Department of City Planning — Office of Buildings
- Phone
- (404) 330-6906
- Hours
- Monday – Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET
Georgia
Atlanta, GA permit fees and requirements
The City of Atlanta Department of City Planning
Office of Buildings regulates construction under the Atlanta Building Code (Code of Ordinances Chapter 20, Article IV, Sec. 20-6, with valuation keyed to Appendix B Table 100). Building permits are assessed at $7 per $1,000 of cost of construction with a $150 minimum, plus the City's $25 technology fee — the fee table's own footnote applies it 'to each of the permit base fees'. Trade permits are $150 base fees: electrical with a $75 minimum, plumbing and mechanical with $175 minimums. Notably, the fee table prints no separate plan-review percentage — plan review is bundled into the permit process.
Permit costs we have worked out
Each page shows the fee components, the formula the jurisdiction uses, and a worked example you can follow by hand.
Estimate your potential Atlanta permit fee with our Building Permit Fee Calculator.
| Permit | Category | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Building Permit Cost | structural | 2026-09-26 |
| Atlanta Electrical Permit Cost | electrical | 2026-09-26 |
| Atlanta Plumbing Permit Cost | plumbing | 2026-09-26 |
Local context
What is specific to Atlanta
Atlanta enforces the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes (IBC and IRC) with local amendments, administered by the Department of City Planning through the Accela Citizen portal. The Office of Buildings serves the city across Fulton and DeKalb counties from 55 Trinity Avenue SW.
Permits are entirely electronic except Express permits, which are accepted in person; the Office screens a submittal for acceptance within 48 business hours and routes it for review after the invoiced deposit is paid. Repairs under $10,000 of total valuation are exempt from permit and fee under Ordinance 17-O-1307, with a $2,500 threshold inside historic districts governed by Chapter 20 of the zoning ordinance. Standalone electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are pulled separately by state-licensed trade contractors, and the $25 technology fee rides every permit the Office of Buildings issues.
Two reading notes the fee data requires. Atlanta's '$7 per $1,000' prints no 'or fraction thereof', so the rate prorates — unlike neighboring Savannah, whose Revenue Ordinance rounds every fraction up. And the trade minimums look inverted on the City's table (electrical '$150 base / $75 minimum' against plumbing's '$175 minimum'): the minimum column is what a combination permit pays, and the seed models each trade exactly as printed.
Valuation
How valuation is determined here
Cost of construction is the sworn estimate of the total value of all construction work for the project, verified against the reviewer's estimate from the City's Appendix B Table 100 construction-cost data; the fee is set on the higher of the two.
Who to contact
The office that issues the permit, with the details we have verified. Confirm current hours before travelling.
What these fees do not include
The list is not a disclaimer: on a new house the fees left out can outweigh the permit fee several times over. Every entry here is stated on the permit page as well.
Not included in our estimates
These municipal figures cover the building permit, its minimum, and the technology fee. They exclude:
- Development impact fees assessed at building permit under Code Part 19, Ch. 1 (Ord. 21-O-0096) — the smallest residential tier pays $4,591, halved to $3,121 in the transportation share within 1,000 walking feet of a MARTA station.
- Water and sewer availability and meter fees charged by the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.
- Certificates of Appropriateness ($10–$200) and Special Administrative Permits ($500) for historic and SPI districts.
- Right-of-way and metered parking permits for work in the public way.
Official sources for this jurisdiction
The documents these figures are transcribed from. Where a source contradicts itself we keep both readings and say so on the permit page.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
ATL311 Knowledge Article — Office of Buildings, Residential Permits
Official 311 article states: "The minimum cost for a permit is $150, plus a $25 technology fee. The permit fee schedule for the City of Atlanta, found in the Code of Ordinances..." Confirms the two figures the fee tables carry.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances (Ch. 20, Art. IV; Appendix B Table 100)
Legal source named by the DCP page and the 311 article. Table 100 of Appendix B supplies the building-valuation data used to check the sworn cost of construction. The Municode viewer requires an authenticated session, so amounts are carried from the City's own fee tables.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of Atlanta — Getting Started with Zoning, Development & Permitting Services (DCP fee tables)
Building Permit $7 per $1,000 of Cost of Construction ($150 min); Technology Fee $25 per permit; Electrical Permit $150 base / $75 min; Plumbing Permit $150 base / $175 min. Footnote: a $25 technology fee applies to each of the permit base fees. The page names the Code of Ordinances fee schedule as the legal source.