Unincorporated Stewart County

The county application publishes permit categories for general building, electrical, low voltage, cell tower, renovation, mechanical, fuel gas, billboard/sign, addition/alteration, plumbing, pool, and demolition. The fee schedule also separately lists land-disturbance permits for excavating, clearing, paving, or grading. Contractor affidavits state a permit is required for plumbing work other than ordinary repair, with a 72-hour post-installation allowance for replacement units in emergency health and safety situations.

Note: No general public county exempt-work list was found. Verified narrow exception: the county contractor affidavit states a permit is required for plumbing work other than ordinary repair.

Building code

Georgia's mandatory statewide minimum construction codes apply, including the 2024 IBC, 2024 IRC, 2024 IMC, 2024 IFGC, 2024 IPC, 2024 ISPSC, 2023 NEC, 2024 IFC, and 2015 IECC with Georgia amendments, effective January 1, 2026. The county's 2019 affidavit forms still reference the 2006 IRC/IBC language, but Georgia law requires local enforcement of the current state minimum code set.

Owner-builder

The Owner Affidavit allows an owner to apply without a licensed residential or general contractor only for a building intended solely for the owner and family, firm, or corporation and employees, not for the general public and not intended for sale or lease. The owner must directly supervise work, use licensed contractors where required, and may not get another owner-builder permit within 24 months after selling a building constructed under that affidavit unless licensed or using a licensed contractor.

Contractor requirements

The contractor affidavit requires an original notarized affidavit from the licensed contractor, state license information, business license information, and photo ID. Trade affidavits are required for applicable subcontractors. Georgia statewide contractor licensing rules apply.

1. 01
   Confirm the parcel is in unincorporated Stewart County and download the Building Permit Application and any required owner, contractor, or subcontractor affidavits from the county Forms and Documents page.
2. 02
   Complete the permit application, identifying permit type, job site, scope of work, and contractor information for all trade work not performed by the owner.
3. 03
   Assemble the supporting documents listed in the application for new buildings and additions, including scaled plans, energy-code calculations, recorded plat, septic permit or health-department waiver, soil-test results, tax receipt, state contractor licenses, signed affidavits, duct-blaster and blower-door reports, and Georgia Energy Compliance certificate as applicable.
4. 04
   If applying as an owner-builder, submit the original notarized Owner Affidavit. If using contractors, submit original notarized contractor and trade affidavits.
5. 05
   Submit the application package to Stewart County Building Inspections and wait for review and approval before beginning work.

Typical processing time: The county application says it may take up to 5 business days to review and approve a complete application.

Source: Stewart County Building Inspections / Building Inspector ↗

No public online building-permit payment portal or card-processing note found

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

• Stewart County Building Inspections (phone)
• info@stewartcountyga.gov (email)

Inspection hours

No public inspection hours or request windows found

Typical sequence: The Owner Affidavit states inspections must be performed in an established sequence required by the jurisdiction. The public packet set does not publish the full sequence.