Chatham County building permits come from the Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services for unincorporated Chatham. The intake is physical: completed applications go to 1117 Eisenhower Drive between 8:00am and 3:30pm, and cannot be accepted by fax or email.
The county also reverses a sequence many contractors assume. All approvals must be obtained before applying for the permit — the building application is the last document in the stack, not the first.
Applies to unincorporated Chatham County. Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, and Vernonburg each permit their own construction.
Incomplete means returned, not queried. Following House Bill 493, the Private Permitting Review and Inspection Act, the county uses a detailed checklist and affidavit — and incomplete submittals can no longer be accepted into the permitting process, and are returned until all required submittals are received.
What requires a permit in Chatham County?
A Chatham County building permit is required before most construction, alteration, repair, demolition, or change of occupancy in unincorporated Chatham County. The Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services describes its mission as the timely issuance of permits, inspections, and tax certificates, and the administration of state and county laws and ordinances.
Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, and Vernonburg all permit their own construction. Chatham is a county where the municipal footprint is large relative to the unincorporated remainder, so establishing the authority from the parcel is the first real step, not a formality.
All approvals must be obtained before applying for the permit. That is the county's own phrasing and it reverses the sequence many contractors assume. In Chatham the building permit application is the last document in the stack rather than the first, and arriving without the upstream approvals is how a file gets returned.
The enforced code is the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes — the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code with Georgia Amendments, alongside the 2024 International Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments. Georgia turned its codes over on January 1, 2026. The Board of Community Affairs, acting on the recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Committee, adopted the 2024 editions of the building, residential, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, and swimming pool and spa codes, together with the 2023 National Electrical Code carrying the 2026 Georgia Amendments. A project drawn to the previous editions is drawn to a superseded code, and the Georgia Amendments — not the base I-Code text — are what the plan reviewer reads.
Permit required
- New construction, additions, alterations, and tenant work
- Demolition and change of occupancy
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and gas systems
- Land-disturbing activity, which carries its own erosion and buffer review
- Docks, bulkheads, and shoreline work — which also need state coastal approval
- Manufactured home placement
- Any change of subcontractor after the permit is issued
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and other cosmetic work
- Ordinary repairs that do not touch structure or a regulated system
- Work inside Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, or Vernonburg
- Like-for-like replacements that do not alter a regulated system
Chatham County building department: who handles permitting
The department works from 1117 Eisenhower Drive in Savannah, with mail going to P.O. Box 8161, Savannah 31412-8161. Completed applications and attachments are submitted there Monday through Friday between 8:00am and 3:30pm — a window that closes well before the end of the working day.
Applications cannot be accepted by fax or email. In a state where most large counties have moved to portal-only submission, Chatham runs a physical intake, and a contractor used to uploading a set will need to plan a delivery instead. Occupational tax matters run through a separate line.
Georgia's House Bill 493, the Private Permitting Review and Inspection Act, changed how completeness is handled and Chatham has implemented it with a detailed checklist and affidavit. The legislation requires the acknowledgement and communication of application completeness to the applicant — and the county's position is blunt: incomplete submittals can no longer be accepted into the permitting process and will be returned to the applicant until all required submittals are received.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services |
| Scope | Unincorporated Chatham County — eight municipalities permit their own work |
| Address | 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, GA 31406 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 8161, Savannah, GA 31412-8161 |
| Intake window | Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 3:30pm |
| Not accepted | Applications cannot be submitted by fax or email |
| Completeness | Incomplete submittals are returned, per HB 493 |
| Close-out | Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion on request |
The owner carries the legal exposure in Chatham, not just the contractor. The application states that the owner is responsible for ensuring all permits have been obtained and all required inspections made, and will be held legally liable for any violations which may occur with or without his or her knowledge. That is worth showing an owner-client before they decide to let a trade start early.
Chatham County and the City of Savannah are separate permitting authorities that share a metropolitan area and a street grid. Savannah runs its own Development Services with its own inspection lines and cutoffs. The county's own office is on Eisenhower Drive inside Savannah, which means the county desk sits in a city it does not permit.
Chatham County permits: record types and what each covers
Chatham's records reflect a paper-intake department in a coastal county, where several approvals sit upstream of the building permit rather than alongside it. These are the records you will file:
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 under a Journeyman or Master 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 |
| Subcontractor change approval | Substituting a subcontractor named on the application | Building Official approval required, or the permit may be revoked | No separate fee |
| Owner responsibility acknowledgement | Every permitted project | The owner is liable for violations with or without their knowledge | Carried on the application |
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 |
| Coastal Marshlands Protection Act permit | Filling, dredging, or building on or over coastal marshlands | DNR Coastal Resources Division, heard by a five-member committee | Set by the state |
| Shore Protection Act permit | Work in the jurisdictional shore area or dynamic dune field | DNR Coastal Resources Division review | Set by the state |
Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Chapter 14 licences regardless of job value
- State licence required once the work exceeds the statutory threshold, per project
- 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 Chatham County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Building permit | New construction, additions, alterations, and tenant work in the unincorporated county |
| Trade permits (E/P/M/gas) | Filed against the building permit with subcontractors named on the application |
| Subcontractor change approval | Required from the Building Official before substituting a named subcontractor |
| Land-disturbing activity permit | Erosion and sedimentation review, with tidal buffer determinations |
| Coastal Marshlands Protection Act permit | State approval from DNR Coastal Resources, separate from the building permit |
| Shore Protection Act permit | State approval for jurisdictional beach, shore, and dune field work |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Requested by the owner once all required inspections are approved |
| Certificate of Completion | Requested where the work is finished but occupancy is not the question |
Solar permits in Chatham County
Solar is filed as its own record across Georgia rather than as a line item on a building permit, and it is reviewed on two tracks at once: the electrical side (conductors, overcurrent protection, rapid shutdown, labelling, and the service or supply-side connection, all against the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments) and the structural side (attachment detail, rail spacing, and whether the existing framing carries the added dead load).
Solar in unincorporated Chatham is filed on the same paper intake as every other permit, with the installing electrical contractor named on the application. Because substituting a named subcontractor without approval can cost the permit, lock the installer in before you file rather than after.
The covenant question comes up on nearly every residential array, and Georgia answers it less generously than several neighbouring states. Georgia's Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act (O.C.G.A. § 44-3-113 and Title 46, Chapter 3, Article 8) makes third-party solar financing lawful and limits a property owners' association's ability to prohibit solar outright, but Georgia gives homeowners materially less protection than North Carolina or Florida do: an association retains real authority over placement and appearance, and a covenant restricting where panels may sit on the roof will usually stand. Read the covenants before designing the array, not after.
Utility interconnection runs on its own clock alongside the permit. Georgia Power and the state's electric membership corporations each set their own application, meter, and witness-test sequence, and permission to operate is not something the building department controls — plan for the two tracks to finish at different times.
Roofing permits in Chatham County
A roof covering replacement needs a permit across most of Georgia. The permit is usually quick, but it is not optional, and the inspection that matters happens before the covering goes on rather than after.
Because Georgia enforces a statewide minimum code, there is no state product-approval database to search and no approval number to cite on the application. The assembly has to comply with the adopted code and the manufacturer's listed installation instructions, and that pairing is what the inspector checks — which makes the manufacturer's instructions a document worth having on site.
Reroofs in unincorporated Chatham are county permits delivered in person between 8:00am and 3:30pm. On the barrier islands and along tidal shorelines, check whether any associated structural or shoreline work pulls the project into the state coastal regime, which runs on its own clock.
Sequencing is where reroofs go wrong. The deck and dry-in condition has to be visible when the inspector arrives, so covering it first means opening it back up. Where a previous layer has been torn off, expect attention to deck fastening and to any sheathing replaced along the eaves.
Chatham County permit cost
Chatham prices from its adopted schedule, with fees confirmed by the department at intake. Because applications are delivered rather than uploaded, the fee conversation happens in person or by phone rather than through a portal cart, and payment terms are set by the department.
The costs that surprise people in Chatham are upstream. Because all approvals must be obtained before applying, the health, zoning, engineering, and — where applicable — state coastal approvals all carry their own fees and their own clocks before the building permit fee is ever quoted. Budget them as separate line items with separate lead times.
Land-disturbing activity adds another. The Environmental Protection Division has issued guidance on buffer determinations for tidal creeks and saltwater marshes under the Erosion and Sedimentation Act, and a buffer variance is a separate application on its own timeline where one is needed.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | County adopted fee schedule, confirmed at intake |
| Trade permits | Charged as their own records |
| Upstream approvals | Health, zoning, and engineering fees paid before you apply |
| Land disturbance | Erosion and sedimentation review, with tidal buffer determinations |
| State coastal permits | Charged by DNR Coastal Resources, not by the county |
| City projects | Priced by Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, and the other municipalities |
Want a precise number for a specific Chatham County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Chatham County trade permits
Chatham names subcontractors on the permit application and treats that naming as binding, which makes the trades a permitting question rather than purely a procurement one.
Named on the application
Subcontractors are identified on the application, and the permit is issued on the strength of what that application says.
Substitutions need approval
Changing subcontractors without the Building Official's approval is expressly sufficient ground for revoking the permit. Get the change approved before the new trade mobilises.
Trade licences are value-blind
Electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, and low voltage licences under Chapter 14 are required regardless of the value of the work.
Completeness applies to trades too
Under the county's HB 493 checklist and affidavit process, a trade submittal missing required documentation is returned rather than queried.
Chatham County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Chatham County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, and Vernonburg each permit their own construction. Chatham's municipal footprint is large, so check the parcel rather than the postal address.
If the project touches marsh, tidal water bottoms, beach, dune field, or a tidal shoreline, a state coastal permit is a separate approval that does not travel with the building permit. Ask for a jurisdictional determination early rather than discovering the line runs through your site.
Chatham requires that all approvals be obtained before applying for the permit. Health, zoning, engineering, and land-disturbance clearances belong in the stack you deliver, not in the queue behind it.
Under House Bill 493 the county uses a detailed checklist and affidavit and communicates completeness to the applicant. Incomplete submittals are returned rather than processed, so work the checklist line by line before you leave the office.
Applications go to 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Monday to Friday between 8:00am and 3:30pm. They cannot be accepted by fax or by email, so somebody has to make the trip with the documents.
Do not substitute a named subcontractor without the Building Official's approval. Once all required inspections are approved, the owner may request a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion.
Inspections in Chatham County
Inspections are conducted by the department across the phases of construction, and the owner may request a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion once all required inspections have been approved. The request is the owner's to make, which fits the county's wider position that the owner carries responsibility for the permitted work.
Coastal work adds a second inspecting authority that the county does not control. Sequence matters more here than anywhere else in Georgia permitting. A state coastal permit is a separate approval from the building permit and does not travel with it. A local building department can issue a building permit for a project that still needs marsh or shore clearance, and the stop-work that follows is the most common and most expensive coastal delay in the state. Application materials go to the Coastal Resources Division and to the Environmental Protection Division coastal office so the buffer question is settled, and most in-water work also needs the US Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District — three timelines that do not run together.
For private-provider inspections, also from July 1, 2026, the local governing authority keeps two business days to identify deficiencies in an approved inspection report, and any deficiency notice must describe the problem and name the regulatory requirement that has not been met. If no timely written notice arrives, the inspection is deemed approved as a matter of law. Correcting a deficient report afterwards cannot undo or delay work the private professional provider already approved (O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26(g)(14)).
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout, and keep the named subcontractor list current with the Building Official. 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.
Chatham County permit search and official resources
Chatham publishes its forms, checklists, and notices through Building Safety & Regulatory Services, and the state coastal approvals run through the Department of Natural Resources rather than the county.
- Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services
- Building permit applications and forms
- DNR Coastal Resources Division — marsh and shore permits
- Georgia Coastal Management Program — service area
- City of Savannah building permits — separate authority
- DCA — current Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Chatham County, GA?
The Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, for unincorporated Chatham County. Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Tybee Island, Thunderbolt, Bloomingdale, and Vernonburg permit their own construction.
Can I email my Chatham County permit application?
No. The county states that applications cannot be accepted by fax or email. Completed applications and attachments are submitted to 1117 Eisenhower Drive in Savannah, Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 3:30pm.
What happens if my Chatham County submittal is incomplete?
It is returned. Following House Bill 493, the Private Permitting Review and Inspection Act, the county uses a detailed checklist and affidavit and communicates completeness to the applicant. Incomplete submittals can no longer be accepted into the permitting process and are returned until all required submittals are received.
What is House Bill 493?
The Private Permitting Review and Inspection Act, which provides local procedures for evaluating permit applications and the completeness of submittals. It is the framework behind the completeness checklist and affidavit Chatham applies, and it sits alongside Georgia's private-provider plan review and inspection provisions.
Do I need approvals before applying for a Chatham County permit?
Yes. The county's instruction is that all approvals must be obtained before applying for the permit. Health, zoning, engineering, and land-disturbance clearances belong in the stack you submit, not behind it.
Can I change subcontractors after my Chatham permit is issued?
Not without the Building Official's approval. The application states that any alteration from the application, expressly including changing subcontractors, without that approval is sufficient ground for revoking the permit.
Who is legally responsible for a Chatham County permit?
The owner. The application states the owner is responsible for ensuring that all permits have been obtained and all required inspections made, and will be held legally liable for any violations that occur with or without their knowledge.
Is Chatham County a coastal permitting county?
Yes. Chatham is one of the eleven counties in the Georgia Coastal Management Program service area, and one of the six that front the ocean. Work in marsh, tidal water bottoms, beach, or the dune field needs state approval from the Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division, separately from the county building permit.
Does a building permit cover marsh or dock work?
No. A state coastal permit 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. The stop-work that follows is the most common coastal delay in Georgia.
Are there buffer rules on tidal creeks in Chatham County?
Yes. The Environmental Protection Division has issued guidance on buffer determinations for tidal creeks and saltwater marshes under the Erosion and Sedimentation Act, and a buffer variance is a separate application with its own timeline where required.
How do I close out a Chatham County permit?
The owner may request a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion once all required inspections have been approved. Which document applies depends on whether the space is being occupied.
When is a Georgia contractor licence required?
Once the value of the work, or the contractor's compensation, exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars, tested per project rather than per invoice. An unlicensed contractor's contract for licensable work is unenforceable by that contractor, who also cannot file a lien or make a bond claim.
Simplify Chatham County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Chatham is a paper-intake department in a coastal county with a completeness rule that returns files rather than querying them, a delivery window that closes at half past three, and a state coastal regime running on a separate clock. None of that is difficult once you know it, and all of it costs a trip when you do not. A permit expediter for Chatham County is assembling the whole stack before anyone drives to Eisenhower Drive.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21 years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Chatham County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — unincorporated county or one of eight municipalities, resolved from the parcel.
- Complete on first delivery — every upstream approval collected and the HB 493 checklist worked before the file is handed over.
- Complete oversight — every Chatham 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 Chatham County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.