Paulding County building permits come from the Building and Permitting Division of Community Development, which issues building, electrical, heating and air-conditioning, and plumbing permits for residential, commercial, and industrial uses alike.
Land development runs on a separate track. A Land Disturbance Permit is required before any grading or development of one acre or more, is issued through plan review, and changes hands at a pre-construction meeting rather than over a counter.
Applies to unincorporated Paulding County. Dallas and Hiram permit their own construction, and the City of Dallas runs a separate Community Development department with its own portal.
You must pass a fire inspection to receive the certificate of occupancy, and it is booked with the Paulding County Fire Inspector rather than with building inspections. Two offices, two numbers, one certificate.
What requires a permit in Paulding County?
A Paulding County building permit is required before most construction in unincorporated Paulding County. The Building and Permitting Division, inside Community Development, issues building, electrical, heating and air-conditioning, and plumbing permits for all uses — residential, commercial, and industrial — from one division rather than splitting them across desks.
Dallas and Hiram permit their own construction inside their city limits, and the City of Dallas runs a separate Community Development department with its own Customer Self Service portal. Paulding is a fast-growing county where the unincorporated area dominates, but the city check is still worth making from the parcel.
All grading, land disturbance, or development in Paulding County must be permitted and inspected. A Land Disturbance Permit is required before any grading, disturbing, or development of one acre or more, and it comes from the Development Division through the plan review process rather than from the building counter.
The enforced code is the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes — the 2024 International Building Code and 2024 International Residential Code with Georgia Amendments, alongside the 2024 International Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments. Georgia turned its codes over on January 1, 2026. The Board of Community Affairs, acting on the recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Committee, adopted the 2024 editions of the building, residential, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, and swimming pool and spa codes, together with the 2023 National Electrical Code carrying the 2026 Georgia Amendments. A project drawn to the previous editions is drawn to a superseded code, and the Georgia Amendments — not the base I-Code text — are what the plan reviewer reads.
Permit required
- Building permits for residential, commercial, and industrial uses
- Electrical permits
- Heating and air-conditioning permits
- Plumbing permits
- Land disturbance for grading or development of one acre or more
- House Location Plans where the final plat requires them
- Elevation Certificates where the final plat requires them
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and other cosmetic work
- Ordinary repairs that do not touch structure or a regulated system
- Work inside the city limits of Dallas or Hiram — permitted by that city
- Like-for-like replacements that do not alter a regulated system
Paulding County building department: who handles permitting
The Building and Permitting Division works from the Government Administrative Building at 240 Constitution Boulevard, First Floor, Dallas, GA 30132, Monday to Friday from 8:00am. Building permit technicians are reached on 770-443-7571 or at commdevpermits@paulding.gov, and inspections are scheduled on 770-505-1398 or at bldginspections@paulding.gov.
The division also answers technical questions about the adopted building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and other codes — a service worth using before a first job in the county rather than after a failed inspection.
Land development sits with a separate Development Division, and the sequence there is formal. The Land Disturbance Permit is issued only after the plans have been approved by all required reviewers. Once fees are received, a pre-construction meeting is set up with the developer and the development inspector, and the developer receives the LDP and two sets of approved construction plans at that meeting — not before.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Paulding County Community Development — Building & Permitting Division |
| Scope | Unincorporated Paulding County — Dallas and Hiram permit their own work |
| Address | 240 Constitution Boulevard, First Floor, Dallas, GA 30132 |
| Permit technicians | 770-443-7571 — commdevpermits@paulding.gov |
| Building inspections | 770-505-1398 — bldginspections@paulding.gov |
| Fire inspections | 770-222-1160 — fireinspections@paulding.gov |
| Land disturbance | Development Division, through plan review, at one acre or more |
| Lot inspections | Requested by fax to 770-443-7501, completed within two days |
At the pre-construction meeting the developer and the development inspector sign the subdivision or commercial construction procedure forms — a document setting out the proper sequence for the job. That signature is the point at which the LDP and the approved plans change hands, so the meeting is not a formality you can skip to save a week.
Paulding County's offices are in the City of Dallas, Georgia — which runs its own permitting department and its own portal, and which has published a fraud alert about fake city emails requesting wire transfers. The city warns that it never requests payment by wire transfer and that only its official Customer Self Service portal should be used. Treat any emailed change of payment instructions on a Paulding-area job as false until confirmed by phone.
Paulding County permits: record types and what each covers
Paulding runs building permits and land development as separate tracks with separate paperwork, and the plat tells you which extra records your lot needs. 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 under a Journeyman or Master 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 |
| House Location Plan | A lot whose final plat carries an asterisk | Three copies on legal-size paper by a certified surveyor or engineer | Professional fee |
| Elevation Certificate | A lot whose final plat requires one | Two copies submitted before the certificate of occupancy | Professional fee |
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 |
| Pre-construction meeting | Any development receiving a Land Disturbance Permit | Developer and development inspector sign the construction procedure forms | No separate fee |
| Lot inspection | Where the final plat requires it | Requested by fax to the Development Inspector, completed within two days | Set by the county |
Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Chapter 14 licences regardless of job value
- State licence required once the work exceeds the statutory threshold, per project
- 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 Paulding County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Residential, commercial, and industrial construction |
| Electrical permit | Issued by the same division as the building permit |
| Heating and air-conditioning permit | Mechanical work, issued by the same division |
| Plumbing permit | Issued by the same division |
| Land Disturbance Permit | Required before grading or developing one acre or more |
| House Location Plan | Where the final plat marks it with an asterisk |
| Elevation Certificate | Where the final plat marks it, submitted before the certificate of occupancy |
| Fire inspection | Separate sign-off required before the certificate of occupancy issues |
Solar permits in Paulding County
Solar is filed as its own record across Georgia rather than as a line item on a building permit, and it is reviewed on two tracks at once: the electrical side (conductors, overcurrent protection, rapid shutdown, labelling, and the service or supply-side connection, all against the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments) and the structural side (attachment detail, rail spacing, and whether the existing framing carries the added dead load).
Solar in unincorporated Paulding is filed as an electrical record with the Building and Permitting Division, which issues all four permit types from one desk. Ground-mount arrays that disturb an acre or more pull in the Land Disturbance Permit and its pre-construction meeting.
The covenant question comes up on nearly every residential array, and Georgia answers it less generously than several neighbouring states. Georgia's Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act (O.C.G.A. § 44-3-113 and Title 46, Chapter 3, Article 8) makes third-party solar financing lawful and limits a property owners' association's ability to prohibit solar outright, but Georgia gives homeowners materially less protection than North Carolina or Florida do: an association retains real authority over placement and appearance, and a covenant restricting where panels may sit on the roof will usually stand. Read the covenants before designing the array, not after.
Utility interconnection runs on its own clock alongside the permit. Georgia Power and the state's electric membership corporations each set their own application, meter, and witness-test sequence, and permission to operate is not something the building department controls — plan for the two tracks to finish at different times.
Roofing permits in Paulding County
A roof covering replacement needs a permit across most of Georgia. The permit is usually quick, but it is not optional, and the inspection that matters happens before the covering goes on rather than after.
Because Georgia enforces a statewide minimum code, there is no state product-approval database to search and no approval number to cite on the application. The assembly has to comply with the adopted code and the manufacturer's listed installation instructions, and that pairing is what the inspector checks — which makes the manufacturer's instructions a document worth having on site.
Reroofs in unincorporated Paulding are county permits; the same job inside Dallas or Hiram is not. The county office is in Dallas, which makes the address a poor guide to the authority — check the parcel.
Sequencing is where reroofs go wrong. The deck and dry-in condition has to be visible when the inspector arrives, so covering it first means opening it back up. Where a previous layer has been torn off, expect attention to deck fastening and to any sheathing replaced along the eaves.
Paulding County permit cost
Paulding prices from the county's adopted schedule, with trade permits carried as their own records. The land development side is priced separately, and the county's own sequence makes clear that fees are received before the pre-construction meeting is arranged — so the LDP fee sits ahead of the meeting rather than after it.
Two plat-driven documents carry professional costs that are easy to miss at bid stage. A House Location Plan, indicated on the final plat by an asterisk, must be prepared by a certified surveyor or engineer, submitted in three copies on 8½ by 14 inch paper. An Elevation Certificate, indicated on the plat, is submitted in two copies before the certificate of occupancy.
Land disturbance runs on its own statutory clock. For land-disturbance permits, from July 1, 2026, the existing 45-day initial review period stays, but the issuing authority now has five days to decide whether an application is complete and whether outside review is needed — miss that and the application is deemed complete. It must act on the first resubmission within 20 days and on later resubmissions within 14, and new comments generally have to relate to the original comments or to what the applicant actually changed. A denial has to state its reasons in writing. Miss the issuance or denial deadline and the authority must refund the application fees, and the applicant may seek mandamus in superior court with the petition given priority on the docket (O.C.G.A. §§ 12-7-9, 12-7-11).
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | County adopted fee schedule, by record type and scope |
| Trade permits | Electrical, HVAC, and plumbing as their own records |
| Land Disturbance Permit | Priced separately; fees received before the pre-construction meeting |
| House Location Plan | Prepared by a certified surveyor or engineer, three copies |
| Elevation Certificate | Two copies submitted before the certificate of occupancy |
| City projects | Priced by Dallas or Hiram, not by the county |
Want a precise number for a specific Paulding County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Paulding County trade permits
Paulding issues all four permit types from one division, which simplifies filing — but the inspection and certificate path runs through more than one office.
One division, four permits
Building, electrical, heating and air-conditioning, and plumbing permits all come from the Building and Permitting Division for residential, commercial, and industrial uses alike.
Two inspection numbers
Building inspections are booked on one line and fire inspections on another. The fire sign-off gates the certificate of occupancy, so book it early rather than at the end.
Technical questions are answered
The office answers technical questions about the adopted building, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing codes. Use that before a first job in the county.
State licence still governs
Chapter 14 trade licences authorise the work regardless of job value, and the general contractor threshold sits at two thousand five hundred dollars per project.
Paulding County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Paulding County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Dallas and Hiram permit their own construction. The county's own offices sit in Dallas, so the address will not resolve the question — check the parcel.
The plat tells you which extra records this lot needs. An asterisk means a House Location Plan prepared by a certified surveyor or engineer; a CE marking means an Elevation Certificate before the certificate of occupancy.
Any grading, disturbance, or development of one acre or more needs a Land Disturbance Permit from the Development Division through plan review, issued only once all required reviewers have approved the plans.
Once fees are received, a pre-construction meeting is arranged with the developer and the development inspector. The LDP and two sets of approved construction plans are handed over at that meeting, where the subdivision or commercial construction procedure forms are signed.
Building, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing permits all come from the Building and Permitting Division. Permit technicians are on 770-443-7571 and answer technical code questions as well as processing applications.
Building inspections go through 770-505-1398 or by email; fire inspections through 770-222-1160 or fireinspections@paulding.gov. You must pass the fire inspection to receive the certificate of occupancy. Lot inspections, where the plat requires them, are requested by fax and completed within two days.
Inspections in Paulding County
The county's building inspectors conduct the applicable inspections for all permits issued, and are scheduled by phone or email through the Building and Permitting Division. Fire inspections are a separate service on a separate number, and passing the fire inspection is a precondition of the certificate of occupancy rather than an optional extra.
Where the final plat requires them, lot inspection requests are faxed to the office marked for the attention of the Development Inspector, and the county commits to completing those inspections within two days. On a subdivision running several lots at once, that turnaround is worth building into the programme.
Georgia also lets an applicant bring a private professional provider to the plan review itself. Once the permit application and the provider's affidavit are both in, the building official has 30 days to issue the permit or give written notice identifying the specific plan features that do not comply and the specific code chapters and sections behind each. If that written notice does not arrive inside 30 days, the application is deemed approved as a matter of law and the permit shall be issued. A timely notice tolls the 30 days; when revisions come back, the official has the remainder of the tolled period plus five business days (O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26(g)).
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout, and keep the signed construction procedure forms with them on a developed site. 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.
Paulding County permit search and official resources
Paulding publishes its forms, plan review packets, and division contacts through Community Development, with land development handled by a separate division from building permits.
- Paulding County Building & Permitting Division
- Documents and forms
- Development Division plan review packet
- City of Dallas Community Development — separate authority
- DCA — current Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes
- Georgia Secretary of State — verify a contractor licence
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Paulding County, GA?
The Building and Permitting Division of Paulding County Community Development, at 240 Constitution Boulevard in Dallas. It issues building, electrical, heating and air-conditioning, and plumbing permits for residential, commercial, and industrial uses in unincorporated Paulding County.
Do I need a fire inspection in Paulding County?
For a certificate of occupancy, yes. You must pass a fire inspection to receive the CO, and it is scheduled separately with the Paulding County Fire Inspector on 770-222-1160 or at fireinspections@paulding.gov.
When do I need a Land Disturbance Permit in Paulding County?
Before any grading, disturbing, or development of one acre or more of land. The LDP is obtained from the Development Division through the plan review process, and is issued only after the plans have been approved by all required reviewers.
What happens at the Paulding County pre-construction meeting?
Once fees have been received, the meeting is set up with the developer and the development inspector. The developer receives the Land Disturbance Permit and two sets of approved construction plans there, and both parties sign the subdivision or commercial construction procedure forms.
What is a House Location Plan?
A plan required where the final plat marks it with an asterisk. Three copies must be submitted on 8½ by 14 inch paper, prepared by a certified surveyor or engineer.
What is an Elevation Certificate and when do I need one?
A certificate required where the final plat indicates it, submitted in two copies to the division before the certificate of occupancy is issued.
How do I schedule a building inspection in Paulding County?
By calling 770-505-1398 or emailing bldginspections@paulding.gov. Building permit technicians are reached separately on 770-443-7571 or at commdevpermits@paulding.gov.
How quickly are lot inspections done in Paulding County?
Where the final plat requires them, lot inspection requests are faxed to the office for the attention of the Development Inspector, and the county completes those inspections within two days.
Does Paulding County permit work in Dallas or Hiram?
No. Both cities permit construction inside their own limits. The City of Dallas runs its own Community Development department with its own portal, and the county's offices are in Dallas but do not permit city work.
Does the county answer code questions?
Yes. The Building and Permitting Division provides information to the public and answers technical questions concerning the adopted building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and other codes.
What code does Paulding County enforce?
The Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes — the 2024 International Building and Residential Codes with Georgia Amendments and the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments, effective January 1, 2026. The energy code remains the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements.
When is a Georgia contractor licence required?
Once the value of the work, or the contractor's compensation, exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars, tested per project rather than per invoice. Trade licences under Title 43, Chapter 14 are required regardless of job value.
Simplify Paulding County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Paulding is a fast-growing county that runs building and land development as two tracks with two sets of paperwork, and gates the certificate of occupancy behind a fire inspection booked with a third office. The plat tells you which extra records your lot needs, and reading it late is what costs the week. A permit expediter for Paulding County reads it first.
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Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Paulding County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right authority — unincorporated Paulding, Dallas, or Hiram, resolved from the parcel rather than the address.
- Both tracks sequenced — land disturbance and pre-construction meeting ahead of the building permit, fire inspection booked before it gates the CO.
- Complete oversight — every Paulding permit, land development 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.
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More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Paulding County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.