City of Eatonton

Putnam County states building permits are required for agricultural, residential, and commercial construction, including additions, remodels, new construction, accessory structures such as storage buildings, carports, barns, detached garages, and swimming pools, plus manufactured homes, DCA modular homes, and existing home relocation. Because Eatonton building permits are routed through the county SSD process, this is the operative public requirement for city projects.

Note: No public Eatonton-specific or county-posted exempt-work list for ordinary building permits was found in the public permit pages, permit packets, or fee schedule reviewed.

Building code

Putnam County Code section 18-36 adopts by reference the International Building Code, National Electrical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Fire Code, International Property Maintenance Code, and International Existing Building Code, with later editions or amendments as required by the Georgia Uniform Codes Act. Georgia DCA's current statewide minimum code page lists the current state minimum codes and amendments.

Permit validity

Public county forms used for city permits say work must commence within 6 months of issuance and not be abandoned for more than 6 months; amended permits are required if plans change or additional work is added. A county solar checklist also states permits expire 6 months after issue if work has not commenced and required inspections are not scheduled, and all work must be completed within 12 months.

Owner-builder

Public forms allow signature by the owner or authorized agent and include a responsible party affidavit for owner or contractor, but no separate Eatonton owner-builder policy page was found.

Contractor requirements

County permit pages require every contractor to submit a copy of the state contractor license and an occupational tax certificate with each permit. Georgia also requires state licensure for residential and general contractors under state law; verify current license status through the Georgia Secretary of State.

1. 01
   Confirm that the property is inside the City of Eatonton but note that permit intake is still handled by Putnam County Planning and Development under the SSD agreement. Use the city-marked county forms, which include a City of Eatonton checkbox.
2. 02
   Download the applicable building permit packet from the county Applications and Forms page. Residential, commercial, and multi-family packets all direct applicants to submit complete packets to pdsubmittals@putnamcountyga.us or hand deliver them.
3. 03
   Assemble required supporting approvals before submittal. Public packets require items such as recorded plat, parcel/tax identification, site plan, septic approval or location approval, sewer approval if applicable, water approval, building plans, and land disturbance approval if triggered. New driveways require a separate Public Works driveway permit.
4. 04
   Submit the packet. The county states incomplete applications will not be processed.
5. 05
   Planning and Development performs plan review and coordinates any needed zoning, environmental health, fire marshal, and land disturbance approvals shown on the forms.
6. 06
   Pay permit fees after review. No separate city-operated building payment page was found; the public-facing fee materials are on the county Planning and Development site.
7. 07
   Wait for permit issuance before starting work. County packets state construction may not begin until the building permit is issued.

Typical processing time: Residential/modular packet says plan review may take at least 4 weeks. Commercial packet says plan review may take at least 3 weeks. No city-specific faster or separate timeline was found.

Source: Putnam County Planning and Development ↗

No city-specific payment page for building permits was found. A county solar permit checklist says payments can be made by cash, check, or credit card, with credit card payments accepted by phone; that is the clearest public payment guidance located from the shared permit office.

Fees change periodically. Confirm at the official fee schedule ↗ before budgeting.

• Call (706) 485-1898 (phone)
• Email putnamplanning@putnamcountyga.us (email)

Inspection hours

County office hours posted generally are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Typical sequence: Public materials confirm field inspections during construction and final inspection before completion. A county solar checklist identifies rough-in and final inspections; no more detailed city-specific building inspection sequence was publicly posted for all project types.

Published county reinspection fees apply through the shared permit office: $55.00 for first and second reinspections, then $110.00 for each additional reinspection.