Suwanee, Georgia Building Permit Guide

The City of Suwanee issues building permits and carries out inspections for property inside city limits, with applications and inspection requests made online through the City’s BS&A portal. Permits are charged at $6 per $1,000 of calculated construction cost, with a $50 minimum, and residential plan review carries no fee.

What requires a permit in Suwanee?

Suwanee requires permits before construction or remodeling that constructs, enlarges, alters or repairs a structure, including reroofs. The City also calls out changes to electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other mechanical systems.

Published examples include room additions; basement, attic and garage finishes; moving walls; water heater replacement; electrical service replacement; decks over 30 inches high; and accessory buildings larger than 200 square feet.

The City states that minor repair, cabinetry and painting do not require building permits. When a scope does not fit a published example, Suwanee directs applicants to contact inspections staff before starting.

Suwanee building department: who handles permitting

The City of Suwanee handles building permits and inspections for property inside city limits. Property outside the city goes through the county.

Suwanee permit types and filing

The City publishes permit checklists and forms by project type, including commercial additions and renovations, new commercial, new residential, pools, decks, retaining walls, power reconnects and residential renovations and re-roofs.

Only a Georgia-licensed contractor or the owner-occupant of a home can be issued a permit. A homeowner signs a notarised Homeowner Affidavit naming the trades they are responsible for and emails it to permitinfo@suwanee.com. A licensed contractor or qualifying agent who sends someone else to apply uses the notarised Authorized Permit Agent Form, with copies of the licences and the agent’s driver’s licence.

Permit fees in Suwanee

A building permit is needed for any structure with a construction cost over $1,000. Unless the City’s fee schedule says otherwise, the fee is $6 per $1,000 of calculated construction cost for all heated areas, worked out from the ICC data sheet with the regional modifier, with a $50 minimum. A house with a calculated cost of $300,000 therefore pays $1,800. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fee.

Land disturbance carries an erosion control bond of $3,000 per disturbed acre, refunded once the site is stabilised.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work

Suwanee requires permits for changes to electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other mechanical systems, including water heater replacement and electrical service replacement.

Alliance handles electrical permits for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

Application documents and plan review

Use the City’s checklist for the project type. The City’s building forms include a homeowner affidavit, subcontractor affidavit, erosion-control affidavit and temporary-to-permanent power affidavit.

The City does not carry out in-depth residential plan reviews, but its Residential Plan Review Requirements list what gets plans rejected at once: no site plan for an exterior addition (property lines, setbacks, easements and rights of way), no footings at least 12 inches below grade under new load-bearing walls such as a porch roof, missing mechanical drawings, or no roof truss design.

How to apply: 6-step Suwanee process

Suwanee inspections

Schedule inspections through the City’s online request pages, which have separate entries for residents and contractors. Under the City’s readiness policy, every item to be inspected must be complete before the inspection is requested.

A failed inspection costs $50 to re-inspect the first time, $75 the second and $100 the third. Reconnecting gas or power to a space that has stood vacant follows the City’s Power Policy Reconnect checklist, with a $50 re-connection inspection.

The City publishes how-to guides for contractor account set-up, linking several accounts, applying for permits and scheduling inspections.

Local Suwanee details that matter

Affidavits: The City publishes a homeowner affidavit, subcontractor affidavit, erosion-control affidavit and temporary-to-permanent power affidavit among its building forms.

Property maintenance code: Suwanee lists the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with Georgia and Suwanee amendments among the codes it has adopted.

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

Suwanee 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.

• Georgia DCA current codes
• Suwanee Building Permits & Inspections
• Georgia DCA enforcement
• Suwanee fee schedule
• Suwanee residential plan review requirements

Suwanee permit FAQs

Does Suwanee require permits for reroofing?

Yes. The City specifically includes re-roofs among work requiring a building permit.

What deck work is listed as requiring a permit?

Suwanee lists decks over 30 inches in height among its permit examples and also publishes a residential deck permitting checklist.

Can I request an inspection before everything is ready?

The City’s readiness policy says all items subject to inspection must be completed before the request is made.

Does Suwanee publish project-specific checklists?

Yes. The City publishes separate checklists for multiple residential and commercial project types.

How much is a building permit in Suwanee?

$6 per $1,000 of calculated construction cost, with a $50 minimum. Residential plan review is free.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Suwanee?

Yes, if you own and live in the home. Email a notarised Homeowner Affidavit to permitinfo@suwanee.com with the application.

Simplify Suwanee 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Suwanee permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.