Acworth, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Acworth city limits, building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the City’s Building Services division at City Hall, 4415 Center Street, and applications are filed through the City’s Construction Permit Self-Service portal. A residential permit starts with an $80 base fee plus a valuation fee ($150 for work up to $25,000), and inspections run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

What requires a permit in Acworth?

Building Services says a building permit is needed for most construction, and that every structural change needs one: altering a roof design, moving walls, additions, decks and porches, and basement finishes. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical (HVAC) work is permitted separately.

An exemption does not allow work that breaks any code or ordinance. Starting work without a required permit adds a penalty of 100% of the standard permit fee under Sec. 18-56(g)(2) of the City Code. When City offices are closed, state-licensed plumbers, electricians and conditioned air contractors may make emergency repairs if they apply for the permit on the next business day.

Acworth building department: who handles permitting

Building Services, part of the City’s Development Department, issues building and trade permits and inspects all phases of residential and commercial construction inside the city. The division is led by Kathy Vaughan, Director of GIS, Code Compliance & Building Services.

Acworth permit applications and forms

Permits are filed through the Construction Permit Self-Service portal linked from the Building Services page. The City’s Permits, Applications & Ordinances page lists a separate application for each permit type:

• Residential: building, addition, remodeling, accessory structure, foundation only, retaining wall, demolition, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.
• Commercial: building, shell only, foundation only, addition, tenant finish or remodeling, accessory structure, retaining wall, demolition, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.
• Specialty: swimming pool, racking, underground fuel storage tank, construction or sales trailer, tent or temporary structure, and a Tenant Occupancy Permit for a business moving into a space with no work being done.

Supporting forms include the Swimming Pool Barrier Affidavit, a Second Kitchen Affidavit, the Duct Tightness Verification Application and the Owner/Builder Affidavit. Land disturbance applications are filed through a separate City online form, and work in the right-of-way needs a Right-of-Way Utility Encroachment Permit.

Homeowners can act as their own contractor with the notarised Owner/Builder (Homeowner) Affidavit, with a copy of a driver’s licence or ID attached. The owner must live, or intend to live, in the home and must not have sold a home they built as owner-contractor in the previous 24 months. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC work still needs its own permits, even when the owner does that work.

Permits expire 6 months after the last passed inspection, or 6 months after issue if no inspection has passed. The Building Official may grant a 90-day extension if the permit holder asks in writing before the permit expires.

Permit fees in Acworth

Fees are set by the City’s Master Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2026. Building permits are a base fee plus a fee on the project valuation, using the most current ICC Building Valuation Data, and plan review is charged separately.

Swimming pool permits use the same valuation bands with an $80 residential or $120 commercial base fee. Site development is priced on the Planning and Public Works pages of the same schedule: development plan review is $750, a local development permit is $500 or $100 per acre, whichever is larger, and a right-of-way permit is $150.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Building Services issues electrical, plumbing (water, sewer and gas) and mechanical permits separately from the building permit, each on its own application. Residential trade permits carry an $80 base fee and commercial ones $150, and each failed inspection costs $75 to repeat.

Trade inspections follow the stages Building Services lists: underground, rough-in and final for electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas, plus a temporary power meter set and a temp-to-permanent power release for electrical and a meter set for gas. Plumbing underground and rough-in inspections, and the gas rough-in, need a pressure test.

Alliance handles electrical permit expediting for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

Application documents and plan review

Most commercial developments are reviewed by several departments: Building, Planning & Zoning, Engineering, Fire Marshal, Water & Sewer and Environmental Health. Plans for assembly, educational and institutional buildings, buildings of three or more stories and structures of 5,000 sq ft or more must carry the seal of a Georgia-registered architect or engineer. For other buildings, the applicant certifies which state law exemption allows a non-registered person to prepare the plans.

Single-family plans generally do not need an architect’s or engineer’s certification, but Building Services may require professional review if structural integrity or life safety is in question.

Each residential and commercial application names the owner, the contractor and the square footage, and is signed by the contractor or an authorised agent; homeowners acting as contractor add the Owner/Builder Affidavit. Site work is reviewed on separate Concept Plan Review and Development Plan Review applications.

How to apply: 6-step Acworth process

Acworth inspections

Building Services inspects on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Requests submitted by 3:30 p.m. are scheduled for the next inspection day. Work must be inspected before it is covered, for example before concrete is placed or insulation and wall or ceiling finishes go on, and no work may continue past an inspection stage until Building Services gives written approval.

Building inspections are footing or foundation, framing, and final once the project is complete or ready for occupancy. Pools, tubs and spas, solar installations, decks, signs, accessibility compliance and property maintenance have their own required inspections. Courtesy inspections are available on request, and a permit lapses if 6 months pass without a passed inspection.

Local Acworth details that matter

City utilities: Acworth runs its own electric, sanitation and stormwater services, and its fee schedule includes power deposits, residential underground service installation ($1,250) and a stormwater fee of $62 per equivalent residential unit.

Land disturbance: grading needs a land disturbance application, with a stormwater land disturbance fee of $10.50 per acre for residential and $80 per acre for commercial sites, plus City and state Notice of Intent shares of $40 per acre each.

Signs and overlays: permanent sign permits run from $50 to $200 by sign area. Property in an overlay district uses the Overlay Approval Certificate application, at $100 for commercial and $25 for residential applications.

Rooftop screening: the City publishes a Parapet Height-Screening (rooftop) Affidavit alongside its zoning forms.

Georgia building code

Georgia's State Minimum Standard Codes apply statewide: the 2024 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, with Georgia Amendments, in force since 1 January 2026; the energy code is still the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements. The Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes

Acworth permit search and official resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Georgia DCA current codes
• Master Fee Schedule
• Development Department
• Building Services
• Georgia DCA enforcement
• Acworth permits, applications and ordinances
• Acworth Master Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2026)
• Acworth Construction Permit Self-Service
• Acworth Owner/Builder Affidavit

Acworth permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Acworth?

City of Acworth Building Services, at City Hall, 4415 Center Street, issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits for property inside city limits. Call 770-974-2032 or email building@acworth-ga.gov.

How much is a building permit in Acworth?

Residential permits are an $80 base fee plus a valuation fee: $150 up to $25,000, $300 up to $50,000, $450 up to $75,000, and $6 per $1,000 above that. Residential plan review adds $150.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a fence in Acworth?

Fences are exempt, as are non-habitable storage buildings under 200 sq ft, although setbacks and erosion control still apply. Larger accessory structures need a permit.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Acworth?

Yes, for a home they live in or will live in, using the notarised Owner/Builder Affidavit. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC work still needs separate permits.

When does Acworth inspect?

Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Requests submitted by 3:30 p.m. are scheduled for the next inspection day.

How long is an Acworth permit valid?

6 months from issue or from the last passed inspection. The Building Official may extend it by 90 days on a written request made before it expires.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The City adds a penalty of 100% of the standard permit fee on top of the permit fees.

Simplify Acworth permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Georgia. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Acworth permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.