Savannah Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of Savannah’s Development Services Department is the building-permitting and inspection authority for new construction within Savannah city limits. Chatham County Building Safety uses a separate county process, so an address outside the city should be checked against the county or another municipality before an application is filed.

Savannah building permits and eTRAC

Savannah accepts building, trade, site, and plat applications online through eTRAC, the city’s electronic Tracking, Review and Approval Center. The city’s building-permits guidance identifies water-and-sewer approval as a required pre-issuance item for commercial renovations and publishes the permit applications, checklists, codes, and plan-review resources used by applicants.

Inspections, zoning, and certificates of occupancy

Development Services coordinates plan reviews across infrastructure, water and sewer, stormwater, trees, traffic, zoning, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and building specialties. Inspections require the permit number and job address. After site and vertical construction are complete, required inspections have passed, and close-out documents are accepted, the building official signs the Certificate of Occupancy. Savannah’s CO page says processing takes a minimum of two business days after the required documents, approvals, and inspections are complete.

Official contact information

The City of Savannah lists City Hall at 2 East Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401. Development Services’ general contact number is (912) 651-6530; the department also publishes direct contacts for building inspections, plan review, flood-zone permitting, and eTRAC permit services. Use eTRAC to track the application and request inspections tied to a city permit.