Buford, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Buford city limits, building permits are issued and inspected by the City’s Planning, Zoning and Inspection staff at City Hall, 2300 Buford Highway. You file a paper Application for Building Permit with the City’s affidavits; building plan review is $900 for the first two reviews, and inspections booked by 4:00 p.m. happen the next business day.

What requires a permit in Buford?

A building permit is needed before a structure is built, moved, added to or structurally altered, and the City Code requires separate inspections of electrical, mechanical, plumbing and natural gas systems. Site and specialty work has its own City permit:

Utilities may not supply temporary power, water or gas for construction until the building permit is issued, or permanent service until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

Buford building department: who handles permitting

The City of Buford issues building permits and carries out inspections inside the city limits; Hall County lists Buford among the cities with their own inspection department. Permit applications go to City Hall, the Planning Department handles site and zoning applications, and the Inspection Department books inspections.

Buford permit applications and forms

Buford uses paper forms from its Applications, Forms, Regulations page. The main ones are:

• Application for Building Permit: sworn before a notary, with the business licence number, state contractor’s licence number and value of construction. It doubles as the application for the Certificate of Occupancy, which needs Fire Department approval where applicable.
• Affidavit Plumbing Electrical HVAC: each electrical, plumbing, HVAC or low-voltage contractor files one before starting work, with copies of their business licence, state licence and driver’s licence.
• Homeowner’s Affidavit: required when the house is owner-occupied; the notarised affidavit commits the owner to live in the home for at least 2 years under the City’s Development Regulations.
• Architect’s Design Affidavit, Engineer’s Building or Structure Design Affidavit and Building Completed Engineer Affidavit for buildings that need professional certification.
• Development Route Sheet: filled in by the plan preparer for every clearing, grading, development, building, interior finish or revision submittal.
• Grading, clearing and grubbing, development, sign, banner and right-of-way utility permit applications.

Construction must start within 6 months of issue, and inspections must keep happening within each 6-month period, or the permit expires.

Permit costs and fees in Buford

Under Sec. 10-26 of the City Code, permit and inspection fees follow a schedule kept on file with the City Clerk, which is not posted online; the application form sets a $25 minimum building fee and also lists gas, electric, water and sewer fees. Plan review fees are published in the City’s Plan Review Fee Table (September 2022). Each fee covers the first and second review:

Fees are paid by cash or check only. For example, a building plan that needs three rounds of review costs $900 plus $500.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Trade work is listed under the combination building permit. Each electrical, plumbing, HVAC or low-voltage contractor files the City’s Affidavit Plumbing Electrical HVAC with their state licence and Gwinnett County business licence numbers, and stays responsible for the job until Building Inspections is told in writing of any change. The affidavit must be in before the trade starts work.

The City Code requires inspections of electrical, mechanical, plumbing and natural gas systems, and all water and sewer lines, including those on private property, are inspected by the Building Official; the state self-inspection option for master plumbers and utility contractors does not apply in Buford. Multi-unit residential buildings need a master water meter with a separate meter for each unit. Do not conceal rough work before it is inspected.

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

Application documents and plan review

Complete plans are required for every project. A typical building package includes:

• Application for Building Permit, notarised
• Plans for the permit type, with the plot plan where the structure’s location must be shown
• Development Route Sheet, completed by the plan preparer
• Affidavit Plumbing Electrical HVAC for each trade
• Homeowner’s Affidavit for an owner-occupied house
• Architect or engineer affidavits where required
• County board of health approval of water supply and sewage disposal plans where they apply
• For site permits: 2 sets of plans, 1 hydrology study and 1 electronic copy

Sealed drawings are required for all assembly, educational and institutional buildings, buildings of three or more stories and non-residential buildings of 1,500 sq ft or more. Those larger buildings also need a Georgia engineer’s sworn affidavits, at completion, that the structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and gas systems were built to the reviewed plans; the City will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy until they are accepted.

Review times: the route sheet says the City emails within 5 business days to say whether the application is complete and completes regulatory action within 30 calendar days of the initial application. Each resubmittal adds 5 business days and must include a narrative showing where comments were addressed.

How to apply: 6-step Buford process

Buford inspections

Inspection requests must be received by 4:00 p.m. for next-business-day service; the City cannot process same-day requests. Email inspections@cityofbuford.com or call 678-546-3514. General questions go to City Hall at 770-945-6761.

Erosion controls must be installed before construction starts and kept in place until the Certificate of Occupancy. Pole signs over 200 sq ft or 20 feet high need a civil engineer’s as-built certification before their Certificate of Occupancy. On completed systems the City issues a certificate of completion, but that does not allow anyone to occupy a building, such as a shell building, before the Certificate of Occupancy.

Local Buford details that matter

Separate site permits: grading, clearing and grubbing, and development permits are separate from the building permit, and each has its own plan review fee and submittal list, including erosion control, tree protection (or a bond) and stormwater reports.

Larger commercial buildings: non-residential buildings of 1,500 sq ft or more need sworn affidavits from a Georgia professional engineer before the Certificate of Occupancy.

Contractor discipline: under Sec. 10-25 of the City Code, a contractor convicted of a construction code violation has their City business licence automatically suspended until the City Commission reinstates it.

Mall of Georgia area: the zoning ordinance includes a Mall of GA Overlay District with its own provisions.

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

Buford 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 construction codes
• Buford Inspection Department
• Buford applications, forms and regulations
• Buford Plan Review Fee Table (2022)
• Buford Application for Building Permit
• Buford Development Route Sheet
• Buford Homeowner’s Affidavit
• Buford City Code, Chapter 10: Building and Construction

Buford permit FAQs

Does Buford issue its own building permits?

Yes. The City of Buford issues building permits and carries out inspections inside the city limits.

How much is building plan review in Buford?

$900 for the first and second review of a building permit, and $500 for each review after that. Interior plan review is $300.

How much is the building permit itself?

The permit fee schedule is kept by the City Clerk rather than posted online; the minimum building fee on the application is $25, payable by cash or check.

How long does review take?

The City confirms completeness by email within 5 business days and completes regulatory action within 30 calendar days; each resubmittal adds 5 business days.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Buford?

Owner-occupied houses need a notarised Homeowner’s Affidavit committing the owner to live there for at least 2 years.

When can I get an inspection?

Requests received by 4:00 p.m. are inspected the next business day; same-day requests are not accepted.

How long is a permit valid?

Work must start within 6 months of issue, and required inspections must keep happening within 6 months, or the permit expires.

Simplify Buford 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 Buford permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.