Gwinnett County building department

Gwinnett County Planning and Development reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects building construction and land development in unincorporated Gwinnett County. The department is at Innovation Square, 446 West Crogan Street, Suite 300, Lawrenceville. It is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The county’s code enforcement unit covers only unincorporated areas and refers residents inside city limits to their city, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.

The building side handles house construction and additions, decks, accessory structures, commercial buildings, retaining walls, tenant certificates of occupancy, fire suppression systems, temporary tents, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trade permits. The land development side covers grading, erosion control, water and sewer installation, stormwater, floodplain, stream buffer variances, addressing and street names, signs, and tree and landscape rules.

Work that does not need a permit

Gwinnett’s ordinances exempt:

Work	Limit
Replacing switches, fans, light fixtures, and similar items	Only if the mechanical, electrical, or plumbing system isn’t altered
Cosmetic work: painting, flooring, cabinets, vinyl siding, similar finishes	No limit listed
Storage buildings	120 square feet or less
Concrete driveways, sidewalks, basketball slabs	Front-yard coverage no more than 35%
Fences	8 feet or less in height

Brick columns and front-yard fences need a check with Planning and Development first.

How to apply: the ZIP Portal

Applications and inspection requests go through the ZIP (Zoning, Inspections, and Permitting) Portal, Gwinnett’s Accela Citizen Access site. Once plan review is complete, fees are paid, and contractor information is provided, the permit is issued to the contractor of record. Subcontractors use the county’s Subcontractor Registration and Subcontractor Affidavit forms. The county also posts a video on applying for a residential accessory structure permit.

Questions go to different email addresses by project type:

• Single-family and townhome permits: P&[email protected]
• Commercial and multifamily permits: P&[email protected]
• Building inspections: P&[email protected]
• Land development inspections: P&[email protected]

Land disturbance and development permits require plans reviewed under Title III of the Unified Development Ordinance. Depending on the project, that can include a preliminary plat, an erosion and sediment control plan, grading, stormwater and floodplain plans, water and sewer plans, and tree survey and landscape plans.

Property owner as contractor

A homeowner can get a permit for their own property with proof of ownership and a notarized Property Owner as Contractor Affidavit. In the affidavit, the owner states three things:

• The building is or will be occupied only by the owner and family, not the general public (O.C.G.A. 43-41-17(h)).
• They haven’t acted as contractor on a property they owned that sold or transferred within the past 24 months, counted from the date its certificate of occupancy was issued.
• They are responsible for whichever plumbing, electrical, or HVAC work they check off on the form.

Any Georgia-licensed trade subcontractor the owner hires must file their own subcontractor affidavit for the permit.

Building permit fees (effective July 1, 2024)

Item	Fee
New construction	$4 per $1,000 of ICC valuation, updated each January 1. Shell-only buildings are charged on 50% of valuation.
Residential renovation (under $75,000)	$125
Non-residential renovation (under $75,000)	$150
Extensive renovation ($75,000 or more)	$4 per $1,000
Certificate of Occupancy, temporary CO, or Certificate of Completion	$50
Demolition	$150
Mobile home	$75
Tenant change	$120
Permit extension	$25
Renewal of an expired permit	$50
Reinspection	1st free, 2nd $50, 3rd and after $100
Plan revision after issuance	$50 to $150 by sheet count
Construction before permit issuance	100% of the permit fee

Installing solar panels or EV chargers earns a 5% permit fee reduction. So does LEED, EarthCraft House, or EarthCraft Multifamily certification. The same schedule covers land development, water and sewer, stormwater, zoning, and fire marshal fees. For example, a single-family zoning variance is $250, and a rezoning of up to 5 acres zoned single-family is $750.

Inspections

Schedule inspections online in the ZIP Portal. You’ll need the permit case number, which looks like RESBLD2022-00001. Gwinnett also lets approved private firms provide limited county-authorized services. The ZIP Portal publishes the current lists of third-party engineers and inspectors, geotechnical testing firms, and special inspection agents.

Codes

Gwinnett’s Construction Code and Unified Development Ordinance are published on Municode. Building work follows the Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes. The Department of Community Affairs has adopted the 2024 IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, and ISPSC with Georgia amendments and the 2023 NEC, effective January 1, 2027. The energy code remains the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements.