Cobb County building department

Cobb County Community Development’s Development and Inspections Division issues building and trade permits and enforces building codes in unincorporated Cobb County. Addresses inside a city go to that city. The newest is Mableton, which took over its own building and development permits on March 1, 2025. Cobb accepted its last Mableton applications on February 28, 2025. The county’s “Am I Located in a City?” map lookup confirms which jurisdiction an address falls in.

Residential permit types and what each requires

The county publishes a separate checklist for each residential permit type. Incomplete packages are neither accepted nor retained.

Permit	Covers	Key documents beyond the application
Addition	Anything attached that adds footprint: decks, patios, porches, sunrooms, rooms, garages, carports	Survey/plat or site plan marking the addition, scope-of-work letter, contract or estimate, basic drawing
Accessory structure	Detached sheds, pole barns, gazebos, pool houses, storage buildings	Survey/plat or site plan, scope letter, contract, basic drawing
Renovation	Interior work with no added square footage (kitchens, baths, removing walls)	Scope letter, contract or estimate, cost and description
Basement finish	Converting unfinished basement to heated living space	Square footage being finished, scope letter, contract
Retaining wall	Walls 30 inches and taller	Site plan, engineered design drawing/cross-section, wall cost
Demolition	Complete teardown of a single-family home (not needed to remove a deck, patio, porch, or retaining wall)	Three photos, signed erosion form, owner permission letter, recorded warranty deed
Solar	Panel installation	Electrical subcontractor permit, state electrical license, engineer letter
New single-family home	Includes attached townhomes and condos	Site plan, plans with elevations, energy affidavit, paid water/sewer receipts

Every package also needs a photo ID and copies of the state license and business license, plus a notarized Authorized Agent form if the person applying isn’t the license holder. Properties on septic need a red-stamped Environmental Health approval. Electrical, HVAC, and plumbing work go on separate subcontractor permit applications. For mobile homes, the county issues only power-use permits.

How to submit

Residential packets can be submitted two ways:

• Email a complete packet to [email protected]. Processing takes 10 to 14 business days.
• Walk in or drop off at 1150 Powder Springs Street, Marietta. Processing takes 0 to 3 business days, and most permits are ready the same day.

At the counter, a permit tech enters the application and sends you to Zoning, in the same office, to confirm setbacks and whether a variance is needed. Next is the Site Plan Review desk for drawing approval, then back to the permit desk to pay and receive the permit card. Copies of a Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of Completion can be requested from [email protected].

Cobb also accepts private plan review and inspection under Georgia’s 2019 House Bill 493. You must choose the third-party option when you apply, because permits issued through the standard process can’t switch later.

Fees (effective July 1, 2024)

New one- and two-family construction is charged $6.00 per $1,000 of construction cost, calculated from ICC Building Valuation Data. The county sheet uses $165.67 per heated square foot and $31.50 per unheated square foot. Commercial work is $7.00 per $1,000. Other residential work is priced by construction cost:

Residential construction cost	Permit fee
Up to $15,000	$80
$15,001 to $25,000	$150
$25,001 to $50,000	$300
$50,001 to $75,000	$450
Over $75,000	$6.00 per $1,000

Other charges include a $15 technology fee on every permit and an $80 trade permit (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or gas). A $100 site plan review fee applies to new homes, additions, decks, pools, retaining walls, and accessory structures. Pools have a $250 minimum, and demolition or a retaining wall is $100. Reinspections cost $50, then $75, then $100 for each one after that. Permit renewal is $100. Starting work before the permit is issued costs double the permit fee, up to $1,000. The county also posts a residential fee calculator spreadsheet.

Homeowner permits

A homeowner may act as general contractor only on a primary residence that is titled in the owner’s name, not a company’s. The home can’t be a second home, rental, or investment property. If a contractor has been hired, the contractor must pull the permit. Homeowners file the Homeowner Permit Request with a copy of the warranty deed’s first page and a photo ID.

Additions, large interior renovations, structural repairs after tree, fire, or storm damage, and new homes also require a preconstruction consultation with the Chief Building Inspector (770-528-2053) before the permit is processed. Decks, patios, porches, unheated detached sheds and barns, and basement or attic finishes don’t need the consultation.

Inspections

Schedule inspections online through Cobb Citizen Access or by text: send SCHEDULE to 877-376-1455. Text CANCEL to cancel or RESULTS to get results. Online, open the permit’s “Record Info,” then Inspections, then “Schedule or Request an Inspection.” Don’t use the blue-bar “Schedule an Inspection” button, and request one inspection at a time. HVAC and plumbing inspections must be coordinated for the same day where both apply. A permit expires unless it has a passing inspection every 60 days, and every permit has an overall 180-day expiration, with a renewal fee to extend it.

Cobb’s required-inspection sequence includes:

• Temporary power pole
• Footing, with the concrete-encased electrode checked
• In-slab trades
• A zoning compliance inspection after foundations and before framing, which checks setbacks and the 35-foot height limit
• Trade roughs, then framing, then insulation
• Gas test at 15 psi
• Duct testing on new homes
• Trade finals, then the building final, after which the Certificate of Occupancy is issued

Commercial COs may also need releases from the Fire Marshal (770-528-8310), site inspections (770-528-2142), and the arborist (770-528-2124).

Codes

Cobb’s codes page lists the 2024 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, and ISPSC with Georgia amendments, the 2023 NEC, and the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs announcement gives January 1, 2027 as the effective date for the 2024 state codes.