Garage conversion rules in Chatham County, GA — sometimes called garage-to-ADU or accessory living unit conversions — govern permits, ceiling height, egress, and parking replacement.
Converting a Chatham County garage or other non-habitable space into living quarters requires a building permit. The county lists any change of occupancy class, and conversion of storage or non-habitable space to living quarters, as work that shall require permits.
In unincorporated Chatham County, turning a garage, basement, attic, or storage area into habitable space (a bedroom, in-law suite, or ADU) triggers a building permit. Chatham County Building Safety's published list requires a permit for any work that changes the occupancy class of a building and for conversion of below-grade, attic, storage, or other non-habitable space to living quarters. The new living space must meet Georgia's adopted building codes for room size, egress, light, ventilation, and smoke/CO alarms, and must satisfy NewZO zoning (whether the added unit is permitted, parking, and density). Inside a city, that municipality's building office reviews the conversion. An unpermitted conversion is hard to legalize, so apply before starting work.
An unpermitted garage or space conversion is a code-enforcement matter for Chatham County Building Safety or your city, which may issue a stop-work order, require a retroactive permit and inspections, levy fines, or order the space restored.
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