Carroll County, GA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 18-26 adopts the International Plumbing Code as one of the technical construction codes the county enforces, subject to later-edition amendments required by the Georgia Uniform Codes Act. That adoption is enforced through the general permit rule in § 18-15(a): installing, altering, repairing, removing or replacing a plumbing system regulated by the construction codes requires an application to the building official and an issued permit before work begins. Section 18-15(b)(5) narrows that for two specific repairs: stopping leaks in drains, water, soil, waste or vent pipe is exempt, unless a concealed trap, drainpipe, or vent pipe is defective and must be removed and replaced with new material, in which case the code treats it as new work requiring a permit and inspection; and clearing stoppages, repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures, or removing and reinstalling water closets is exempt only if the repair does not involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures.

Anything beyond those narrow repairs, including new plumbing installations and system replacements, needs a permit application through the building official in the community development department, followed by underground, rough-in and final inspections under § 18-16(a)(6)c before work can be covered or the building occupied. Fees set by the board of commissioners must be paid before a permit issues, and starting non-exempt plumbing work before the permit is obtained adds a penalty equal to 100 percent of the usual fee (§ 18-15(i)(1)-(2)). This applies only to unincorporated Carroll County; Carrollton, Villa Rica, Temple, Bowdon, Whitesburg, Mount Zion and Roopville each administer their own plumbing permits.