Cedartown, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Cedartown city limits, building permits are issued by the City’s Building Inspection & Zoning Department in City Hall, 201 East Avenue. You start by calling the Building Inspector (770-748-3220 ext. 3040), who sets up a meeting to review the request; the City Code asks for permits at least 48 hours before work starts, and every inspection needs 24 hours’ notice.

What requires a permit in Cedartown?

The City has separate application forms for residential and non-residential building permits, plus its own permits for signs and fences. Under the City Code:

Building permits must be applied for at least 48 hours before construction begins, and the Building Inspector may take the time reasonably needed to act. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fee.

Cedartown building department: who handles permitting

The Building Inspector acts as the City’s building official under Sec. 18-37 of the City Code and enforces the state minimum codes, the property maintenance code and the existing building code. Code enforcement is a separate office inside the Cedartown Police Department, 118 Philpot Street (770-748-4123).

Polk County Building Inspection, at 5 Warehouse Street in Cedartown, is the county’s department. For property inside Cedartown city limits, start with the City.

Cedartown permit types and filing path

Cedartown publishes printable applications for a residential building permit, a non-residential building permit, a sign permit, a fence permit, a Certificate of Appropriateness, a conditional use or zoning variance, rezoning and annexation. The Building Inspector reviews each request in a meeting and authorises the permit if it is approved.

The residential application asks for the project type and address, owner and contractor, building dimensions and square footage, the contractor’s Georgia Soil and Water Conservation certificate number and a copy of the business licence. Before approval, the department records the zoning verification, the septic permit or sewer cut-in receipt, the private water verification or water meter receipt, the number of plan sets and whether the lot is in a flood plain.

Permit costs and fees in Cedartown

The City Code requires the building permit fee to be paid when the application is filed, at the amount set for the adopted construction codes; the City does not post a building fee table on its website. The one fee printed on a current City form is the $50 fence permit application fee. Work started before a permit is issued is charged double fees.

Budget separately for the City sewer cut-in or water meter, which the department checks before it approves a residential permit. Ask the Building Inspector for the fee for your project at the review meeting.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

The City enforces the National Electrical Code and the International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes adopted under Sec. 18-36. Ask the Building Inspector at the review meeting how trade work is permitted for your project. Restaurants and other food businesses must install and maintain a grease trap, which the Building Inspector inspects, whether they are inside the city or outside it and on City sewer.

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

Application documents and plan review

Bring the residential or non-residential application and the plan sets the department asks for. The residential form lists the plan approvals the Building Inspector signs off:

• Site plan
• Foundation plan
• First and second floor plans
• Elevations
• Proof of sewer cut-in or a septic permit, and of water service
• Copy of the contractor’s business licence and soil and water certificate number

Commercial buildings in the business district also go through the City’s design review checklist: building plans, elevations and sections, material cut sheets or a sample board from the City’s acceptable materials list, colours, orientation to the street and massing.

Before you file in Cedartown

• Check that the parcel is inside Cedartown city limits and its zoning on the City’s 2026 zoning map.
• Call the Building Inspector to set up the permit review meeting at least 48 hours before you plan to start.
• In a historic district, apply for the Certificate of Appropriateness first.
• Plan inspections at least 24 hours ahead.

How to apply: 6-step Cedartown process

Cedartown inspections

Every inspection must be scheduled 24 hours in advance with the Building Inspector at 770-748-3220 ext. 3040 or 770-689-7194 (cell). Anyone who refuses to let the Building Inspector carry out inspections, or interferes with them, commits an offence under Sec. 18-38 of the City Code.

Local Cedartown details that matter

Fences: every fence needs a permit ($50). Fences may be up to 4 feet high in a front yard and 6 feet in a rear yard, must use like materials throughout, and hog wire is not allowed.

Historic districts: additions, rehabilitations, demolitions, new buildings, relocations, signs, fences and other exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission, with a site plan, elevations, materials and photographs. If the Commission does not act within 45 days of filing, the application is treated as approved. Historic-district fences may not be vinyl, plastic or concrete block, and chain link is allowed only in screened rear yards.

Flood zones: new and substantially improved buildings in a special flood hazard area need the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation.

Roads: new streets follow the City’s Road Design and Construction Standards, adopted November 10, 2025.

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

Cedartown 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 state codes
• Cedartown Building Inspection & Zoning
• Polk County Building Inspection
• Cedartown Code of Ordinances
• Cedartown residential building permit application
• Cedartown non-residential building permit application
• Cedartown fence permit application
• Cedartown Certificate of Appropriateness application
• Cedartown business district design review checklist

Cedartown permit FAQs

Who handles building permits in Cedartown?

The City of Cedartown Building Inspection & Zoning Department, at City Hall, 201 East Avenue.

How do I apply for a Cedartown permit?

Call the Building Inspector at 770-748-3220 ext. 3040. The City reviews the request in a meeting and, if approved, authorises the permit.

How far ahead should I apply?

The City Code asks for building permits at least 48 hours before construction starts.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Cedartown?

Yes. All fences need a permit, and the application fee is $50.

How much notice do inspections need?

Inspections of any type must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

What if I start work before getting a permit?

The permit fee is doubled, and you still have to meet every code requirement.

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