Georgia · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in Georgia

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 23 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 4 Georgia jurisdictions we have verified, 0 of 35 project rules need no permit at all, 8 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 27 require a permit regardless. Pool work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 2 of the 4 jurisdictions that answer publish one.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Pool

2 of 4 make the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number all publish 24 inches. Atlanta and Cobb County require a permit for pool work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
DeKalb County Depends 24 inches prefabricated pools installed entirely above ground.
Gwinnett County Depends 24 inches prefabricated pools installed entirely above ground that also hold no more than 5,000 gallons.
Atlanta Permit required A building permit is required for all residential swimming pools in Atlanta.
Cobb County Permit required Cobb County states directly that all in-ground and above-ground pools in unincorporated Cobb County are required to be permitted and inspected, with no exemption for small or prefabricated pools.

Fence

2 of 3 make the fence answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number all publish 8 feet. Atlanta requires a permit for fence work regardless of size. 1 publishes no answer we could verify.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
DeKalb County Depends 8 feet height of the fence.
Gwinnett County Depends 8 feet height of a fence; masonry and concrete fence walls follow a separate 4 foot limit.
Atlanta Permit required A permit is required for residential fence installation in Atlanta.

Electrical

1 of 4 makes the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Atlanta, Cobb County and DeKalb County require a permit for electrical work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Gwinnett County Depends Gwinnett County requires a permit for electrical work under Construction Code section 106.1.
Atlanta Permit required A permit is required in Atlanta to install, repair, or replace any residential electrical equipment or wiring.
Cobb County Permit required Cobb County Code Section 18-27 requires any contractor, owner, or authorized representative doing electrical construction to obtain a permit from the Development and Inspections Division before performing the work.
DeKalb County Permit required An electrical permit is required in unincorporated DeKalb County and has to be submitted by a licensed electrical contractor.

HVAC

1 of 4 makes the HVAC answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Atlanta, Cobb County and DeKalb County require a permit for HVAC work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Gwinnett County Depends Gwinnett County requires a permit to install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any mechanical or fuel gas piping system.
Atlanta Permit required A permit is required in Atlanta to install, repair, or replace any residential HVAC equipment.
Cobb County Permit required Cobb County Code Section 18-27 requires any contractor, owner, or authorized representative doing mechanical or gas construction to obtain a permit from the Development and Inspections Division before performing the work.
DeKalb County Permit required A mechanical permit is required for HVAC work in unincorporated DeKalb County and has to be submitted by a licensed mechanical contractor.

Plumbing

1 of 4 makes the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Atlanta, Cobb County and DeKalb County require a permit for plumbing work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Gwinnett County Depends Gwinnett County requires a permit for plumbing work under Construction Code section 106.1.
Atlanta Permit required A permit is required in Atlanta to install, repair, or replace any residential plumbing equipment or system.
Cobb County Permit required Cobb County Code Section 18-27 requires any contractor, owner, or authorized representative doing plumbing construction to obtain a permit from the Development and Inspections Division before performing the work.
DeKalb County Permit required A plumbing permit is required in unincorporated DeKalb County and has to be submitted by a licensed plumbing contractor.

Shed

1 of 4 makes the shed answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Atlanta, Cobb County and DeKalb County require a permit for shed work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Gwinnett County Depends 120 sq ft floor area of a one-story detached accessory structure that contains no electrical or plumbing system.
Atlanta Permit required In Atlanta, accessory shed structures are listed as a residential permit type requiring a permit application submitted through the Office of Buildings via the Accela Citizen portal.
Cobb County Permit required Cobb County's Community Development Agency lists Accessory Structures, which include sheds, as one of its residential permit checklist categories, and the county's Building Permit Fee Schedule names Accessory Structures among the project types subject to its $100 site plan review fee.
DeKalb County Permit required Unincorporated DeKalb County requires a building permit for a storage shed of any size.

Jurisdictions not in the tables

Atlanta and Cobb County publish no exemption for any project we checked: every answered rule there requires a permit.

If the work is already built

Georgia has no state building permit office and no single state criminal charge for building without a permit. The state minimum standard codes under the Uniform Codes Act (O.C.G.A. 8-2-20 and following) apply to all construction statewide, but permits and enforcement belong to city and county building departments, and O.C.G.A. 8-2-26 lets the local building official deny a permit or certificate of occupancy and issue a stop-work order when work does not comply.

Georgia penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

5 of the 40 rules we hold for Georgia are unresolved because the jurisdiction publishes no answer; they are counted nowhere above. The 35 answered rules come from 23 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the Georgia permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each Georgia jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.