Atlanta building department

The Office of Buildings, part of the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (DCP), issues building, trade, sign, and tree permits for property inside city limits. It also inspects construction and enforces the building code. Its office is at City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Suite 3900, open Monday–Friday, 8:15 a.m.–5 p.m.

City limits cross county lines: the city’s GIS property viewer pulls tax assessor records from both Fulton and DeKalb counties. Check the city GIS property viewer (gis.atlantaga.gov) for a parcel’s zoning, overlays, and historic district before applying. Two other DCP offices may also review a project:

• Office of Zoning & Development: zoning compliance
• Office of Design: historic and landmark districts

Applying through Accela

Most DCP services are digital-only. Accela Citizen Access (ACA) accepts applications 24/7 for the following:

• Single- and two-family, multi-family, and commercial work: additions, alterations, conversions, demolitions, land development, new construction, pools, and solar PV
• Residential and commercial trade permits: electrical, gas pressure test, HVAC, low voltage, plumbing, temporary power, water heater
• Fire and life safety permits: alarms, sprinklers, underground lines
• Board of Zoning Adjustment, historic preservation, and Special Administrative Permit applications
• Open records requests for building, trade, tree, and code enforcement files

The city sends invoices. You pay them in ACA or at the cashier’s window on the first floor of City Hall. The Office of Buildings says it never asks for payment information by phone or email.

Rules that catch applicants off guard:

• Arborist meeting first: Since June 25, 2025, any application that may affect trees needs a completed Arborist Meeting with Office of Buildings arborist staff before you submit. Without one, the application is rejected. Call the Arborist Division at (404) 330-6874.
• Pools are filed alone: Since January 2, 2025, a swimming pool permit must be filed separately from the house, pool house, or retaining wall permits.
• Notarized forms expire: Notarized documents must be dated within 30 days of submittal, completed before notarization, and signed in front of the notary.
• Structural drawings: Since January 12, 2026, the city has paused its own review of structural drawings. You must still submit them, and the Engineer of Record is responsible for them.
• Tree professionals register: Under the 2026 Tree Protection Ordinance, businesses that submit tree permits, protection plans, or hazardous-tree requests must register with the city. Private property owners don’t need to.

Express permits

Express permits are reviewed over the counter within about 30 minutes. Since February 1, 2025, express applications are accepted in person only, Monday–Friday, 8:15 a.m.–3:30 p.m. The express desk is at (404) 330-6907. Residential projects that qualify include:

• Fences that don’t affect trees
• Decks built to the Georgia Prescriptive Deck Details, up to 24 ft by 24 ft (576 sq ft)
• Covered porches
• Same-size driveway replacements that don’t affect trees
• Window replacements and accessibility ramps
• Interior alterations or basement and attic finishes with minor structural changes
• Exterior finish systems such as siding, stucco, or veneer
• Rooftop solar of 25 kW or less
• Factory-built spas

Commercial interior alterations up to 3,000 sq ft in Group B, M, R-1, and R-2 occupancies also qualify, as do commercial re-roofs with no structural changes. Express can’t be used to clear a stop-work order, except one for an unpermitted fence. Residential additions and alterations under 1,500 sq ft have their own intake line at (404) 330-6906.

Adopted codes

For applications submitted on or after February 1, 2026, Atlanta follows the State of Georgia’s newly adopted codes, each with Georgia amendments:

• 2024 editions: IRC, IBC, IMC, IFGC, IPC, and Swimming Pool and Spa Code
• 2023 National Electrical Code

Applications submitted by January 31, 2026, and reviews already in progress, stay under the earlier codes. The State Fire Marshal’s adoption of the 2024 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code took effect May 27, 2025.

Expired permits

An expired permit is void, and the building permit fees already paid are forfeited. Since March 16, 2026, a Simplified Renewal Pathway has been available for some residential permits. It still requires a new permit and new building fees. In exchange, the project may skip re-routing to other agencies, and certificate of occupancy fees paid earlier aren’t charged again. To qualify, all of these must be true:

• The permit was issued within the last two years.
• Ownership and plans haven’t changed.
• At least one qualifying inspection has passed.
• There are no open enforcement cases.

Requests can’t go through ACA. Start one by walk-in at Suite 3900, by phone at (404) 330-6906, or by email at [email protected]. Review typically takes about three business days.

Inspections

Requests received before 3 p.m. are inspected within two business days. The applicant, contractor, or expediter can schedule. DCP-stamped plans must be on site, and you need the permit number, or the trade permit number for trade work. There are four ways to schedule:

Method	How
Online	Accela Citizen Access
Phone	Automated line (404) 658-6800: press 1 to schedule, 2 to cancel or reschedule, 3 for results
Text	Text (888) 686-3804. For example, S BE-202308990 100 schedules a footing inspection (code 100)
Email	[email protected] (not for arborist inspections)

Common inspection codes include 100 footing, 130 deck footing, 135 deck framing, 170 insulation, 180 framing rough, 190 building final, 280 and 290 electrical rough and final, 380 and 390 plumbing rough and final, and 480 and 490 mechanical rough and final. An online inspection tracker shows your assigned inspector.

Virtual video inspections: Email [email protected] with the subject “Remote Video Inspections.” These cover follow-up inspections and trade permits on projects of 2,000 sq ft or less. Inspectors call between 7 and 8 a.m. to set a time, and the last video inspection starts at 2:30 p.m. After two failed inspections, the system charges a re-inspection fee, which must be paid before you can schedule again.

Third-party inspections: City-approved private agencies can inspect building, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing work, and using one may lower your permit fees. The agency must be vetted by the city before it inspects.

Code enforcement

Report unpermitted construction to Code Busters, anonymously if you prefer, at [email protected] or (404) 330-6178.