Camden County's Office of Planning & Development issues permits and licences for the unincorporated area only, and issues nothing at all — no permits, no licences — for the cities of Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys.
Review runs on a weekly cycle rather than a rolling queue. Paperwork in by Thursday at 5:00 p.m. is reviewed on Wednesday of the following week — so missing Thursday costs a week, not a day.
Applies to unincorporated Camden County. Woodbine is the county seat and Kingsland the largest city, and both — along with St. Marys — permit their own construction entirely.
Ready before 8:30, or pay for the trip. All inspection requests go in 24 hours ahead, and all work to be inspected must be ready before 8:30 on the day. If the work is not ready when the inspector arrives, a $100 re-inspection fee applies.
What requires a permit in Camden County?
Camden County's Office of Planning & Development is unusually blunt about its scope: it issues permits and licences for the unincorporated area of Camden County only, and it does not issue any permits or licences for the cities of Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys. In a county where Kingsland is the largest city and Woodbine is the county seat, that excludes a great deal of the built-up area.
Camden sits in the south-eastern corner of the state on the Florida line, and it is a first-tier Georgia Coastal Management Program county — one of six that front the ocean. Where the line stops is the part that gets misapplied. Only six of the 11 front the ocean — Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden, the counties the program calls first tier. The other five are inland: Effingham sits up the Savannah River, and Brantley, Charlton, Long, and Wayne are well back from any beach, yet all five are fully inside the program. Running the inference the other way is the more expensive mistake, because a county can sound coastal, sit an hour from the water, and be outside the 11 entirely — in which case no state coastal permit attaches no matter how the address reads.
Two separate acts do the regulating, and they cover different ground. The Coastal Marshlands Protection Act, on the books since 1970, reaches coastal marshlands — marshland, intertidal areas, mud flats, tidal water bottoms, and salt marsh inside the estuarine area — and requires a permit to fill, dredge, drain, or otherwise alter them, or to build or modify a structure on or over them. Marinas, community docks, bridges, dredging, and bank stabilisation all run through it. The Shore Protection Act reaches jurisdictional beach and shore areas and the dynamic dune field, and catches beach renourishment, rock revetments, dune crossovers, landscaping, and any structure in the jurisdictional area.
Permit required
- Building, electrical, manufactured home, accessory structure, pool, and demolition permits
- Rezones, variances, and special use applications
- Occupational tax certificates for businesses in the unincorporated county
- Marsh, dock, and shoreline work — which also needs state coastal approval
- Work in a flood hazard area, with elevation certificates uploaded to the portal
- Any project where a contractor's licence numbers must be recorded before issuance
- Land disturbance and site development
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and other cosmetic work
- Ordinary repairs that do not touch structure or a regulated system
- Work inside Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys — the county issues nothing for these
- Like-for-like replacements that do not alter a regulated system
Georgia’s State Minimum Standard Codes apply statewide; the Department of Community Affairs adopts them, with Georgia Amendments, and city and county building departments enforce them under their own permit rules. Georgia rules
Camden County building department: who handles permitting
The office is at 135 Gross Road, Kingsland, GA 31548, on 912-729-5603, and runs Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. It takes applications through its online portal (GovWell, app.govwell.com/camden-county) for building, electrical, manufactured home, accessory structure, pool, and demolition permits, alongside rezones, variances, special use applications, and occupational tax certificates. The portal also takes payments, plan documents and inspection requests.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Two conditions gate issuance and both sit with the applicant. First, it is the applicant's responsibility to provide the office with the contractor's licence numbers, and a permit will not be issued without them. Second, permits are not deemed valid unless a Georgia business licence is current and all fees have been paid.
The local licence layer is worth reading carefully. If a contractor does not hold a current Camden County Occupational Tax Licence, one must be obtained — but if the contractor holds a licence from a local municipality, a copy of that can be provided in lieu of the county one. That is a genuinely useful accommodation for contractors already licensed in Kingsland or St. Marys.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Camden County Office of Planning & Development |
| Scope | Unincorporated Camden County only |
| Not issued for | Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys — no permits or licences |
| Office | 135 Gross Road, Kingsland, GA 31548 · 912-729-5603 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm |
| Portal | GovWell (app.govwell.com/camden-county): applications, documents, payments, and inspection requests |
| Review cycle | Paperwork by Thursday 5:00pm, reviewed Wednesday the following week |
| Status responses | Allow up to seven business days for an email response |
| Coastal | First-tier GCMP county |
Every permit issued triggers a visit from a different office. An on-site inspection is conducted by a member of the Camden County Tax Assessors Office for all permits issued — and under Georgia law the Board of Assessors must notify property owners before inspecting property. That is a valuation visit rather than a code inspection, and owners should be told to expect it.
Camden's three cities all run their own permitting, and the county issues nothing for them — not permits, not licences. Kingsland's Housing and Development Department houses its own Building Official and building inspection function. Note also that Camden sits in the Jacksonville, Florida commuting area, so contractors working both sides of the state line are working two entirely different code and licensing regimes.
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Camden County authorized 61 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Camden County permits: record types and what each covers
Camden's portal carries the whole record set for the unincorporated county, construction and licensing together. These are the records you will file:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Residential permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | New dwellings, additions, and accessory structures above the local size threshold | Full plan review against the 2024 IRC with Georgia Amendments, plus zoning | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural changes, layout changes, or added plumbing, mechanical, or electrical | Plan review scaled to scope; existing-building provisions apply only where locally adopted | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Roof covering replacement, recover, and structural deck repair | Dry-in and deck inspection; plan review rarely required | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Rooftop or ground-mount arrays, with or without battery storage | Electrical review led, with structural review of the attachment | Flat or system-size based |
| Battery energy storage | Wall or floor-mounted storage added to a dwelling | Electrical review plus fire separation and location check | Flat or per-permit minimum |
| Electrical | Service changes, panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, and rewiring | Trade review; filed as its own record under a Class I or Class II licence | Per-permit minimum or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and water heater replacement | Trade review; filed under a Master Plumber Class I or Class II licence | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Changeouts, new ductwork, and refrigeration | Trade review; conditioned air licence class keyed to system capacity | Per-permit minimum or per-unit |
| Deck and porch | New decks, screened porches, and structural rebuilds | Footing and framing review against the residential code | Flat or valuation-based |
| Pool and spa | In-ground and above-ground pools, spas, barriers, and bonding | Structural, barrier, and electrical bonding review under the 2024 ISPSC | Valuation-based |
| Accessory structure | Sheds, detached garages, and carports above the local size threshold | Zoning first, then structural review where applicable | Flat or valuation-based |
| Demolition | Full or partial demolition of a structure | Utility disconnect verification and asbestos notification | Flat |
| Land disturbance | Clearing, grading, and any disturbance above the local threshold | Erosion and sedimentation review on its own statutory clock | Per-acre or valuation-based |
| Tax Assessors site visit | Every permit issued | Conducted by the Tax Assessors Office; owners notified beforehand by law | No permit fee |
| Elevation certificate | Property in a flood hazard area | Uploaded to the portal with plans and site documents | Professional fee |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Commercial permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | Ground-up commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings | Full multi-discipline review; sealed plans required | Valuation-based |
| Tenant build-out | Interior fit-ups and suite build-outs in an existing shell | Concurrent building, trade, and fire review | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural, envelope, or system changes to an existing building | Plan review scaled to scope; accessibility triggers attach | Valuation-based |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building from one occupancy classification to another | Life-safety, accessibility, and zoning review | Valuation or flat |
| Shell building | A building permitted without a known tenant or use | Shell review only; no certificate of occupancy until a build-out closes | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Commercial roof covering replacement or recover | Structural check on added dead load; fire review where applicable | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Commercial rooftop, carport, and ground-mount arrays | Structural, electrical, and fire access review | Valuation or system-size based |
| Electrical | Service, distribution, and branch circuit work | Trade review; separate record from the building permit | Valuation or per-device |
| Plumbing | Supply, waste, vent, grease, and gas systems | Trade review; backflow and grease interceptor sign-offs attach | Valuation or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Rooftop units, ductwork, exhaust, and refrigeration | Trade review; energy compliance documented against the 2015 IECC | Valuation or per-unit |
| Fire protection | Sprinkler, standpipe, alarm, hood, and suppression systems | Fire review under the state Safety Fire Commissioner's adopted codes | Valuation or per-device |
| Sign | Wall, monument, and illuminated signage | Zoning review plus electrical where illuminated | Flat or per-sign |
| Land disturbance | Site clearing, grading, and stormwater installation | Erosion and sedimentation review as a Local Issuing Authority | Per-acre or valuation-based |
| Municipal licence in lieu | A contractor licensed by a Camden municipality | A copy may be provided instead of a county Occupational Tax Licence | Set by that city |
| Special use application | Uses requiring discretionary approval | Filed through the same portal as permits | Set by the county |
Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Chapter 14 licences regardless of job value
- State licence required for residential work once its total value exceeds $2,500; commercial work at any value
- A private professional provider may be engaged to shorten the review path
Commercial — multi-discipline
- Concurrent review across building, trades, fire, and zoning
- Signed and sealed plans across every affected discipline
- Land-disturbance review runs on its own statutory clock under Title 12
- Accessibility and life-safety review attach to any change of occupancy
Records you will actually see in Camden County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Building permit | New construction, additions, and alterations in the unincorporated county |
| Electrical permit | Service work, circuits, and system alterations |
| Manufactured home permit | Placement and connection |
| Accessory structure permit | Detached structures on the property |
| Pool permit | Pools, barriers, and bonding |
| Demolition permit | Full or partial demolition |
| Occupational Tax Certificate | Business licensing for the unincorporated county |
| Rezone, variance, or special use | Land use applications through the same portal |
Rather not deal with the Camden County building department?
Get a free quote →Solar permits in Camden County
Solar in unincorporated Camden is filed through the portal with the installing contractor's licence numbers — without those the permit will not issue at all. On a waterfront parcel, check the coastal jurisdiction before siting any ground-mount array or accessory structure.
Roofing permits in Camden County
Reroofs in unincorporated Camden are county permits; the same job in Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys is not, and the county issues nothing for those cities. Book the inspection 24 hours ahead and have the roof ready before 8:30.
Solar and roofing work are built to the statewide codes, permit rules are set locally, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. Georgia rules
Camden County permit cost
Camden reviews before it charges: all permits are reviewed before payments are accepted and permits are issued, and payment is made through the portal once the application has cleared review. Expect to allow up to seven business days for an email response on the status of a completed application.
The re-inspection charge is fixed and it is aimed squarely at readiness rather than at failure. All work to be inspected must be ready before 8:30 on the day of the inspection, and if the work is not ready when the inspector arrives you are subject to a $100 re-inspection fee. That is a charge for wasting a visit, not for failing one.
The state coastal permits sit outside the county schedule entirely, charged by the Department of Natural Resources, and most in-water work also needs the US Army Corps of Engineers. Neither runs on the county's weekly cycle.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Reviewed first; payment accepted only after approval |
| Status response | Allow up to seven business days by email |
| Re-inspection | $100 where work is not ready before 8:30 on the inspection day |
| Occupational Tax Licence | Required, unless a municipal licence copy is provided instead |
| Coastal permits | Charged by DNR Coastal Resources, not the county |
| City projects | Priced by Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys |
Want a precise number for a specific Camden County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Camden County trade permits
Camden's trade requirements are about documentation before issuance and readiness before inspection — both of which sit with the applicant rather than the department.
Licence numbers gate the permit
It is the applicant's responsibility to provide the contractor's licence numbers. A permit will not be issued without them.
Current Georgia business licence required
Permits are not deemed valid unless a Georgia business licence is current and all fees have been paid.
Municipal licence can substitute
If a contractor does not hold a current Camden County Occupational Tax Licence, one must be obtained — but a copy of a licence from a local municipality can be provided in lieu of the county licence.
Ready before 8:30, or pay
All work to be inspected must be ready before 8:30 on the day of the inspection, and a re-inspection fee applies if it is not ready when the inspector arrives.
Georgia licenses residential contractors through a state board once a job passes $2,500, licenses commercial general contractors at any job value, and licenses electrical, plumbing and conditioned air contractors separately at any job value. Georgia rules
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Camden County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Camden County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
The county issues permits and licences for the unincorporated area only, and issues nothing at all for Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys. This is a harder line than most Georgia counties draw, so check the parcel first.
Camden is a first-tier coastal county. Marsh, tidal water bottoms, jurisdictional beach, and dune field work all need a state permit from the Department of Natural Resources, which is a separate approval that does not travel with the building permit.
Provide the contractor's licence numbers — the permit will not issue without them — and make sure a Georgia business licence is current. If the contractor has no Camden County Occupational Tax Licence, obtain one or provide a copy of a municipal licence in its place.
Paperwork turned in to the office or submitted through the online portal by Thursday at 5:00pm is reviewed on Wednesday of the following week. Upload building plans, site plans, engineering documents, elevation certificates, drawings, and photographs through the portal's documents function.
All permits are reviewed before payments are accepted and permits are issued, and you should allow up to seven business days for an email response about the status of a completed application.
All inspection requests must be called in 24 hours in advance or scheduled through the online portal, with requirements and instructions printed on the Building Permit Inspection Card. Have the work ready before 8:30 on the day, and expect a separate visit from the Tax Assessors Office on any issued permit.
Inspections in Camden County
Inspection requirements and instructions are printed on the Building Permit Inspection Card, and the county asks applicants to read them. Requests must be called in 24 hours in advance or scheduled through the online portal.
The readiness rule is stricter than most: all work to be inspected must be ready before 8:30 on the day of the inspection, and if it is not ready when the inspector arrives a re-inspection fee applies. On a coastal county with spread-out rural parcels, a wasted trip is expensive for the department too.
Coastal compliance is monitored by state staff rather than county inspectors. The reach is longer than the word coastal suggests. The division's compliance and enforcement staff work the entire Georgia coast and roughly 55 miles inland, investigating unauthorised marsh removal, fill of jurisdictional wetlands, vehicle operation in the marsh or the dune field, and construction inside the shore jurisdictional area. Distance from the beach is not a defence.
Keep the permit, the inspection card, and the approved plans on site throughout. A Georgia building permit generally becomes invalid if work does not begin within 180 days of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after commencing, under the administrative provisions of the adopted International Building and Residential Codes — local ordinance may set a different period, and extensions are usually available in writing on request The local Coastal Permit Coordinator can be reached at (912) 264-7218, and asking for a jurisdictional determination before design is settled is far cheaper than discovering the line runs through your site afterwards.
Camden County permit search and official resources
Camden publishes its forms, applications, and portal guidance through Planning and Development, with the state coastal approvals handled by DNR.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Camden County Planning & Development
- Forms and applications
- Camden County online portal
- DNR Coastal Resources Division — marsh and shore permits
- City of Kingsland Housing & Development — separate authority
- DCA — current Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Camden County, GA?
The Camden County Office of Planning & Development, at 135 Gross Road in Kingsland (912-729-5603), for the unincorporated area of the county only. It does not issue any permits or licences for the cities of Woodbine, Kingsland, or St. Marys.
When does Camden County review permit applications?
On a weekly cycle. Paperwork turned in to the office or submitted through the online portal by Thursday at 5:00pm is reviewed on Wednesday of the following week.
How long until I hear back?
Allow up to seven business days to receive an email response regarding the status of a completed permit application. All permits are reviewed before payments are accepted and permits are issued.
What stops a Camden County permit from being issued?
Missing contractor licence numbers. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide them, and a permit will not be issued without them. Permits are also not deemed valid unless a Georgia business licence is current and all fees have been paid.
Do I need a Camden County Occupational Tax Licence?
If a contractor does not hold a current one, it must be obtained — but if the contractor holds a licence from a local municipality, a copy of that licence can be provided in lieu of the county licence.
How do I schedule an inspection?
All inspection requests must be called in 24 hours in advance or scheduled on the online portal. Inspection requirements and instructions are printed on the Building Permit Inspection Card.
What happens if the work is not ready?
All work to be inspected must be ready before 8:30 on the day of the inspection. If the work is not ready when the inspector arrives, you are subject to a $100 re-inspection fee.
Why is the Tax Assessors Office visiting my site?
An on-site inspection is conducted by a member of the Camden County Tax Assessors Office for all permits issued. It is a valuation visit rather than a code inspection, and under Georgia law the Board of Assessors must notify property owners before inspecting property.
What can I apply for through the portal?
Building, electrical, manufactured home, accessory structure, pool, and demolition permits, plus rezones, variances, special use applications, and occupational tax certificates. The portal also carries application, permit, and inspection status.
Is Camden County a coastal permitting county?
Yes. Camden is one of the 11 Georgia Coastal Management Program counties and one of the six first-tier counties that front the ocean, alongside Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, and Glynn.
Does a building permit cover dock or marsh work?
No. A state coastal permit from the Department of Natural Resources is a separate approval that does not travel with the building permit, and a local department can issue a building permit for a project that still needs marsh or shore clearance.
When is a Georgia contractor licence required?
For residential work, once the total value of the work, or the contractor's compensation if higher, exceeds $2,500; commercial general contractors need a licence at any value. Trade licences under Title 43, Chapter 14 are required regardless of job value.
Simplify Camden County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Camden runs on a weekly clock and a strict document gate: miss Thursday and you wait a week, miss the licence numbers and the permit does not issue at all, and miss 8:30 on inspection day and you pay for the wasted trip. Add three cities the county will not touch and a state coastal regime over the top, and preparation matters more than speed. A permit expediter for Camden County files on Wednesday, not Thursday afternoon.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Camden County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — unincorporated county only, with Woodbine, Kingsland, and St. Marys handled by their own cities.
- Filed inside the cycle — complete paperwork and licence numbers in before Thursday at 5:00pm, not after.
- Complete oversight — every Camden permit, coastal approval, and inspection tracked across your jobs in one place.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.
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More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Camden County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.