Woodstock, Georgia Building Permit Guide

The City of Woodstock’s Building & Safety Division, part of Community Development, issues building and trade permits inside city limits and carries out combination inspections; applications, payments and inspection requests go through the City’s BS&A Online portal. A residential permit is $3 per $1,000 of construction value plus a plan review fee of half the permit fee, and trade permits with complete paperwork are issued the same day.

What requires a building permit in Woodstock?

The City building permit application covers new construction, alterations, additions, accessory structures and repairs, residential and commercial. Permits that go through plan review include:

Site disturbance can create an additional City permit. Woodstock’s Land Development Code requires a land development permit before site work where the disturbed area is greater than 0.1 acre, or 4,356 square feet. Projects below that threshold can still be required to follow the land-development process at the discretion of Community Development.

Woodstock building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Safety Division of the Community Development Department reviews plans, issues permits and inspects construction. Duane Helton is the Deputy Community Development Director and Building Official, and Melissa Sigmund is the Community Development Director. Property in unincorporated Cherokee County is permitted by Cherokee County, not the City.

Woodstock permit types and BS&A filing

Woodstock’s BS&A Online account lets applicants submit building permits, apply for planning, zoning or engineering processes, search Building Department records, pay fees and schedule inspections. Each submittal uploaded to BS&A carries a $3 technology fee. Incomplete submittals are not accepted for review, and plans are reviewed in the order they are received; when review is finished, the contractor is told the fee total.

Residential plan review needs two sets of plans and house location plans, or three sets for a single-family attached home or a home in the Downtown District. Commercial submittals need one paper and one digital set of plans, and commercial projects, attached multifamily homes and attached single-family homes must include a completed Fire Department Review Application.

The Applications & Forms page (most forms revised in 2026) has the building, new home and commercial applications with checklists, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits, demolition, swimming pool, tent, blasting, model home, construction trailer, tree removal and after-hours construction permits, fire alarm and suppression permits, sign permits, the Authorized Permit Agent Form, the homeowner affidavit, the Sub-Contractor Affidavit and the Power Reconnection Inspection request.

Permit costs and fees in Woodstock

Fees come from Section 2.2 of the City Fee Schedule. Permit fees are based on the construction value, rounded up to the next $1,000; if the Building Official thinks the stated value is too low, the ICC Building Valuation Data can be used instead.

The City’s own example: a home valued at $240,499.70 is rounded to $241,000, giving a $723 permit fee; plan review adds half that ($361.50), and new construction adds the $100 erosion inspection fee. Pools, accessory structures and docks are priced as master building permits from their value.

Starting work before the permit is issued carries a penalty of 100% of the usual permit fee or $100, whichever is higher. A new permit to replace an expired one costs 100%, 50% or 25% of the original fee depending on how far the inspections had progressed. A new single-family home also pays a City parks and recreation impact fee of $1,509.72, assessed at permit issue and paid before the Certificate of Occupancy; remodels, decks, patios and private pools are exempt.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire coordination

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits are issued the same day the application is submitted, as long as all required documents are included. Each application has a unit count schedule on the back used to calculate the fee, which is paid when the permit is issued. New single-family homes list their electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and low-voltage subcontractors on the building application, with subcontractor affidavits.

All new utility services on private property must be placed underground. Fire alarm and fire suppression systems have their own permits, and the Fire Department reviews commercial and attached residential projects.

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

Application documents and plan review

The building application asks for two sets of building plans and site plans with a detailed scope of work, the plan submittal checklist, a driver’s licence, business licence, proof of water meter payment where applicable, the state contractor’s licence where applicable, an Authorized Permit Agent form if the applicant is not the licence holder, and an owner-builder affidavit for homeowners acting as general contractor.

The residential checklist asks for a cover sheet with current codes and design loads, floor, electrical, elevation and structural plans, a square footage table, and a house location plan sealed by a registered land surveyor. The applicant certifies that no work has begun before the permit is issued.

For land-development work, the City code requires approved site plans before an LDP is issued, and a pre-construction meeting is required before land-development permit issuance.

How to apply: 6-step Woodstock process

Woodstock inspections

Woodstock performs combination inspections, and only the general contractor may schedule them, through the City’s online inspection portal. To use it, create an account, then call 770-592-6054 to have the account linked to your permits; only one account can be linked, so everyone on the job should use the same login. Enter the full permit number, inspection type and date, add any engineer letters, photos or surveys, and wait for the confirmation email: without it, the inspection has not been booked.

Trade inspections are booked under the trade permit number (an under-slab plumbing inspection appears only under the plumbing permit), and rough, final, wall cover and ceiling cover inspections must be requested for each trade separately. Re-inspections cost $25, $50 and then $100, and a stop work order can follow the third failure for the same problem.

Site-work inspections follow a separate rule set. The Land Development Code states that Public Works and Community Development conduct inspections for site work and can require corrections or issue a stop-work order when work does not match approved plans or City requirements.

Local Woodstock details that matter

0.1-acre land-disturbance trigger: the City code requires an LDP when disturbed area is greater than 4,356 square feet, and smaller projects can still be routed through land development at the City’s discretion.

New home plans: the cover sheet must list the current codes, wind load, Seismic Design Category B and live and dead loads, and the house location plan must show setbacks from the approved plat, drainage arrows, the plat book and page and trees from the approved tree plan, sealed by a registered land surveyor.

Downtown District: homes in the Downtown District need a third set of plans.

Temporary signs: temporary signs (up to 32 sq ft) and 15-day banners (up to 24 sq ft) are free and issued the same day with the property owner’s approval.

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

Woodstock 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 state minimum codes
• Woodstock Land Development Code
• Woodstock inspection scheduling
• Woodstock building permit application
• Woodstock BS&A Online
• Woodstock Building & Safety Division
• Woodstock Inspections & Codes
• Woodstock Applications & Forms
• Woodstock City Fee Schedule
• Woodstock New Home Building Permit checklist (2026)

Woodstock permit FAQs

Does Woodstock issue its own building permits?

Yes. The City’s Building & Safety Division issues building permits for work inside Woodstock city limits; Cherokee County handles unincorporated areas.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Woodstock?

$3 per $1,000 of construction value plus a plan review fee of half that amount and a $100 erosion inspection fee. A $241,000 home pays $723 plus $361.50 for plan review, before trade permits and the $1,509.72 impact fee.

Can permit work be handled online?

Yes. BS&A Online handles permit applications, record searches, fee payments and inspection scheduling; each upload carries a $3 technology fee.

Who schedules inspections?

Only the general contractor, through the online inspection portal with an account linked to the permits by the Building Department.

When is a land-development permit required?

The City code requires an LDP before site work disturbing more than 0.1 acre, or 4,356 square feet; smaller projects can also be required to use the process.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The penalty is 100% of the usual permit fee or $100, whichever is higher, on top of the permit fee.

Simplify Woodstock 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 Woodstock permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.