Georgia

Do you need a pool permit in Georgia?

By Mario Bailey Last checked

Always required
2
of 4 jurisdictions
Conditional
2
depends on size or scope
Not required
0
exempt outright

Pool Permit rules nationwide, beyond Georgia.

An in-ground pool and stone patio behind a two-story suburban house

Requirements and size thresholds for pool permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Georgia county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.

Comparing states? See pool permit rules across every locality we cover.

The application steps and inspection sequence for pool permits come from the model code rather than from Georgia law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a pool permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Georgia jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.

Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.

Locality Permit required? Typical threshold Confidence
Atlanta Yes Any size Confirmed on official page
Cobb County Yes Any size Confirmed on official page
DeKalb County Conditional prefabricated pools installed entirely above ground Confirmed on official page
Gwinnett County Conditional prefabricated pools installed entirely above ground that also hold no more than 5,000 gallons Confirmed on official page

What a pool permit costs in Georgia

3 Georgia jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.

Cobb County

Pool permits carry a $250 minimum fee under the Cobb County Building Permit Fee Schedule effective July 1, 2024, plus the $100 site plan review fee and $15 technology fee that apply across permit types.

last checked

DeKalb County

Building Permit Application (revised 01/01/2025): "Total Minimum Fees $245 ($195 Minimum Permit Fee; $50 Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion). Some commercial projects require Fire Review & Inspection Fees ($100 Fire Life Safety Review; $100 Fire Site Review; $100 Fire Inspection). Please note that additional fees may apply depending on the type of permit being submitted." DeKalb does not currently publish a full building permit fee schedule online; the fee schedule address printed on the application form no longer resolves to any fee document. The separate electrical permit is priced on the Electrical Permit Application (revised 07/09/2025) at "SWIMMING POOLS NO. AT $50.00", with "Fee Schedule: MINIMUM FEE $120 Additional $200 for Fire Alarm Systems (Fire Review & Inspection Fee)" governing the electrical permit as a whole.

last checked

Gwinnett County

Planning and Development Fee Schedule, "Building Permit Fees (Effective July 1, 2024)", footer "Revised 05/23/2024". The schedule publishes no swimming pool line item. The department's "Regulatory Requirements for Residential Permits" lists "Swimming Pools" as requiring an Application, a Site Plan authorized by Plan Review and a Septic Tank Application authorized by Environmental Health. Caution on figures: the department's older undated handout "Regulatory Requirements for Residential Permits" still prices this work at "$0.006 x Value of Construction" and the 2012-era step sheets at "$6 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost (minimum fee is $30)", both of which predate the July 1, 2024 schedule. Confirm the current amount with the Permits Section at 678-518-6020 before budgeting.

last checked

Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.

Common questions about pool permits in Georgia

Do I need a pool permit in Georgia?
In Georgia it depends on the size of the job. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Georgia city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 4 Georgia jurisdictions we have verified for pool work, 2 require a permit outright, 2 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
Is there a pool permit exemption in Georgia?
2 of the 4 Georgia jurisdictions we cover set a threshold rather than a flat rule, so the same job can be exempt in one Georgia county and permitted in the next. The table above lists each Georgia jurisdiction's published threshold in its own words, with the source and the date we verified it.

Ready to move on your pool permit?

Hire it out

Sponsored

Pool builders handle the permit and its safety requirements as part of the job. Comparing a few bids before you sign is the useful next step.

Compare pool builder quotes on Angi

Sponsored link. PermitNotebook may earn a fee if you request quotes through it. Partners never influence our permit data.

Planning more than a pool permit? Check your whole project