Haralson County Zoning and Permits, at 4266 Georgia Hwy 120 in Buchanan, issues building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits for the unincorporated county, either online through GeoPermits or at the office. A new home is charged $0.40 per heated square foot and $0.25 per unheated square foot, plus $60 for each trade permit and a $125 inspection fee.
What requires a permit in Haralson County?
County code requires a building permit before anyone builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building or changes its occupancy, and before electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems are installed, altered or replaced. A permit is issued only if the work complies with the County’s zoning rules.
Permit needed
- New homes, additions and remodels
- Barndominiums and other home types on the County fee sheet
- Manufactured and mobile homes moved onto a lot
- Commercial buildings, including tenant buildings
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work
- Residential change of use
- Land disturbing activity over 1 acre on commercial sites
No mechanical permit
- Portable heating, cooling and ventilation appliances
- Portable evaporative coolers
- Replacement parts that do not alter the equipment’s approval
- Steam, hot or chilled water piping inside heating or cooling equipment
- Self-contained refrigeration with 10 lb or less of refrigerant and a motor of 1 hp or less
A single-family home does not need a land disturbance permit, but the County still requires silt fence or other erosion controls throughout construction and can issue a stop work order without them.
Who handles permitting in Haralson County?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Permits and inspections | Haralson County Department of Planning, Zoning & Permits |
| Address | 4266 Georgia Hwy 120, Office 102, Buchanan, GA 30113 |
| Phone and inspections | 770-646-2033 |
| hcpermits@haralsoncountyga.gov | |
| Building Official | Terry Floyd |
| Online filing | GeoPermits (account required) |
| Septic permits | Haralson County Environmental Health, 133 Buchanan Bypass, 770-646-4301 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The department handles zoning, rezoning and variance cases, building permits and inspections, and enforces state building codes and environmental rules. The County Marshal (770-646-1515) handles zoning and ordinance violations alongside the building official. Approval of the fire marshal is required for certain occupancies.
Cities: under the County’s 2017 Service Delivery Strategy, Bremen, Buchanan, Tallapoosa, Waco and Temple each handle code enforcement and building codes inside their own limits, and the County covers only the unincorporated area. Bremen has its own Building Department, which handles building permits and inspections (770-537-2331 ext. 232), and the City of Tallapoosa publishes its own residential, commercial, electrical and mechanical permit applications. Buchanan City Hall is at 770-646-3081 and Waco City Hall at 770-537-3314.
Temple: the city lies partly in Haralson County and partly in Carroll County. Carroll County’s 2018 Service Delivery Strategy names only Bremen, Carrollton and Villa Rica as running their own inspections and says Carroll County inspects, for a fee, for the other cities in Carroll County.
Applying online or at the office
Contractors can register for GeoPermits, the County’s online system for applying and paying for permits around the clock; registration starts with an email address. The paper route is also published. For a new home, the Permit Clerk fills in the parcel information sheet and completes the home application packet with you at the office, and notarises the affidavits at no charge. The packet contains:
- Parcel information sheet / application for zoning compliance certificate, with setbacks, square footage, the electric provider (Carroll EMC or Georgia Power) and water authority.
- Permit fee price determination sheet, which works out the fee from heated and unheated square footage.
- Sub-contractor affidavit for building, signed in blue ink by each trade, with a copy of each state licence. A new affidavit is needed if a subcontractor changes.
- Erosion control affidavit for single-family construction.
- Affidavit for a building permit, sworn and notarised, confirming the applicant owes no County taxes or fees.
- Affidavit for a residential change of use permit, where an existing building becomes a home.
The County checks that no taxes are outstanding on the parcel before the permit process starts. Commercial applicants pick up a separate commercial packet at the office.
Permit costs and fees in Haralson County
The County’s residential permit packet prices home permits by square footage, with flat trade and inspection fees:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Heated square footage | $0.40 per sq ft |
| Unheated square footage (garage, porches, unheated basement) | $0.25 per sq ft |
| Electrical permit | $60 |
| Plumbing permit | $60 |
| Mechanical (HVAC) permit | $60 |
| Inspection fee | $125 |
| Basement inspection fee, if applicable | $75 |
For example, a 2,000 sq ft heated home with a 500 sq ft garage comes to $800 plus $125 for the square footage, $180 for the three trade permits and $125 for inspections: $1,230 in all.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single-wide from outside the county | $450 |
| Double-wide from outside the county | $550 |
| Triple-wide from outside the county | $650 |
| Home bought from an owner already in Haralson County | $300 |
| Every home: inspection fee plus electrical permit | $75 plus $60 |
Fees are paid when you pick up the permits, by cash or by check made payable to HC Permits. Moving a mobile home into the county without a permit carries a fine of at least $1,000. Commercial fees are worked out on the commercial plan review sheet, which itemises the building permit, plan review, land disturbance, trade permit and water and sewer tap fees.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire review
Zoning and Permits issues the electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, at $60 each on a home. Unless the owner is doing the work, the department needs a copy of the contractor’s current state licence card for each trade permit, and each contractor also supplies an occupational tax certificate or business licence.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →On commercial jobs the County uses a one-permit system: the builder who buys the building permit pays for all the subcontractor permits at the same time. Each trade subcontractor must file an affidavit with the building department before any inspection for that trade can be scheduled, and subcontractors keep their state licence and occupational tax certificate on file with the office. Certain occupancies also need fire marshal approval.
Application documents
New home
- Property address and the owner’s name, address and phone numbers
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of the contractor and the electrical, plumbing and HVAC subcontractors
- Contractors’ state licences and occupational tax certificates or business licences
- One complete set of house plans (11 in by 17 in or smaller)
- Erosion control affidavit and notarised affidavit
- Approved septic tank application from Environmental Health
- Driveway approval from the County Roads Department
- Professional engineer’s name, for a residential change of use only
Commercial building
- Parcel information sheet with a site sketch
- Plan review sheet
- Five complete sets of plans
- Erosion control affidavit for commercial construction
- Notarised contractor affidavits
- Site plan and soil and erosion protection plan
- Land disturbing activity permit if more than 1 acre is disturbed
- Septic tank permit from Environmental Health
Commercial projects must meet the corridor design standards in the Haralson County Zoning Ordinance. The County’s Permits and Licenses page asks for two sets of site drawings and two sets of building plans, while the commercial packet itself asks for five complete sets.
Rather not deal with the Haralson County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6-step Haralson County process
Make sure the lot is outside the city limits and meets its zoning district’s minimum lot size and house size.
File the septic tank application at Environmental Health, 133 Buchanan Bypass, and get driveway approval from the Roads Department (770-646-2029).
Apply through GeoPermits, or visit the Zoning and Permits Office, where the Permit Clerk completes the parcel sheet and packet with you.
Have each subcontractor sign the affidavit and sign the notarised building permit affidavit; the County then checks the parcel for unpaid taxes.
Once the forms are reviewed and the septic permit is approved, the office phones you; pay by cash or check when you collect the permits.
Call 770-646-2033 by 9:00 a.m. for each inspection; the Certificate of Occupancy follows the final inspection.
Haralson County inspections
Inspections are made Monday to Friday. Call 770-646-2033 by 9:00 a.m., at least 24 hours ahead; the County carries out inspections within 72 hours of the request. When you call for the footing inspection, the construction entrance must already be graveled and the street number posted at the drive in 4-inch reflective numbers.
The required inspections for a home are: footings (minimum 12 in by 16 in, before concrete), poured walls after the steel is tied, in-slab plumbing, slab (after gravel, wire and poly, before concrete), rough-in (before sheetrock, with electrical, plumbing and HVAC roughed in; before spray foam if it is used), temporary-to-permanent electrical once the house is at least 75% complete and the septic system is finished, and the final once it is at least 95% complete.
The Certificate of Occupancy is issued after the final inspection; for a residential change of use, it follows a professional engineer’s report that the building meets the codes. Do not move in before the CO is issued.
Local Haralson County details
Floodplain: the lowest habitable floor must be at least 2 feet above, or 40 feet horizontally from, the 100-year floodplain or the headwaters of any drainage easement or waterway, and not in a dam-break area.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Driveways: driveway drain pipes must be at least 18 inches in diameter; driveways onto a state highway go through Georgia DOT.
Zoning minimums: the County’s zoning table sets an R-1 lot at 3 acres with a 1,200 sq ft minimum house, and an R-2 lot at 1 acre with 1,000 sq ft. Rezonings generally take about 60 to 90 days, and applications are due at least 45 days before the Planning Commission hearing.
Mobile homes: a home moved into the county must have at least 1,000 sq ft of heated space and a title, and masonry or block skirting must be finished within 30 days of the inspection and power connection.
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
Haralson County permit search and official resources
- Haralson County — Permits and Licenses
- Haralson County — Zoning and Permits
- Haralson County GeoPermits online permitting
- Haralson County residential home building permit packet (PDF)
- Haralson County commercial building permit packet (PDF)
- Haralson County mobile home application (PDF)
- Cities in Haralson County
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Haralson County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Haralson County?
The County’s Department of Planning, Zoning & Permits in Buchanan (770-646-2033), for unincorporated areas. Bremen, Buchanan, Tallapoosa, Waco and Temple handle building codes inside their own city limits.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Haralson County?
$0.40 per heated square foot and $0.25 per unheated square foot, plus $60 each for electrical, plumbing and HVAC and a $125 inspection fee. A 2,000 sq ft home with a 500 sq ft garage comes to $1,230.
Can I apply online?
Yes. Register for a GeoPermits account with your email address to apply and pay online, or apply in person at 4266 Georgia Hwy 120.
How do I pay permit fees at the office?
By cash or check made payable to HC Permits, when you pick up the permits.
Do I need a land disturbance permit to build a house?
No, single-family homes are exempt, but erosion controls such as silt fence must be installed and maintained. Commercial sites disturbing more than 1 acre need a land disturbing activity permit.
How quickly are inspections done?
Within 72 hours of the request. Call by 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, at least 24 hours ahead.
How much is a mobile home permit?
$450 for a single-wide, $550 for a double-wide or $650 for a triple-wide from outside the county, or $300 for a home already in the county, plus the $75 inspection fee and $60 electrical permit.
Simplify Haralson County 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.
Ready to break ground in Haralson County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Haralson County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Haralson County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.