Marietta building permits come from the city’s Building Inspection division, part of the Public Works department at City Hall. It provides plan review, issues building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing permits, performs those inspections, and issues certificates of occupancy.
Marietta is the seat of Cobb County and is not permitted by Cobb County. The county's own agency uses a Marietta mailing address and permits the unincorporated county around the city — one of the easiest jurisdiction mix-ups in Georgia.
Applies inside the Marietta city limits. Unincorporated Cobb County files with the Cobb County Community Development Agency, and Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Austell, Powder Springs, and Mableton each permit their own work.
Re-inspection fees escalate. The first inspection is free; a first disapproved re-inspection is $50, the second $75, and the third and every one after it $100. Arriving genuinely ready for the first visit is worth more here than the fee saved.
What requires a permit in Marietta?
A Marietta building permit is required for all new construction, temporary buildings, and certain alterations to existing construction inside the city limits. Permitting sits in the Building Inspection division of the Public Works department at Marietta City Hall, which provides plan review, issues building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing permits, performs the corresponding inspections, and issues certificates of occupancy. Planning and Zoning is a separate office in Development Services.
Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County and is not permitted by Cobb County. The county's own Community Development Agency has a Marietta mailing address and permits the unincorporated county around the city — which makes this one of the easiest jurisdiction mix-ups in Georgia to make, and one of the easiest to avoid by checking the parcel.
All permitting is done online using SagesGov, and the account is city-specific: you create or activate a Marietta account rather than reusing one from another SagesGov jurisdiction. The documents required depend on the project type — residential or commercial, interior only or exterior, general contractor or homeowner acting as contractor.
Permit required
- All new construction and temporary buildings
- Certain alterations to existing construction
- Electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing work
- Swimming pools and spas, under the pool and spa code with Georgia amendments
- Land disturbance permits
- Change of occupancy requiring a new certificate
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and other cosmetic work
- Ordinary repairs that do not touch structure or a regulated system
- Work outside the city limits — unincorporated Cobb files with the county
- Like-for-like replacements that do not alter a regulated system
Georgia’s State Minimum Standard Codes apply statewide; the Department of Community Affairs adopts them, with Georgia Amendments, and city and county building departments enforce them under their own permit rules. Georgia rules
Marietta building department: who handles permitting
The Building Inspection division works from Marietta City Hall, 205 Lawrence Street, Marietta, GA 30060, with mail going to P.O. Box 609, Marietta 30061-0609. Permits and inspections are reached on 770-794-5659 or buildinginspections@mariettaga.gov, and Public Works lists its permits and inspections hours as 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. Planning and Zoning sits on the second floor of City Hall on 770-794-5669, open 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.
Marietta publishes its fee arithmetic openly. Permit fees are determined by construction cost — labour plus materials — with a $50 minimum. Residential runs $5 per $1,000 of total construction cost plus a $50 base fee, with no plan review fee. Commercial and institutional runs $4 per $1,000 up to $250,000, and $6 per $1,000 at $250,000 and above, each plus the $50 base fee and a flat plan review fee: $125 under $250,000, $250 up to $500,000, $500 up to $1 million, and $1,000 at $1 million and over.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →That residential structure is worth noticing: no plan review fee at all on the residential side, and a lower per-thousand rate on commercial jobs of $250,000 or less than on larger ones.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | City of Marietta Building Inspection Division (Public Works) |
| Scope | Inside the Marietta city limits — not unincorporated Cobb County |
| Address | Marietta City Hall, 205 Lawrence Street, Marietta, GA 30060 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 609, Marietta, GA 30061-0609 |
| Phone | 770-794-5659 — buildinginspections@mariettaga.gov; Public Works hours 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday |
| Planning and Zoning | 770-794-5669, second floor, 8:00am to 5:00pm |
| Portal | SagesGov — a Marietta-specific account is required |
| Minimum fee | $50 base fee on permits |
| Pool code | International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments |
Marietta issues building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing permits from a single Building Inspection division, performs all of those inspections itself, and issues the certificates of occupancy. One division, one portal, one set of contacts — which is simpler than most metro Atlanta arrangements once you are in the right jurisdiction.
Cobb County’s Community Development Agency uses a Marietta mailing address and sits minutes from City Hall, but the two are different authorities. The county permits unincorporated Cobb; the city permits inside its limits. Cobb also offers inspection scheduling by text message, so a crew used to one should check how the other books inspections.
In 2025, building permits issued in Marietta authorized 112 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Marietta permits: record types and what each covers
Marietta issues an unusually broad set of records from one division, including grading. 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; filed under a Master Plumber Class I or Class II 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 |
| Grading permit | Site grading work | Issued and inspected by the Building Inspection division | Construction cost basis |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →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 |
| Pool and spa permit | Swimming pools and spas | Reviewed under the pool and spa code with Georgia amendments | Construction cost basis |
| Outside agency approval | Uses or project types requiring another agency's sign-off | Uploaded with the application in SagesGov | Set by that agency |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Chapter 14 licences regardless of job value
- State licence required for residential work once its total value exceeds $2,500; commercial work at any value
- 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 Marietta
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Building permit | New construction, temporary buildings, and certain alterations |
| Electrical permit | Issued and inspected by the Building Inspection division |
| Heating and air permit | Mechanical work, from the same division |
| Plumbing permit | Supply, waste, vent, and fixture work |
| Grading permit | Site grading, issued alongside the building records |
| Pool and spa permit | Under the pool and spa code with Georgia amendments |
| Fence (no permit) | Exempt from a building permit; Planning and Zoning rules on height, location and configuration still apply |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Issued by the Building Inspection division at close-out |
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Solar permits in Marietta
Solar in Marietta is an electrical record from the same division that issues the building permit and performs the inspection. Because the fee follows construction cost — labour plus materials — state the array cost accurately rather than as a placeholder.
Roofing permits in Marietta
Reroofs inside the city are Marietta permits, not Cobb County ones, even though the county’s agency shares the town name in its address. A roofing crew working both sides of the line is working two systems with different inspection booking.
Solar and roofing work are built to the statewide codes, permit rules are set locally, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. Georgia rules
Marietta permit cost
Marietta states its rates, so a reliable estimate is possible before you file. Permit fees are determined by construction cost with a $50 minimum. Residential is $5 per $1,000 of total construction cost — labour plus materials — with a $50 base fee and no plan review fee. Commercial and institutional is $4 per $1,000 for projects of $250,000 or less and $6 per $1,000 at $250,000 or greater, each with a $50 base fee plus a plan review fee.
The re-inspection ladder is the other published number and it deserves a line in the programme rather than the budget. The first inspection carries no charge; a first disapproved re-inspection is $50, a second $75, and a third and each one after that $100. Getting the first inspection right is worth more than the fee saved.
Because construction cost drives the fee, the cost figure on the application is a substantive entry rather than an estimate. Labour and materials both count, and a low figure invites a correction rather than a saving.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Minimum permit fee | $50 |
| Residential | $5 per $1,000 of construction cost, plus $50 base, no plan review fee |
| Commercial up to $250K | $4 per $1,000, plus $50 base, plus plan review fee |
| Commercial $250K and above | $6 per $1,000, plus $50 base, plus plan review fee |
| First re-inspection | $50 — then $75, then $100 for each later failure |
| Construction cost | Labour plus materials, stated on the application |
Want a precise number for a specific Marietta project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Marietta trade permits
Marietta keeps all the trades inside one division, which means one portal account, one set of inspectors, and one escalating re-inspection ladder across every discipline on the job.
One division, five permit types
Building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing permits all come from the Building Inspection division, which also performs each of those inspections.
A Marietta-specific portal account
All permitting is done online through SagesGov, and the account is created or activated specifically for Marietta rather than carried over from another jurisdiction.
Documents depend on the project type
What you need is determined by residential or commercial, interior only or exterior, and whether a general contractor or a homeowner acting as contractor is applying.
State licence still governs
Chapter 14 trade licences authorise the work regardless of job value, and the residential contractor threshold is $2,500 of total job value.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Georgia licenses residential contractors through a state board once a job passes $2,500, licenses commercial general contractors at any job value, and licenses electrical, plumbing and conditioned air contractors separately at any job value. Georgia rules
Marietta permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Marietta, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Marietta is the seat of Cobb County and is not permitted by Cobb County. The county's agency uses a Marietta mailing address, so check the parcel rather than the town in the address.
All permitting is done online through SagesGov, and the account is Marietta-specific. If you already hold a SagesGov account for another jurisdiction, you still need one here.
Required documents are determined by whether the work is residential or commercial, interior only or exterior, and whether a general contractor or a homeowner acting as contractor is applying.
Residential is $5 per $1,000 of construction cost plus a $50 base fee with no plan review fee. Commercial and institutional is $4 per $1,000 up to $250,000 and $6 per $1,000 above, each plus the $50 base and a plan review fee. The minimum is $50.
Upload plans, contractor information, and any outside-agency approvals the use or project type requires. Commercial work may carry plan review fees and additional agency approvals.
Trade and building rough inspections come before concealment, then the final. Because re-inspection fees escalate from $50 to $75 and then $100 for each later failure, arriving genuinely ready for the first inspection pays.
Inspections in Marietta
The Building Inspection division performs building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing inspections itself, and issues the certificates of occupancy. Because every discipline is inspected by the same division, co-ordination across trades is simpler here than in cities where fire, health, or a third-party provider hold separate sign-offs.
The escalating re-inspection ladder is the mechanism the city uses to price readiness. The first inspection is free; each subsequent disapproved re-inspection costs more than the last. Treating the first visit as the real one — rather than as a check on progress — is the cheapest approach.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout, and note that Marietta follows the pool and spa code with Georgia amendments on any pool work. 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.
Georgia law lets an applicant use a private professional provider for plan review, with set deadlines for the building official. Georgia rules
Marietta permit search and official resources
Marietta publishes its permit information, fee schedule, and construction guidelines through the Building Inspection division (Public Works), with SagesGov handling all applications.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Marietta building permits and fee schedule
- Marietta Building Inspections division
- Permits and applications
- Marietta Planning and Zoning
- Cobb County Community Development — separate authority
- DCA — current Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Marietta, GA?
The City of Marietta Building Inspection division, part of Public Works, at Marietta City Hall, 205 Lawrence Street (770-794-5659). Marietta permits inside its own city limits.
Does Cobb County permit work in Marietta?
No. Marietta is the county seat but permits its own construction. Cobb County's Community Development Agency uses a Marietta mailing address and permits unincorporated Cobb County, which is a common source of confusion.
How do I apply for a Marietta building permit?
All permitting is done online using SagesGov. You create or activate a Marietta-specific account, select the permit type, complete the application, and upload plans, contractor information, and any required agency approvals.
How much does a Marietta building permit cost?
Fees are determined by construction cost with a $50 minimum. Residential is $5 per $1,000 of total construction cost, labour plus materials, with a $50 base fee and no plan review fee. Commercial and institutional is $4 per $1,000 for projects of $250,000 or less and $6 per $1,000 at $250,000 or greater, each with a $50 base fee plus a plan review fee.
Is there a plan review fee for residential work in Marietta?
No. The residential schedule is $5 per $1,000 of construction cost plus the $50 base fee, with no plan review fee. Plan review fees apply on the commercial and institutional side.
What are Marietta's re-inspection fees?
The first inspection carries no charge. A first disapproved re-inspection is $50, a second is $75, and the third and each one after it is $100.
What permits does the Building Inspection division issue?
Building, electrical, grading, heating and air, and plumbing permits. The same division performs those inspections and issues certificates of occupancy.
Does Marietta have its own pool rules?
The city follows the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Georgia Amendments, and publishes guidelines for pool construction alongside its permitting procedures.
Do I need a permit for a fence in Marietta?
No. The city’s permit FAQ says fence construction is exempt from a permit, but Planning and Zoning has specific requirements for height, location, and configuration. Check those before building.
What documents will I need to apply?
That depends on the project: residential or commercial, interior only or exterior, and whether a general contractor or a homeowner acting as contractor is applying. The city sets out the required documents by project type.
What code does Marietta enforce?
The Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes as regulated by the Department of Community Affairs, which moved to the 2024 editions with Georgia Amendments effective January 1, 2026. The energy code remains the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements.
When is a Georgia contractor licence required?
For residential work, once the total value of the work, or the contractor's compensation if higher, exceeds $2,500; commercial general contractors need a licence at any value. Trade licences under Title 43, Chapter 14 are required regardless of job value.
Simplify Marietta permitting with Alliance Permitting
Marietta is easy to estimate — published rates, one division, one portal — and easy to misfile, because the county that surrounds it shares its mailing address. Add a re-inspection ladder that punishes optimistic scheduling and the priorities become obvious. A permit expediter for Marietta files with the right government and arrives ready for the first inspection.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Marietta because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — city or unincorporated Cobb, resolved from the parcel rather than the Marietta address.
- Priced and sequenced properly — construction cost stated accurately, and inspections booked only when the work will actually pass.
- Complete oversight — every Marietta permit, trade record, 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.
Ready to break ground in Marietta sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Marietta permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Marietta permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.