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

Cobb County Code § 18-27(a) requires any contractor, owner, or authorized representative doing electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, or building construction work in unincorporated Cobb County to get a permit through the Development and Inspections Division of the Community Development Agency before the work starts. Start without one and the code is explicit: if the finished work does not comply with every applicable federal, state, and local code, the county can refuse to issue an after-the-fact permit, and the contractor and owner are already in violation the moment work began, regardless of whether an after-the-fact permit is later granted.

Expiration rules split by permit type. Under § 18-27(b), a residential remodeling permit expires after 180 days, and separately expires if work sits idle for 60 straight days, meaning no passing electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, or building inspection gets recorded in any 60-day window. The building official can grant one or more extensions of up to 180 days each if the remodeling is moving along efficiently and not dragging down the surrounding neighborhood. Every other residential permit, remodel or not, expires exactly one year from issuance no matter how much progress has been made.

Under § 18-27(c), non-remodeling permits become invalid if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or is discontinued, suspended, or abandoned for 180 days after commencement, again measured by the absence of a passing inspection in any 180-day stretch. The building official may grant extensions of up to 180 days each, but only on a showing of justifiable cause.

Section 18-27(d) folds in stormwater compliance: every building permit must list the certification number of the company or individual responsible for designing, installing, and maintaining erosion and sediment control devices on the site, and since December 31, 2006, anyone involved in designing, reviewing, permitting, constructing, monitoring, or inspecting land-disturbing activity must hold the education and training certification the state commission requires under O.C.G.A. § 12-7-20.