Savannah building department

The City of Savannah’s Development Services Department permits and inspects new construction inside Savannah city limits. Its offices are at 20 Interchange Drive (open 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, main line (912) 651-6510). City Hall at 2 East Bay Street (P.O. Box 1027) is the city’s general contact address; the department’s own pages list Interchange Drive. One department coordinates every review a project needs: stormwater, water and sewer, park and tree, traffic, streets, zoning, the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC), and the building trades. Unincorporated Chatham County is permitted by Chatham County Building Safety, not the city. For zoning questions and business location approvals, contact the Planning and Urban Design Department at (912) 525-2783.

What needs a permit

The city publishes two residential lists, one for projects that need a permit and one for projects that don’t (revised December 2021).

Project	Permit?	Plans?
Porch, deck, or patio (built structure)	Building	Yes
Concrete patio on grade	No	—
Shed or other closed-roof accessory building, one story and under 120 sq ft	No	—
Closed-roof accessory building over 120 sq ft, or more than one story	Building	Yes
Open-roof pergola under 200 sq ft and under 10 ft tall	No	—
Open-roof pergola over 200 sq ft	Building	Yes
Wood or chain-link fence 7 ft or under	No	—
Fence or privacy wall over 7 ft, or any masonry, concrete, or footed fence	Building (fence permit)	Yes
Retaining wall	Building	Yes
Full roof replacement, including underlayment	Building	No
Replacing shingles only, or patching under 100 sq ft of roof	No	—
Window replacement, same size / changed size	No / Building	— / No
Exterior siding, drywall, spray foam insulation	Building	No
Finishing an attic, garage, or rec room; building dormers; enclosing a porch or carport	Building	Yes
Swimming pool	Building	Yes
Portable pool under 2 ft deep and under 250 sq ft	No	—
Water heater, furnace, central A/C, heat pump	Trade permit	No
Replacing a sink, toilet, tub, or shower / adding a new one	Plumbing	No / Yes
Rewiring, moving outlets or fixtures, ceiling fans, hard-wired smoke alarms	Electrical	No

Paint, carpet, cabinets, and like-for-like replacement of switches, outlets, and fixtures don’t need a permit. Exterior work in the historic districts still needs Historic Review Board approval, even when no building permit is required. A shed with power needs an electrical permit. For a shed of 120 sq ft or more, the electrical work can go on the all-inclusive building permit. Check zoning setbacks and lot coverage before you place any shed. Fences must sit entirely on private property, may have to be removed if built on an easement, and must let stormwater flow through or break away.

Applying through eTRAC

eTRAC (electronic Tracking, Review and Approval Center) handles building, trade, and site permits and plats. Every permit type needs a signed application and a Complete Application Checklist. The checklist lists the supporting documents and outside approvals required. Staff may accept an incomplete application, but the permit won’t be issued until the missing items are submitted and approved. Commercial permit packages, plans included, must be submitted through eTRAC. Plans that are hand-delivered or mailed aren’t accepted.

For commercial renovations, the city’s Water and Sewer Approval Form must be completed and signed by Water and Sewer Planning and Engineering ((912) 651-6573) before you apply. Development Services won’t accept the application without it.

Building Plan Review (BPR) meetings are informal sessions on Microsoft Teams, held Thursdays at 10 a.m. with plan reviewers, trade staff, the historic preservation officer, and the fire marshal. Site Plan Review meetings follow on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. Builders who repeat house designs within a subdivision can use the Master Home Plan program. Under it, each permit is checked against a pre-approved model plan instead of getting a full new review.

You don’t need to log in to search eTRAC by address, permit type, permit number, or issue date.

Homeowner permits

You can pull a permit for work on your own house if you:

• live in the house (rental properties don’t qualify)
• haven’t applied for a homeowner permit at another address within two years
• hire Georgia-licensed contractors for any work you don’t do yourself
• follow the inspection schedule
• file a signed, notarized Homeowner’s Affidavit with a copy of your driver’s license

Anyone other than the owner-occupant must use a licensed contractor. Stand-alone electrical permits for other people’s property must be filed online by a licensed contractor registered in eTRAC.

Historic districts and flood zones

Projects in the Landmark Historic District, the Victorian District, Mid-City, or Cuyler-Brownsville Phase I need a separate design review application. Call the Historic Preservation Office at (912) 651-1457.

As of January 1, 2025, the city requires 2 ft of freeboard for new or substantially improved buildings in a FEMA or city-designated Special Flood Hazard Area. This applies to building permits submitted on or after that date. If a home in the 100-year floodplain is substantially damaged, the floodplain administrator decides whether it must be brought into compliance with the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance.

Fees and codes

The Building Permit and Plan Review Fees schedule and a full Development Services fee list are on the city’s Fee Information page. Impact fees are assessed separately by Planning and Urban Design. As of February 3, 2025, eTRAC charges a 2.99% processing fee on card payments. E-checks cost a flat $2.50 instead.

Georgia’s state minimum construction codes apply, with state amendments from the Department of Community Affairs. The city lists the editions it enforces in its Construction and Life Safety Codes document. Structural tests and special inspections use the SEAOG forms.

Inspections

Inspection	How to request
Building	Call (912) 651-6530 ext. 1919 or 1889, or email, between 7:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. for next-day service. Same-day building inspections aren’t offered
Electrical / mechanical / plumbing	Call (912) 651-6530 and press 3, 4, or 5 between 7:15 and 8:30 a.m. In most cases the inspection happens the same day
Online	Licensed contractors can request inspections in eTRAC

Have your permit number and job address ready. A general contractor, or an owner acting as contractor, can call in building inspections but not the trade inspections.

Certificates of occupancy

The building official signs the certificate of occupancy once site and building work are complete, all inspections pass, and close-out documents are accepted. The commercial closeout checklist lists what’s required. Processing takes at least two business days after everything is in, and longer during busy periods. The CO is emailed to the general contractor, and the original is mailed. Certificates of completion are sent by mail.