Conyers, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Conyers city limits, building and trade permits are issued by the City’s Planning and Inspection Services department at 901 O’Kelly Street, and applications go through the City of Conyers Public Portal. Under the City Code, fees are paid when you file, a permit lapses if work has not started within 6 months, and inspections need at least half a day’s notice.

What requires a permit in Conyers?

Regulated construction, structural alterations and building-system work need a City permit. The City Code lets the Director of Planning and Inspection Services approve ordinary minor repairs without a permit, as long as they meet the technical codes. Projects commonly involve:

Starting work before the permit is issued adds a penalty of 100% of the usual permit fee.

Conyers building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Inspection Services issues permits and handles residential and commercial building inspections inside the city. Under the City Code its Director acts as the building official: reviewing plans, issuing permits, ordering inspections and releasing buildings for utility connection. Appeals of the Director’s decisions go to the City’s construction board of adjustment and appeals.

Conyers permit types and filing

Depending on the project, the filing can involve building, development, land-disturbance, sign, zoning or trade permits, all filed through the City of Conyers Public Portal, which also takes planning applications. Under the City Code, an application that has not led to a permit within 6 months is treated as abandoned; the Director can grant 90-day extensions on a written request showing good cause.

Once issued, a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 6 months or stops for 6 months, again with 90-day extensions available in writing.

Permit fees in Conyers

Permit fees follow a schedule set by the Mayor and City Council and are paid when the application is filed, for each building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas permit. The City Code does not reproduce the schedule, and any work begun before a permit carries a penalty equal to the usual permit fee. Ask Planning and Inspection Services (770-929-4280) for the current figures.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Include the electrical, plumbing and HVAC information for the trade work in the application. The City Code lists separate inspection stages for each trade: electrical underground, rough-in and final; plumbing underground, rough-in (once soil, waste and vent piping is complete) and final, with the plumbing code tests; and mechanical underground, rough-in and final.

No building or system may be connected to a utility until the Director releases it and the Certificate of Occupancy or Completion is issued, although the Director can allow a temporary connection for testing or a temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

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

Application documents and plan review

Applications are filed through the City of Conyers Public Portal. A typical package includes:

• The permit application
• Project plans and supporting documents
• Trade information for electrical, plumbing and HVAC work
• Site and development information when land disturbance or subdivision review applies

Drawings for assembly, educational and institutional buildings, buildings of three or more stories and buildings of 5,000 sq ft or more must be sealed by a Georgia architect or engineer; for other buildings, the applicant certifies which state law exemption allows an unregistered designer to prepare them.

How to apply: 6-step Conyers process

Conyers inspections

Conyers requires at least half a day’s notice for inspections. Inspection services include footing/slab, framing, electrical rough, mechanical rough, plumbing rough, insulation, erosion/site and final inspections. Do not conceal rough work before it has been inspected.

Under the City Code, the building foundation inspection comes after trenches are dug and forms set, the frame inspection once the roof, framing, fire blocking and all concealed wiring, pipes, ducts and vents are in, and the final when the building is ready for occupancy. The Director may accept written, certified reports from recognised inspection services.

Local Conyers details that matter

Historic districts: material changes to the appearance of a property in a designated historic district, including walls, fences, steps and paving, need a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before work starts. New construction or additions larger than 60% of the existing building or 1,000 sq ft get the Commission’s review.

One portal: the City’s Public Portal also handles planning applications, so zoning or development review is filed in the same system as the permit.

Vacant and foreclosed property: the City Code requires vacant and foreclosed properties to be registered with the City.

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

Conyers 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
• Conyers Building Inspections
• Conyers Planning and Inspection Services
• Conyers City Code, Title 8 Chapter 2: building regulation and permits
• Conyers City Code, Title 8 Chapter 9: historic preservation

Conyers permit FAQs

Does Conyers issue its own building permits?

Yes. City of Conyers Planning and Inspection Services issues building permits for work inside the city.

Where do I apply?

Through the City of Conyers Public Portal, which handles permits and planning applications.

How long is a Conyers permit valid?

It becomes invalid if work does not start within 6 months of issue or stops for 6 months; 90-day extensions can be requested in writing.

What does it cost to start work without a permit?

A penalty of 100% of the usual permit fee, on top of the permit fee.

How much notice do inspections need?

At least half a day.

Do I need approval to change a building in a historic district?

Yes. Material exterior changes need a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission.

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