Forest Park, Georgia Building Permit Guide

In Forest Park, building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are issued by the City’s Planning & Community Development Department at 785 Forest Parkway. Every application and document is filed electronically through the City’s OpenGov portal, PCD Online Services, and inspections are booked by email to inspections@forestparkga.gov.

What requires a permit in Forest Park?

Forest Park requires permits for new buildings, additions, remodeling and interior alterations, and for installing electrical, plumbing or heating and air conditioning systems.

Plan review is required before a permit is issued for new buildings or additions, interior remodeling and construction alterations.

The City’s online portal has a separate application for each of these:

Forest Park building department: who handles permitting

Building permits must be applied for by state-licensed contractors, engineers or architects. Homeowners doing the work themselves may apply with the appropriate affidavit.

A licensed contractor can authorize someone else to apply with the City’s Authorized Permit Agent Form, attaching a copy of the individual or company licence and the agent’s driver’s licence; staff check the licence on the Georgia Secretary of State’s licensing site.

Forest Park online filing

Create an account in PCD Online Services before you apply; every user needs one, and all applications and required documents must be submitted electronically. The Homeowner Affidavit, Permit Agent Form, Land Disturbance Permit application and zoning map are posted on the City’s Forms & Applications page for upload with the online application.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning installations need a City permit.

Do not conceal rough work before the required inspection.

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

Application documents and plan review

To apply online you need:

• Contractor's licence, business licence and driver's licence
• PDF plans, drawings and illustrations
• Property owner or homeowner affidavit
• A site plan showing existing and proposed structures, distances from lot lines, street and finished grades, flood zone information where applicable and an accurate boundary survey
• For land disturbance permits: an approved NOI, an approved letter from CCWA and the contractor's blue card

Plans must be drawn to scale with dimensions and setbacks, and surveys must be no more than two years old. For plan review, the City also asks for three full-size hard-copy sets of construction documents at 1/4 inch to 1 foot scale, with the required documents and fees.

For a land disturbance permit, the Civil Plan Review checklist asks for one hard and one electronic copy of a site plan sealed by a Georgia-registered engineer, surveyor, architect or landscape architect, a copy of the NOI filed with EPD and its fee receipt, the GSWCC Level 1A card of someone on the grading crew and the grading contractor’s business licence. Incomplete applications are not accepted, and extra fees apply after the first review and one resubmittal.

How to apply: 6-step Forest Park process

Forest Park inspections

Schedule inspections by emailing inspections@forestparkga.gov. For help with plan submittals, contact the permit technician at Planning & Community Development.

Local Forest Park details that matter

Water and sewer: site plans need Clayton County Water Authority approval where required. An existing septic tank must be removed or demolished in place, or the plans must show the connection to sanitary sewer.

Streams and trees: streams keep a 50 ft undisturbed vegetative buffer on both banks plus a further 25 ft setback with no impervious cover, and site plans must show specimen trees under Section 8-8-154 of the City Code along with replacement trees.

Frontage improvements: where required, development includes curb and gutter and a 5 ft wide, 4 inch thick concrete sidewalk along the whole property frontage.

Vacant buildings: boarding up a building needs a board-up permit, and foreclosed or vacant property must 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

Forest Park 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
• Forest Park Permits & Inspections
• Forest Park PCD Online Services (permit portal)
• Forest Park forms and applications
• Forest Park Authorized Permit Agent Form
• Forest Park land disturbance permit application and checklist

Forest Park permit FAQs

Does Forest Park issue its own building permits?

Yes. The City of Forest Park Planning & Community Development Department issues permits for work inside the City.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, with the appropriate affidavit, if the homeowner is doing the work. Otherwise permits are applied for by state-licensed contractors, engineers or architects.

Can I apply on paper?

No. Applications and documents are submitted electronically through PCD Online Services, although plan review also needs 3 full-size hard-copy sets of construction documents.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Forest Park?

Yes. Fences have their own application in the City’s online portal.

How old can my survey be?

No more than 2 years old.

Can another approval delay the building permit?

Yes. Land disturbance permits need an approved NOI and an approved letter from CCWA, and zoning or other approvals can apply.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Email inspections@forestparkga.gov.

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