City Building Permits
Unincorporated Fulton County, GA Building Permit Guide
How to apply for a building permit in Unincorporated Fulton County, Georgia. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Applies only to unincorporated Fulton County. Does not apply inside incorporated municipalities such as Atlanta, Roswell, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, or South Fulton.
- Department
- Fulton County Public Works, Planning, Zoning and Permitting, Permits and Plan Review
- Address
- 141 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Phone
- 404-612-4000
Online Permit Portal
Platform: Fulton County permits pages with Permits Plus status and online inspection forms • Account required: Yes • Submission: Online only
Additional resources:
- https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/public-works/planning-zoning-and-permitting/planning-and-inspections/building-and-trade-inspection-request-form
- https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/-/media/Departments/Public-Works/Planning-Zoning-and-Permits/Permits-and-plan-review/CHECK_PERMIT_STATUS.ashx
Application Process
- Submit application with detailed architectural drawings and plan review fees.
- Plans Review Engineer reviews drawings for code compliance.
- If corrections are needed, applicant revises and resubmits corrected plans.
- Staff process the approved package, confirm addressing, assess total fees including sewer fees where applicable, and issue the permit.
- Permit information is entered for progress tracking.
- Required inspections are conducted and posted in the county system.
- Reinspection fees and penalties are paid, holds are released, and CO is issued where applicable.
Typical processing time: County commercial building permit page states plan review takes 5 to 10 days.
Source: Fulton County Public Works, Planning, Zoning and Permitting, Permits and Plan Review
General Requirements
Fulton County issues building-related permits for unincorporated areas and requires permits for regulated building and business-related construction activity.
Required Documents
- Application
- detailed architectural drawings
- and applicable plan review fees; project-specific supporting documents vary by permit type.
- Permit validity
- Fulton County permit-status guide states permits expire when no activity has occurred in the past 180 days unless an extension has been obtained.
- Building code
- Fulton County enforces the Georgia state minimum construction codes. As of January 1, 2026, the statewide baseline is the 2024 ICC family plus 2023 NEC with Georgia amendments where applicable.
- Owner-builder
- Not clearly published on the pages reviewed.
- Contractor requirements
- Georgia licensure applies where required by state law; county permitting workflows presume licensed and responsible parties in the permit record.
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- $75 for building valuations from $0 to $15,000 under the cited building fee schedule
- Plan check fee
- 50% of building permit fee for non-one-family dwellings
- Permit fee formula
- Valuation-based building permit fee schedule
- Reinspection fee
- County status guide notes holds can remain until fines or reinspection fees are paid
- Payment note
- Permit fee is automatically calculated by Permits Plus according to the county permit-status guide
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
- No simplified county exempt-work list was located on the reviewed county pages
- Minor work exempt under the adopted state minimum codes
- Verify directly with county permitting staff before starting repair work in unincorporated areas
Inspections
How to Schedule
- Inspection hours
- Inspectors are available from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; cut-off for next-business-day inspection is 4:00 p.m.
Typical inspection sequence: County guide notes required final inspections commonly include building final, electrical final, plumbing final, mechanical final, and site/erosion final, with prerequisite inspections in required order
Reinspection fees and other holds must be cleared before closeout
Additional Resources
- Building code: Fulton County enforces the Georgia state minimum construction codes. As of January 1, 2026, the statewide baseline is the 2024 ICC family plus 2023 NEC with Georgia amendments where applicable.
- Verify contractor license: Georgia Construction License Lookup
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/public-works/planning-zoning-and-permitting/permits-and-plan-review/inspection-request-information
- https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/services/public-safety/code-enforcement
- License lookup guide: Georgia Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: Georgia Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- Georgia hub: Georgia Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Fulton County Public Works, Planning, Zoning and Permitting, Permits and Plan Review before applying.
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