Chamblee, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Chamblee, building and trade permits are issued by the City’s Planning & Development Department at 3518 Broad Street, and applications and inspection requests go through the City’s iWorQ portal. The 2026 fee schedule charges $950 for the first $100,000 of building value plus $6 per $1,000 after that, with plan review adding 25% for a house, and the City aims to finish its internal review within 5 business days.

What requires a permit in Chamblee?

Chamblee Code section 18-11 requires a permit before constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving or demolishing a building, changing its occupancy, or installing or changing regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. The City’s Permit Required Checklist (January 2025) spells out common jobs:

Commercial work also needs permits for fire alarm, sprinkler and hood suppression systems, commercial roofs, signs, tents and temporary sales. Work done without a permit is charged 200% of the original permit fee.

Chamblee building department: who handles permitting

Planning & Development handles building, trade, site and zoning permits and inspections. Plan review is shared between Planning and Zoning, Building, Engineering and right-of-way staff, with DeKalb County Watershed reviewing new homes and the DeKalb Health Department reviewing septic systems.

Chamblee permit types and filing

Chamblee lists separate residential permits for a new single-family home, additions, interior renovations, decks, tree removal, complete and interior demolition, accessory structures, EV chargers, siding, retaining walls and fences, and separate application packets for basement finishes, accessory structures, decks, fences, retaining walls, tree removal and demolition. Trade work has its own electrical, mechanical and plumbing applications (updated November 2025).

Supporting forms include the General Contractor Affidavit, the Homeowner Declaration Form, the Authorized Permit Agent Affidavit, an Owner Permission Affidavit and the Subcontractor Form. A homeowner acting as general contractor must live, or intend to live, in the home, and every plumbing, electrical and HVAC trade still files its own subcontractor form, even when the owner does the work. Site work uses the Land Disturbance Permit packet and pre-screen form, and larger projects can start with the City’s Pre-Application Form.

Permit costs and fees in Chamblee

Fees come from the Planning and Development Department Fee Schedule (2026). New construction is valued with the latest ICC Building Valuation Data table, and interior work at 50% of that value. Every application with a fee also pays a $25 technology fee, and plan review fees are due, non-refundable, when you apply.

For example, a house valued at $250,000 has a permit fee of $950 plus $900, or $1,850, plus $462.50 for plan review, the $25 technology fee and the $50 Certificate of Occupancy. Tree removal permits cost $50 to $75, and replacement recompense is $200 per inch of trunk diameter ($600 for specimen trees).

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are a flat $80 each under the 2026 schedule, and a temporary power letter is $50. Each trade contractor files the Subcontractor Form, and all subcontractor affidavits must be in before inspections can be scheduled. The inspection guide lists stand-alone trade inspections: gas-line test, mechanical rough and final, electrical rough and final, and plumbing rough and final.

Fire alarm, sprinkler and hood suppression systems need a separate fire plan review, at $150 per initial review for most systems ($225 for alarm and sprinkler systems in buildings over 12,000 sq ft). Second submittals are free; third and later reviews are charged again.

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

Application documents and plan review

Review times: internal City reviews take up to 5 business days, and resubmittals up to 3; DeKalb Watershed, DeKalb Health and, on request, FAA reviews run at the same time but can take longer. Comments arrive by email in a Code Compliance Letter, and each resubmittal needs a new PDF and a response letter. The City emails a stamped plan set, which must be printed and kept on site. An application is complete only once fees are paid and the required City, county and state approvals are in.

How to apply: 6-step Chamblee process

Chamblee inspections

Schedule inspections in iWorQ with the permit number and your access code: a contractor’s state licence number, a business licence number for those not required to be licensed, or the street number for a homeowner doing their own work. Requests submitted before 4:00 p.m. Monday–Thursday are scheduled for the next business day; Friday requests must be submitted before 11:00 a.m. Late or holiday requests move to the second business day.

The fee schedule charges $50 for a third re-inspection and $100 for each one after that. Inspections outside normal hours cost $75 per hour with a 2-hour minimum. At the end of the job the City needs a site final, a building final and, for new homes, a zoning final, plus a GDOT final for work in state right-of-way, before it issues the Certificate of Occupancy or Completion.

Local Chamblee details that matter

Posting: permits and the stamped plans must stay on site during construction.

Construction hours: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Monday–Friday and 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday, with no construction on Sundays or City holidays.

Third-party review: the City allows approved third-party inspectors and plan reviewers (application fee $25 each), but fire-safety and erosion-control inspections are excluded.

Trees: removing specimen trees, or more than 5 trees a year on a residential lot, needs a tree removal permit, and every tree removal on commercial property does.

Closeout: request the Certificate of Occupancy or Completion within 2 business days after all final inspections are approved.

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

Chamblee 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
• Residential permit inspections guide
• Chamblee iWorQ permit portal
• Planning & Development applications and forms
• Commercial building permit packet
• Chamblee Code, Chapter 18 (buildings)
• Chamblee Planning and Development Fee Schedule (2026)
• Chamblee Permit Required Checklist
• Chamblee residential building permit packet
• Chamblee Homeowner Declaration Form

Chamblee permit FAQs

Does Chamblee issue its own building permits?

Yes. The City Planning & Development Department administers building permits and inspections.

How much is a building permit in Chamblee?

It depends on value: $950 for the first $100,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 up to $500,000, with a $150 residential minimum. Single-family plan review adds 25%, plus a $25 technology fee.

How long does plan review take?

Internal City reviews take up to 5 business days, and resubmittals up to 3; county and state reviews run alongside.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater or air conditioner?

Yes. Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners and ductwork all need permits; trade permits are a flat $80.

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

Fences need a permit ($50 residential). Accessory buildings need one if they are over 200 sq ft.

What are the next-day inspection cutoffs?

Before 4:00 p.m. Monday–Thursday and before 11:00 a.m. Friday.

Does Chamblee allow third-party inspections?

Yes, under its approved third-party program, but the ordinance excludes fire-safety and erosion-control inspections.

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