South Fulton, GA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Under City Code § 3-2007, anyone who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish a building, or install electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, must first apply to the building official and obtain a permit; a permit cannot go to an owner who is neither a licensed contractor nor the residential occupant. Minor repairs valued under $2,500 are exempt. Once work begins, § 3-2007(h)(6)a sets five required building inspections that must be released in sequence: foundation and foundation wall (after trenches are excavated and forms erected, before concrete is poured), slab (before concrete), frame (after roofing, framing, fireblocking and concealed wiring/piping are complete), moisture barrier (before exterior finish materials go on), and final (once the building is ready for immediate occupancy).

Parallel inspection stages apply to electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work under the same subsection. The permit card must be posted on site and kept visible until a certificate of occupancy issues. Work may not proceed past any inspection point without a written release from the building official, and reinforcing steel, framing, insulation, plumbing, mechanical or electrical work cannot be covered before that release. Section 3-2008 lets the building official require additional tests or test reports, at the owner's expense, as proof of compliance. If the building official rejects a construction method, refuses a permit, or otherwise acts on a case, the owner can appeal to the code enforcement board within 30 days of the decision under § 3-2009, though the official may shorten that window for buildings judged unsafe or dangerous. The building official also has right-of-entry authority to inspect any building or premises when there is reasonable cause to believe a code violation exists.