Cumming, Georgia Building Permit Guide

Inside Cumming city limits, building, trade and land disturbance permits are issued by the City’s Planning & Zoning Department at City Hall, 100 Main Street. Plans go in electronically through E-PLAN SOLUTION with a $50 submittal fee, and under the City’s fee schedule a house is valued at $40 per heated square foot, so a 2,000 sq ft home with a 500 sq ft deck pays a $400 building permit fee.

What requires a permit in Cumming?

Planning & Zoning reviews and approves development plans, issues land disturbance and construction permits, inspects trade work and issues Certificates of Occupancy. To get a building permit, plans must first be submitted and approved; the Chief Building Official then contacts the applicant to issue the permit. The City publishes applications for:

Under Sec. 12-101 of the City Code, starting work before the permit is issued doubles the permit fee.

Cumming building department: who handles permitting

The Planning & Zoning Department, led by Director Scott Morgan, handles plan review, permits, inspections and Certificates of Occupancy. Lacey Edwards is the Chief Building Official.

All civil and architectural plans are submitted electronically through E-PLAN SOLUTION, which routes them to the City, the Forsyth County Fire Marshal and utilities; restaurant plans also go to the Forsyth County Health Department.

Cumming permit types and filing path

Plans for new construction, remodeling and tenant finish must include structural, architectural, electrical, plumbing and HVAC drawings, sealed by a Georgia-registered architect or structural engineer. Commercial and restaurant plans must be submitted electronically; hard copies are no longer accepted. The City’s 2026 applications cover residential and commercial building permits, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, fences and retaining walls, and signs.

The residential application asks for heated and unheated floor area, valuation, height, stories, zoning, total and disturbed acreage, setbacks (corner lots need a front setback from every street) and the electric provider, Georgia Power or Sawnee EMC. An owner who builds without a licensed residential contractor cannot build another home as owner for 24 months after the Certificate of Occupancy.

Permit life: the 2026 residential and fence applications say the permit is void if work does not start within 90 days or stops for 6 months; trade permits allow 6 months to start. The City Code also has building permits expire 18 months after issue.

Permit fees in Cumming

Fees come from the permit fee schedule in Sec. 12-101 of the City Code and the City’s 2026 application forms. Residential building permits use a valuation chart: the house is valued at $40 per sq ft of heated area and $10 per sq ft of unheated area such as unfinished basements, porches and decks.

For example, a home with 2,000 sq ft heated and a 500 sq ft deck is valued at $85,000, which the chart prices at $400. E-PLAN SOLUTION charges its own upload fee, and Fire Marshal review fees are owed separately. Re-inspection fees must be paid before power is turned on and before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

For new homes, the City Code allows one-step permitting: the building contractor buys all the permits, priced by heated area ($35 each for plumbing, electrical and mechanical up to 1,000 sq ft, $45 up to 2,000, $55 up to 3,000). Each subcontractor files an affidavit, with a valid Georgia state card and business licence, before requesting an inspection. Commercial trade work must be permitted individually by the licensed contractor before installation, priced by the items installed.

The gas line must be under pressure at the rough-in inspection, and the inspection list includes under-slab plumbing and electrical, rough-ins, finals and a gas test.

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

Application documents and plan review

Register with E-PLAN SOLUTION, then upload the plans with the plan submittal form. Drawings must be to scale with all dimensions and a north arrow. Show building sprinklers on the building plans, and landscaping, parking and soil and erosion control on the site plan. Fence and retaining wall applications need a site plan with setbacks, buffers and easements.

If plans are disapproved, they come back electronically. Designers must correct every item, seal the revisions and cloud all changes before resubmitting; each resubmittal is $50. Trade applications need a copy of the contractor’s current state card and business licence. Before the final inspection on a new building, the insulation contractor and builder sign the City’s Insulation Affidavit, with R-values for ceilings, walls and floors, and submit it at least 3 business days before the final is requested.

Before you file in Cumming

• Check that the parcel is inside Cumming city limits on the City’s October 2025 boundary and zoning maps.
• Have the plans sealed by a Georgia-registered architect or structural engineer.
• Register with E-PLAN SOLUTION before you are ready to upload.
• Check whether the project falls under the City’s Design Guide (December 2022), which has its own Design Review Permit application.

How to apply: 6-step Cumming process

Cumming inspections

Inspections must be requested no later than the day before they are needed. Call 770-781-2024 Monday–Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; voicemail requests are not accepted. Give the building permit number, project name and address, your name and phone number, and the inspection type. The building permit card must be posted on site in clear view and protected from the weather before any inspection.

Required inspections include footing, slab, under-slab plumbing and electrical, sheathing, framing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC rough-in and final, gas test, drywall fasteners, commercial ceiling and wall cover-up, parking, drainage and landscaping, and the final for the Certificate of Occupancy. Work that fails, or that the inspector cannot get into, is billed $25 for the re-inspection.

Local Cumming details that matter

• No voicemail — inspection requests must be made by phone to staff; voicemail requests are not accepted.
• Fire Marshal — the Forsyth County Fire Marshal reviews submitted plans and can be reached at 770-781-2180.
• Fences — fences and walls (other than required retaining walls) may not exceed 8 feet or sit closer than 5 feet to a public right-of-way, and barbed wire is allowed only in the HB and M-1 districts.
• Power before fees — the City will not turn on power or issue a Certificate of Occupancy until all permit and re-inspection fees are paid.

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

Cumming 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
• Submit Plans
• Planning & Zoning
• Cumming inspection information
• Cumming residential building permit application (2026)
• Cumming fence and retaining wall application (2026)
• Cumming electrical permit application and fees (2026)
• Cumming City Code Sec. 12-101: permit fee schedule

Cumming permit FAQs

Who handles building permits in Cumming?

The City of Cumming Planning & Zoning Department issues construction permits inside the city; Lacey Edwards is the Chief Building Official.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Cumming?

The City values the home at $40 per heated sq ft and $10 per unheated sq ft and reads the fee from its chart: $460 at $100,000 of value, $760 at $200,000.

Where should I submit plans?

Through E-PLAN SOLUTION, with a $50 submittal fee. Once plans are approved, the Chief Building Official contacts you to issue the building permit.

Are trade permits separate?

For new homes the builder can buy all trade permits in one step ($45 each for a 1,001–2,000 sq ft home); commercial trade permits are pulled by each licensed contractor.

How much is a fence permit?

$7 per 100 feet of fence, with a $30 minimum.

How do I request an inspection?

Call 770-781-2024 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on a weekday, at least a day ahead; voicemail requests are not accepted.

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