cherokee enforce sediment control plans and erosion inspections for new builds or developments. In Troup County, grading, floodplain, and stream controls are integrated into the permit process.
Some cities (e.g., Smyrna, Savannah) charge additional flat tech fees that can shift the total cost considerably, especially on small jobs.
Certificates of Occupancy are required before use — even for residential projects in jurisdictions like Fayetteville and Cherokee County.
Cities like Lawrenceville and Cherokee County support online permitting, while others may still require paper or in-person submissions.
Yes! As part of our commitment to deliver the best possible experience for pulling permits, we’re here to help you whether you permit in the municipality you frequent as well across multiple municipalities nationwide.
We have a team that is ready to support you with all of your permitting needs. Speak with an expert today to get onboarded with PermitFlow.
The time it takes to pull a permit is dependent on your project specifics as well as the municipality you are pulling the permit in; however, with PermitFlow’s platform, you will be able to submit requirement ready, error-free applications that save your team hours of time and shorten municipal review cycles by as much as 60%. Speak with an expert today to better understand what your estimated permitting cycle time would be.
In short, the benefits of using our permit software are two-fold: