Catoosa County, GA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Under Catoosa County Code § 18-31, the county has adopted, by reference, the latest editions of the state-adopted Building Code, Mechanical Code, Gas Code, Plumbing Code, Electrical Code, Fire Prevention Code, One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, Energy Code for Buildings, Unsafe Building Abatement Code, Swimming Pool Code, Existing Building Code, Amusement Device Code and Housing Code, each as amended by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Those adopted codes, not a separate homegrown code, set out when a permit is required, for everything from new construction to additions, alterations and specialty systems such as gas, electrical and mechanical work.

Section 18-32 puts the county building inspector in charge of administering and enforcing the adopted codes, following the procedures in attachment A to the enabling ordinance. Section 18-33 requires permit fees, set out in attachment B and kept on file in the office of the building official, before the inspector will issue a permit. The county has also made local amendments: § 18-34 bans electrical wire smaller than 12 AWG copper in new work (14 AWG is allowed only on switch legs), and § 18-35 requires gas piping to be installed under an HVAC or plumber's license issued by the State of Georgia, subject to the rules of the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Because the county is exempt from state self-inspection rules for water and sewer lines under § 18-1, county inspectors, not the contractor's own staff, sign off on those lines.