Building Permits in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Exemptions: Georgia's mandatory statewide dwelling code is the International Residential Code with Georgia State Amendments (per DCA's Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes list), but the Amendments delete IRC Chapter 1 'Scope and Administration' — including Section R105.2 'Work exempt from permit' — without substitution, keeping Chapter 1 only as a reference and guide for local governments' own administrative procedures. Under the Uniform Codes Act, local governments that enforce the codes must adopt their own administrative procedures, so all permit requirements and exemptions (shed size, fence height, etc.) are set at the city/county level; there are no statewide numeric permit-exemption thresholds.

Exemptions: Georgia does not set statewide deck permit thresholds: DCA's Georgia Amendments to the IRC delete Chapter 1 (including R105.2's model deck exemption) without substitution, leaving permit administration to each local government. Construction standards for decks remain governed by the mandatory statewide IRC with Georgia Amendments, but whether a permit is required is a local decision.

Exemptions: Georgia has no statewide electrical permit-exemption list: the DCA Board omitted the electrical requirements of the IRC in favor of the National Electrical Code as the state minimum standard (per DCA's current codes list), and the Georgia Amendments delete IRC Chapter 1 administration without substitution. Electrical permitting is administered entirely by local jurisdictions under their own adopted procedures.

Exemptions: Georgia sets no statewide fence-height permit threshold: DCA's Georgia Amendments delete IRC Chapter 1 (including R105.2, whose model text exempts fences up to a set height) without substitution, leaving permitting administration to local governments. Fence permit rules are therefore determined by each local jurisdiction's own administrative procedures and zoning ordinances.

Exemptions: Georgia has no statewide reroofing permit rule: the Georgia Amendments delete IRC Chapter 1 'Scope and Administration' without substitution, keeping it only as a reference for local governments developing their own administrative procedures. Whether roof replacement requires a permit is determined by each city or county that enforces the state minimum codes.

Exemptions: Georgia has no statewide retaining-wall permit exemption: the Georgia Amendments to the IRC delete Chapter 1 'Scope and Administration' (including R105.2's model 4-foot retaining wall exemption) without substitution, retaining it only as a guide for local governments' own administrative procedures. Permit thresholds for retaining walls are set by each local jurisdiction.

Exemptions: Georgia has no statewide shed-size permit exemption: the Georgia State Amendments to the IRC delete Chapter 1 'Scope and Administration' (which contains R105.2 'Work exempt from permit', including the model 200 sq ft accessory-structure exemption) without substitution, keeping Chapter 1 only as a reference and guide for local governments to use in developing their own administrative procedures. Whether a shed needs a permit, and at what size, is set entirely by each city/county's locally adopted administrative procedures.

Exemptions: Georgia sets no statewide water heater permit rule: the Georgia Amendments delete IRC Chapter 1 (permits/administration) without substitution, and DCA also omits the IRC's plumbing provisions in favor of the International Plumbing Code (per DCA's Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes list). Permit requirements for water heater replacement are set by each local enforcing jurisdiction.

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