Dunwoody, GA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 8-27(a)(1) sets the trigger: any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to install a regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, "shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work." The permit covers only what is shown on the drawings and specifications filed with the application, so work outside those documents needs a separate permit.

The Code carves out one exception in Section 8-27(a)(3): "ordinary minor repairs may be made with the approval of the building official without a permit," as long as the repair does not otherwise violate the construction codes; the building official decides case by case what qualifies. Applications do not sit open indefinitely. Under Section 8-27(a)(5), a permit application is "deemed to have been abandoned 180 calendar days after the date of filing," unless the permit issues first, though the building official may grant one or more 180-day extensions on a written, justified request. Once issued, a permit likewise lapses if work is not started, or is suspended, for 180 days.

Design professionals must seal drawings for larger or higher-risk projects: Group A, E and I occupancies, buildings three stories or taller, buildings 5,000 square feet or larger, and new residential structures over 2,500 square feet or two stories. A single-family dwelling outside those categories needs neither a sealed architect's nor engineer's drawing.