Cherokee County building department

Cherokee County’s Development Service Center (DSC) issues building permits for unincorporated Cherokee County and the City of Waleska. Building Inspections, under the same director, reviews plans and inspects the work. The DSC counter is on the ground floor of 1130 Bluffs Parkway in Canton. It is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it doesn’t accept new applications after 4:30 p.m. If your property is inside one of the county’s other incorporated cities, apply to that city instead.

What needs a permit

Project	County rule
New house, addition, deck, garage, porch	Residential permit required
Kitchen or bath remodel, basement finish	Residential permit required
Shed, playhouse, or detached accessory building	Exempt under 200 sq ft. Permit required at 200 sq ft or more. Professionally designed plans required at 2,000 sq ft or more
Barns and farm outbuildings	Permit required
Fence	Exempt up to 7 ft. Over 7 ft needs a fence permit ($50) with engineered drawings and a site plan
Retaining wall	Permit required at 4 ft or taller ($50), with a site location and engineered structural drawings
Re-roof, siding, windows	No permit for replacing shingles or installing siding or windows. A change in roof structure or design needs a permit
Paint, wallpaper, tile, carpet, cabinets, countertops	Exempt
Plumbing, electrical, HVAC	Service permit required, except minor repairs such as replacing lamps or connecting portable appliances

Even an exempt shed still has to meet building setbacks and erosion-control rules. If county offices are closed during an emergency, a state-licensed plumber, electrician, or conditioned-air contractor can make urgent repairs (a failed water heater, for example), but the permit must be obtained within 72 hours.

Applying

Residential, commercial, and trade (service) permits are all handled through the CityView portal. Except for new houses, every application needs a separate scope-of-work document. Gas, sewer, and subcontractor affidavits, temporary construction power forms, engineer letters, and water and sewer notices are accepted only through CityView. Notarize them before you upload.

New single-family house

• A complete residential application and a house location plan (a survey or plat)
• Proof of water and sewer service, or a septic permit from Environmental Health obtained before you apply to the county
• An approved driveway permit, unless the lot is part of a larger common development
• Notarized electrical, mechanical, and plumbing subcontractor affidavits, a sewer affidavit, and a temporary construction power affidavit
• A state contractor’s license, business license, and driver’s license

Buyers of lots in unfinished subdivisions may count as a tertiary permittee. In that case they must file a Notice of Intent with Georgia EPD and give the county an erosion, sedimentation, and pollution control plan prepared by a certified design professional.

Commercial projects

A commercial permit covers new buildings, alterations that remove or add walls or change egress or fire-rated assemblies, tenant finishes and changes of occupancy, MEP and fire system changes, and cellular antennas. Ground-up projects need an approved site plan. Plans go to CityView as one PDF, and staff review them in Bluebeam Revu. Building, Engineering, Fire Marshal, Environmental Health, Planning and Zoning, and Water and Sewer may each review a project. Stamped architectural drawings are required for assembly, educational, and institutional occupancies and for buildings of 5,000 sq ft or more. After every reviewer approves, a project coordinator issues an approval letter that lists the fees and remaining steps.

Contractors and homeowners

Permits are issued to contractors licensed by the State of Georgia or to their authorized agents. An agent needs a state Authorized Permit Agent Form for each permit. Homeowners can pull a permit to build their own residence by filing the county’s Homeowner’s Affidavit. Trade service permits go only to state-licensed technicians, and commercial permits only to state-licensed contractors.

Fees

Residential permit fees are based on square footage. Cherokee Status has a fee calculator, but it was listed as unavailable when this page was checked. Fees are due when the permit is issued. Commercial fees are based on building valuation data.

Fee	Amount
Certificate of occupancy	$50
Trade service permit	$50
Fence over 7 ft or retaining wall 4 ft+	$50
Impact fee, single-family detached	$2,560.59
Impact fee, condo/townhouse	$2,492.85
Re-inspection	$25, $50, then $100 for repeat failures of the same inspection

As of January 1, 2026, the DSC no longer accepts cash. You can pay by check, cashier’s check, money order, or card. Card payments carry a 3% fee, with a $2 minimum on charges under $67.

Codes

The 2024 I-Codes took effect in Cherokee County on January 1, 2026. The county enforces Georgia’s statewide minimum codes with state amendments: the 2024 IBC, IRC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IFC, and Swimming Pool and Spa Code, plus the 2023 NEC, the 2024 Life Safety Code, and the 2010 ADA standards. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs publishes the amendments. Building permits require an insulation inspection after the rough-in inspection passes and before walls and ceilings are covered.

Inspections

The first inspection on a residential job is erosion control. Don’t start any other work until it’s in place. You can schedule inspections online only through CityView, which also posts results in real time. Faxed requests aren’t accepted. Inspections are entered each morning before the inspectors leave and usually appear by 8:30 a.m. If a request shows “pending” with today’s date, it’s on the schedule. Inspectors post a time window in the comments of each scheduled inspection.

Commercial inspectors take calls only from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. For ground-up commercial work, submit a site as-built and clear the site, arborist, and stormwater checks before you request building and fire finals. Those field checks can take about five business days, and a missing as-built will hold up the certificate of occupancy.

Records

The CityView permit locator and Cherokee Status let you search permits, planning applications (rezonings, variances, land disturbance), and licenses. Inspection history goes back to mid-2005.