In unincorporated Pike County, building permits come from Planning & Development at 77 Jackson Street, Zebulon (770-567-2007), and applications go through the County’s iWorQ portal. A new house costs a $200 application fee plus $0.30 per square foot, which covers the electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, and the County’s impact fee ordinance adds a per-house impact fee collected before the permit is issued.
What requires a building permit in Pike County?
The Unified Development Code requires a building permit before you excavate or fill a lot to build, put up, move or demolish a building larger than 120 sq ft, install a manufactured home or industrialized building, or do other work on an existing building that the building official decides needs inspection. Power is not connected to a new construction site until the permit is issued.
Permit required
- New homes, guest quarters and garage apartments
- Accessory structures, decks, slabs, patios, carports and porches
- Residential repairs, remodels and re-roofs
- Swimming pools, with the required safety fence
- Fences around pools, stormwater basins over 3½ ft deep or hazardous materials, and fences or walls over 4 ft
- Commercial buildings, accessory buildings, exterior remodels and interior finishes
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work outside a combined permit
- Signs, demolition, chicken houses, solar farms and towers
No building permit
- One-story detached structures under 120 sq ft
- Temporary structures such as storage pods rented for a limited time
Who handles permitting in Pike County?
Pike County Planning & Development handles permitting, building inspections, planning and zoning, code enforcement and erosion control and land disturbance permits. The Unified Development Code applies to the unincorporated county; the building official issues building permits, and the zoning administrator signs the Certificate of Occupancy once the building inspectors report that the work meets the codes.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Item | Pike County |
|---|---|
| Office | Planning & Development, 77 Jackson Street, Zebulon, GA 30295 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 377, Zebulon, GA 30295 |
| Director | Cassandra Jones, 770-567-2007 |
| Apply | iWorQ permit portal |
| Driveway and culvert permits | Board of Commissioners Office, 331 Thomaston Street, Zebulon, Monday to Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. |
The building permit must be applied for by the landowner or by the contractor doing the work. The County will not accept an application from anyone who is in violation of the zoning ordinance until the violation is cleared.
Inside the cities:
- Williamson: by intergovernmental agreement, the County department issues building permits, inspects the work, enforces the codes and issues certificates of occupancy inside the city. The City first approves each project on its own building permit application and charges a processing fee on top of the County permit fees; its fee schedule is kept at Williamson City Hall.
- Zebulon: the City’s 2017–2022 report of accomplishments in the joint comprehensive plan lists an intergovernmental agreement with the County for building inspections as complete.
- Molena: the City’s zoning ordinance has building permit applications made to the City’s Administrative Officer, and the City’s property use forms page points builders to the Pike County Builder’s Checklist. Molena City Hall: 770-884-9711.
- Concord and Meansville: the County’s published sources do not say who issues permits in these towns; contact the town hall before applying.
Permit costs and fees in Pike County
Fees come from the Planning & Development fee schedule adopted by the Board of Commissioners on December 14, 2022. Most permits are an application fee plus a permit fee, and all fees are non-refundable.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New home, guest quarters or garage apartment (trades included) | $200 + $0.30 per sq ft |
| Accessory structure (trades included if required) | $200 + $0.30 per sq ft |
| Open deck, slab, patio, carport or porch | $100 + $0.15 per sq ft |
| Residential repair or remodel | $50 + $250 per building |
| Re-roof | $50 + $50 per building |
| Swimming pool, including safety fence | $100 + $100 |
| Fence or wall over 4 ft, or pool, basin or hazardous materials fence | $50 + $50 |
| Commercial building, complete or shell | $400 + $0.40 per sq ft |
| Commercial accessory building | $200 + $0.30 per sq ft |
| Commercial interior finish | $200 + $0.25 per sq ft |
| Commercial exterior remodel | $200 + $0.25 per sq ft of facade |
| Electrical, plumbing or HVAC permit | $50 + $50 each |
| Demolition | $50 + $150 per building |
| Sign | $100 + $1 per sq ft per side |
| First re-inspection after a failed inspection | $50 |
| Each later re-inspection | $75 |
| Fire safety inspections and plan review | $300 per project |
| Civil plan review | $300 per review |
| Land disturbance permit, individual lot | $75 |
For example, a new 2,000 sq ft house costs $200 plus $600, or $800, before the impact fee. Commercial building permits do not include the trades, so each commercial electrical, plumbing and HVAC permit is added separately.
Work started without a permit pays double the application and permit fees. A permit that lapses before any inspection is renewed at 100% of the original fee (excluding impact fees); a permit on a job already under way can be renewed for $100 before it expires.
Impact fees: the County’s Development Impact Fee Ordinance assesses the fee when the building permit is applied for and collects it no later than permit issuance. The schedule attached to the posted ordinance (dated May 10, 2006) lists $2,404.15 per single-family detached house. Additions, decks, pools, guest quarters and replacement homes on the same lot are not charged, and the Board of Commissioners can waive the fee on a new house for documented disability or financial hardship.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits in Pike County
For new homes, guest quarters and accessory structures, the County’s per-square-foot fee already includes the required electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits. Stand-alone electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are $50 application plus $50 each, and every commercial project needs its own trade permits. The building official can issue a notice of approval when a system such as HVAC, plumbing or electrical has passed its inspections and tests.
Fire safety inspections and plan review cost $300 per project.
Application documents
New house or guest quarters
- Completed permit application
- Well permit or water meter receipt
- Septic permit
- NPDES Notice of Intent, if applicable
- Recorded deed and recorded plat (no larger than 11 x 17)
- Driveway receipt or permit from Public Works or GDOT
- Detailed building plans (no larger than 11 x 17)
- Copy of the homeowner’s or builder’s driver’s licence
- Contractor’s current-year business licence and Georgia contractor licence
- Homeowner Affidavit, if applicable
- Residential Impact Fee Affidavit
Other checklists
- Accessory structures, additions and renovations: application, septic permit if applicable, deed, plat, plans, licences and Homeowner Affidavit if applicable
- Swimming pools: the same plus the pool contractor’s business licence and a completed fence permit application
- Manufactured homes: the new-home list plus copies of the dealer’s and installer’s licences
The Health Department must approve the water supply and sewage disposal before a building permit is issued (it can waive this where public water and sewer serve the site) and decides within 30 days. If the building official refuses a permit, the reasons are given in writing within 10 days.
Rather not deal with the Pike County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6-step Pike County process
Make sure the property is in unincorporated Pike County, where the County’s Unified Development Code applies, and that the use fits the zoning district. In Williamson, the City approves the project on its own application before the County permit.
Obtain the septic permit, the well permit or water meter receipt, and a driveway permit from the Board of Commissioners Office or GDOT.
Gather the deed, plat, 11 x 17 plans, licences and the Residential Impact Fee Affidavit from the matching County checklist.
Submit the application in the County’s iWorQ permit portal and pay the permit and impact fees before issue.
Begin work within 180 days of issue; the building official can grant one further 180 days in writing for justifiable cause.
Follow the inspection schedule the building official gives you. The zoning administrator issues the Certificate of Occupancy once the inspectors sign off.
Pike County inspections
The building official explains the inspection procedures and timing for each permit. A failed inspection costs $50 for the first re-inspection and $75 for each one after that.
No building may be occupied or used, and no change of use may take place, until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Where the shell is finished but interior build-out is still planned, the building official can issue a certificate of completion, but the space cannot be occupied until it has a Certificate of Occupancy. Once work has started, it must not stop for more than 12 months or the permit becomes invalid.
Local Pike County details that matter
Driveways and culverts: Public Works issues driveway permits and inspects new culverts; permits are obtained at the Board of Commissioners Office, 331 Thomaston Street, Zebulon.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Pools: pools holding at least 24 inches of water need a fence at least 4 ft high, which is included in the $200 pool permit.
Demolition: a demolition permit is valid for 90 days (30 days for a building under a minimum housing code violation), and the site must be cleared of debris and re-vegetated.
Land disturbance: an individual lot permit is $75 and a development permit $500, with erosion control plan review paid to the Towaliga Soil & Water Conservation District and NPDES fees of $40 per acre each to the state EPD and the County.
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
Pike County 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.
- Pike County — Public Works
- Pike County — Ordinances & Unified Development Code
- Pike County — Planning & Development
- Pike County iWorQ permit portal
- Pike County Planning & Development fee schedule (December 2022)
- Pike County new home permit checklist
- Pike County Unified Development Code, Article 4 (permits)
- Pike County Development Impact Fee Ordinance
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Pike County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Pike County?
Pike County Planning & Development at 77 Jackson Street, Zebulon, for the unincorporated county. Its building official issues permits and its inspectors inspect the work.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Pike County?
A $200 application fee plus $0.30 per square foot, which includes the electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits. A 2,000 sq ft house is $800, plus the County impact fee.
Do I need a permit for a shed?
Not for a one-story detached structure under 120 sq ft. Larger accessory structures are $200 plus $0.30 per sq ft.
How much is a pool permit?
$100 application plus $100, including the required safety fence, which must be at least 4 ft high.
How long is a Pike County building permit valid?
Work must begin within 180 days of issue, with one 180-day extension possible, and must not stop for more than 12 months once started.
What happens if I build without a permit?
All application and permit fees for the work are doubled.
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More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Pike County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.