For property in unincorporated Stephens County, building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and manufactured-home permits come from the Stephens County Building Department at 802 E. Doyle Street in Toccoa, and applications go through the County’s MyGov portal. A new house of 1,001–2,000 sq ft costs a flat $450, and the City of Toccoa issues its own building permits inside city limits.
What requires a building permit in Stephens County?
Under Sec. 18-71 of the County code, a building permit is needed for any project that changes a structure’s footprint, is 150 sq ft or larger or more than one storey, or needs water, sewer or electricity connections. The County’s application packets and fee schedule cover:
Permit required
- New homes, additions and remodels, including finishing unfinished space
- Garages, carports, pole barns and storage buildings
- Decks and porches
- Manufactured and modular homes
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical (HVAC) work
- Swimming pools
- Campers and travel trailers used as a residence
- Commercial buildings, change of occupancy and signs
- Towers and wireless facilities
- Boat docks costing more than $5,000
No permit under Sec. 18-71
- Changing the roofing material
- Changing exterior siding
- Replacing floor coverings
- Painting and wallpapering
- Sidewalks and driveways
A home must be at least 650 sq ft, and a storage building cannot be permitted as a house. No power may be connected and no construction or grading may start until the building permit is issued.
Who handles permitting in Stephens County?
| Item | Stephens County Building Department |
|---|---|
| Covers | Unincorporated Stephens County |
| Office | 802 E. Doyle Street, Toccoa, GA 30577 |
| Phone and email | 706-898-5750 · scpermits@stephenscountyga.gov |
| Building inspector line | 706-898-6597 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., closed 12:00–1:00 p.m. |
| Online | MyGov permitting portal (applications and contractor profiles) |
| Department head | Jeanne Pauley, County Planner, 706-898-6600 |
The Building Department sits within Planning & Zoning. It reviews applications, checks contractor credentials, inspects the work and issues Certificates of Occupancy or Completion.
City of Toccoa: inside Toccoa city limits, building permits come from the City, not the County. The City issues them Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and not on Fridays; City Hall is at 92 North Alexander Street (706-886-8451). The County’s Building Inspections page also links the City of Martin’s zoning ordinance among its resources.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Avalon and Martin: neither the County nor these towns publish who issues building permits inside their limits; contact the town hall before applying.
Third-party inspections: since July 13, 2026 the County has used SafeBuilt for inspections when its inspector is away and for commercial inspections that need certifications the County inspector does not hold. An owner or contractor can ask for SafeBuilt instead of the County inspector, with County approval, and then pays $189.94 per inspection before the Certificate of Occupancy is issued. The County also runs an approved third-party inspector program with its own application packet, and keeps final authority over permits and certificates.
MyGov filing and contractor registration
Permits are applied for and tracked in the County’s MyGov portal. From October 1, 2026, every contractor doing permitted work must be registered and approved in the portal before a permit is issued, with these documents kept current in the contractor profile:
- Government-issued photo ID for the contractor or qualifying agent
- A current Georgia contractor or trade licence for the work (residential, general, electrical, conditioned air, plumbing, low-voltage or utility)
- A Certificate of Liability Insurance
- A GSWCC Level IA (“Blue Card”) certification when the job involves land disturbance that requires it
Expired documents make the contractor registration inactive, and no permit is issued until they are updated. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC subcontractors on a house each sign a Residential Subcontractor Affidavit with a copy of their state licence. Owners building their own home sign the notarised Residential Building Affidavit; any licensed trade contractor they hire must still be registered with the County.
Stephens County permit fees
Fees are set by the Board of Commissioners and listed in the County’s Permit Fee Schedule. The County uses a single-permit system for houses: all residential fees are paid when the building permit is issued, by cash or check.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single-family home, 1,000 sq ft or less | $300 |
| Single-family home, 1,001–2,000 sq ft | $450 |
| Single-family home, 2,001–3,000 sq ft | $550 |
| Single-family home, 3,001–4,000 sq ft | $800 |
| Single-family home, 4,001 sq ft and up | $900 + $0.20 per sq ft |
| Deck or porch, up to 1,000 sq ft / over 1,000 sq ft | $50 / $100 |
| Accessory building, up to 600 sq ft / 601 sq ft and up | $75 / $150 |
| Accessory building with electrical or plumbing, up to 600 / 601 sq ft and up | $100 / $175 |
| Swimming pool | $150 |
| Mobile home, single-wide / double-wide | $125 / $250 |
| Electrical, mechanical or plumbing permit, residential / commercial | $65 / $75 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Commercial office, 1,000–2,000 sq ft | $250 |
| Commercial office, 2,001–3,000 sq ft | $500 |
| Commercial office, 3,001–4,000 sq ft | $1,000 |
| Commercial office, 4,001 sq ft and up | $1,000 + $0.35 per sq ft |
| Manufacturing, 1,000–11,000 / 11,001–21,000 / 21,001–33,000 sq ft | $490 / $970 / $1,940 |
| Manufacturing, 33,001 sq ft and up | $1,000 + $0.35 per sq ft |
| Metal warehouse, without / with electrical | $130 / $190 |
| Wood or block warehouse, without / with electrical | $190 / $260 |
| Agricultural or farm structure, 200–1,000 sq ft | $25 |
| Change of occupancy, residential / commercial | $90 / $180 inspector fee, plus $100 fire marshal fee |
| Standard sign | $50 + $1.50 per sq ft |
| Camper: 7-day vacation / 60-day temporary / 1-year residential | $25 / $50 / $300 |
| Re-inspection | $90 |
| Renewal or replacement of an expired permit | $150 |
A 1,800 sq ft house falls in the 1,001–2,000 sq ft band, so its building permit is $450. Farm buildings of 1,001–5,000 sq ft are $25 plus $0.015 per sq ft over 1,000, and larger ones $85 plus $0.015 per sq ft over 5,000. Towers range from $100 for an amateur radio tower to $1,000 plus a $6,500 third-party review for a new wireless tower, and re-inspection fees must be paid before any certificate is issued.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits
The Building Department issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical (HVAC) permits on one Trade Permit Application, at $65 for residential and $75 for commercial work. The form covers new services, additions, alterations and repairs, temporary power poles (for a well, gate, camper or construction) and same-day disconnect and reconnect, and asks for the power provider: Georgia Power, Hart EMC or Habersham EMC.
A trade permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or if no inspection takes place within 180 days. Each trade contractor must be registered in MyGov. For a change of occupancy the fee schedule adds a $100 fire marshal fee to the inspector’s fee, and the commercial application requires work to meet the fire, energy and accessibility codes as well as the building code.
Application documents and review time
House or addition
- Residential Building Permit Application
- Recorded plat showing the structure’s location and setbacks
- Construction drawings or floor plans
- Preliminary septic permit, where the lot is on septic
- Contractor licence and certificate of insurance, or the owner’s notarised affidavit
Commercial building
- Commercial Building Permit Application
- Recorded plat, plus a recorded easement if the lot does not front a county road
- Stamped engineered drawings and floor plans
- Approved septic permit
- GDOT driveway permit next to a state road, and a Public Works culvert permit if needed
- Site plan showing parking, drainage and access
- Contractor licences and certificates of insurance
Accessory buildings need a plat with setbacks, building specifications and, for prefabricated buildings, the installation and anchoring details. Incomplete applications are not accepted. The County gives a typical processing time of 10 business days for commercial applications.
Rather not deal with the Stephens County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6 steps in Stephens County
Make sure the site is outside Toccoa city limits; inside the city, apply to the City of Toccoa.
Ask Stephens County Environmental Health for soil and septic approval where needed, and request a 911 address if the lot has none.
The general contractor and every trade contractor must be registered and approved, with licence, insurance and ID on file.
Use the residential, accessory, commercial, manufactured-home, trade or specialty application, with the plat and drawings it lists.
Pay all fees by cash or check at issuance and post the permit card where it can be seen from the road.
Request each inspection by 4:00 p.m. the day before; the Certificate of Occupancy follows the approved final.
Stephens County inspections
Request inspections by phone (706-898-5750) or email (scpermits@stephenscountyga.gov) by 4:00 p.m. the day before. Give the permit number, job address, inspection type and a contact name and phone number. A failed or not-ready inspection costs $90 to repeat.
Before the first inspection the site needs a gravel construction entrance on geotextile fabric, silt fence where required, the permit card visible from the road, marked property corners and a portable toilet. The County’s residential inspection guidelines then run in this order:
- Temporary power: service pole, GFCI outlets and ground rod.
- Footing: dug to undisturbed soil at least 12 inches below grade, with two runs of #4 rebar on chairs.
- Slab or foundation: forms, 6-mil vapor barrier, reinforcement and tested under-slab plumbing.
- Rough-in: framing, roof, windows and doors, wiring, plumbing and ductwork, before insulation or drywall.
- Insulation and energy: wall insulation of at least R-13 and sealed penetrations.
- Permanent power and final: working systems, smoke detectors, address numbers, handrails and a stabilised yard.
The Certificate of Occupancy is issued after the final passes; it is unlawful to occupy a building without one.
Local Stephens County rules
Permit life: the County code makes a building permit valid for one year from application for a new structure and six months for a mobile home. Permits cannot be renewed; an expired one is replaced for $150. The residential application also says a permit expires if work has not started within six months.
Setbacks and water: no structure or irrigation may go in a county right-of-way, drainage easement, buffer or floodplain, or within 25 feet of state waters, without approval. Property lines must be marked before the footing inspection. The County will not issue a permit until its other ordinances are met, including the mountain protection, flood damage, watershed, wetland, erosion control and subdivision rules.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Zoning: rezonings, variances and conditional uses go to the Planning Commission, which meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at 37 W. Tugalo Street, before the Board of Commissioners votes on the fourth Tuesday.
Payment warning: the County says it will never ask for a wire transfer or for further payment after the initial fee, apart from re-inspection or renewal fees.
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
Stephens 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.
- Stephens County — Department Directory
- Stephens County — Building Regulations
- Stephens County — Forms & Permits
- Stephens County — Building Inspections
- Stephens County MyGov permitting portal
- Stephens County Permit Fee Schedule
- Residential Building Permit Application and inspection guidelines
- Commercial Building Permit Application
- Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Trade Permit Application
- Contractor Registration and Documentation Policy
- Third-Party Building Inspection Policy (SafeBuilt)
- City of Toccoa building permit application
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Stephens County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Stephens County?
The Stephens County Building Department, 802 E. Doyle Street, Toccoa (706-898-5750), for unincorporated areas. Inside Toccoa city limits the City of Toccoa issues building permits.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Stephens County?
It is a flat fee by size: $300 up to 1,000 sq ft, $450 for 1,001–2,000 sq ft, $550 for 2,001–3,000 sq ft, $800 for 3,001–4,000 sq ft, and $900 plus $0.20 per sq ft above that.
Do I need a permit for a new roof or siding in Stephens County?
No. Sec. 18-71 of the County code lists a roofing material change and an exterior siding change among projects that do not need a permit, along with flooring, painting, sidewalks and driveways.
Do I need a permit for a shed?
Yes, if it is 150 sq ft or larger, more than one storey or has power or water. Accessory buildings cost $75 up to 600 sq ft and $150 above that, or $100 and $175 with electrical or plumbing.
Can a homeowner pull a permit?
Yes. An owner acting as the contractor for their own home signs the notarised Residential Building Affidavit, and any electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor they hire must be licensed and registered with the County. The affidavit states that a house built this way may not be offered for sale for 24 months.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call 706-898-5750 or email scpermits@stephenscountyga.gov by 4:00 p.m. the day before, with the permit number, address and inspection type.
How long does a commercial permit take?
The County gives a typical processing time of 10 business days once every required document has been submitted.
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More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Stephens County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.