Paulding County, GA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- construct, alter, demolish, change occupancy
- Enforcing office
- Permits and Inspections Division
- Application abandoned
- 6 months if permit not issued
- Available extensions
- up to 90 days each, written request
- Sealed plans required
- 3+ stories or 5,000+ sq ft
- Minor repairs
- exempt with official's approval (§ 18-64)
- Violation penalty
- $100-$1,000 fine, up to 6 months jail
Summary
Any owner, agent, or contractor who wants to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a structure, or touch its electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems, must first apply to Paulding County's permits and inspections division and obtain a permit under Section 18-61. Only minor repairs the building official approves skip this step.
Any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who desires to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by the technical codes, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the permits and inspections division and obtain the required permit for the work.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Section 18-61 sets the baseline: work covered by the technical codes needs a permit before it starts. Getting one runs through the rest of Article III. Section 18-65 requires a completed application, the fee, and a description of the work and its location, signed by the owner or an authorized agent. Section 18-66 gives an application a six-month shelf life: if the county has not issued a permit by then, the application is deemed abandoned, though the building official may grant one or more 90-day extensions if the applicant asks in writing and shows justifiable cause.
Section 18-67 requires two or more full sets of plans plus an electronic PDF set, and for Group A, E, and I occupancies, buildings three stories or taller, or buildings 5,000 square feet or larger, the drawings must carry a Georgia-registered architect's or engineer's seal; single-family dwellings are exempt from that sealing requirement regardless of size. A. Section 8-2-26, issuing the permit if the plans conform to the technical codes or returning them with a written refusal if they do not; a discretionary special foundation permit can be issued while a full building permit is still pending.
Section 18-64 is the narrow exception: ordinary minor repairs and improvements may proceed without a permit if the building official approves and the work does not violate the technical codes. 2, Work Exempt from Permit, of the International Building and Residential Codes by reference into Section 18-31(d).
Violations & Fines
Starting covered work without first obtaining a permit is a Code violation under Section 1-19's general penalty: a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 (rising to $300 minimum on a second violation and $500 on a third), plus up to six months in jail, with at least 120 days of any sentence probated. The building official can also issue a stop-work order under Section 18-35(c) or revoke a permit for misrepresentation under Section 18-35(d); each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What work requires a building permit in Paulding County?
Are any repairs exempt from getting a permit?
How long is a building permit application valid before it expires?
What happens if I build without a required permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Paulding County
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