Georgia permit review deadlines
How long does it take to get a building permit in Georgia?
Georgia has two permit clocks. Building plan review has a 30-day limit, and an applicant can hire a private reviewer at any time. A 2026 law, SB 447, added a separate 45-day clock for land-disturbance permits.
The two are easy to mix up. SB 447 is often called the Georgia permit shot clock, but its deadlines and fee refunds apply to the land-disturbance permit, which comes before the building permit on most new projects.
See the deadlines ↓Current Georgia state-level guidelines
The short answer
For building permits, Georgia law gives a local building official 5 business days to say whether an application is complete, and 30 days in total to review the plans. The applicant can hire a private professional provider, a licensed engineer or architect, to do the plan review instead, and the local fees drop by 50%. For land-disturbance permits, a 2026 law called SB 447 sets a separate clock: 5 days to check completeness, 45 days to issue or deny the permit, 20 days for the first resubmittal, and 14 days for later ones. If a local government misses that clock, it must refund the application fees, and the applicant can ask a superior court to step in.
By project type
Georgia permit review deadlines.
Georgia's deadlines depend on which permit you are asking for. The first three rows cover building permits. The last four cover land-disturbance permits under SB 447.
| Project type | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit: completeness check | 5 business days | This time counts toward the 30 days. The clock pauses if the application is sent back as incomplete. |
| Building permit: plan review | 30 days | When it accepts the application, the local government must say whether it can meet 30 days. The applicant can use a private provider either way. |
| Building permit: revised plans | Rest of the 30 days, plus 5 business days | Later rounds of revisions get 5 business days each. |
| Land-disturbance permit: completeness check | 5 days | If the applicant hears nothing, the application counts as complete. |
| Land-disturbance permit: first decision | 45 days | The permit must be issued or denied within 45 days of filing. |
| Land-disturbance permit: first resubmittal | 20 days | New comments must relate to the earlier comments or to what the applicant changed. |
| Land-disturbance permit: later resubmittals | 14 days | The same limit on new comments applies. |
The land-disturbance clock pauses while a state agency reviews part of the application. Some of its rules do not apply to developments of regional impact, and the law has a narrow local exception. Check the statute for your project.
Step by step
How Georgia's review clock works.
On most new construction, the site needs a land-disturbance permit before building starts. Since July 1, 2026, the local government has 5 days to check that application and 45 days to issue or deny it.
The building official has 5 business days to say whether the application is complete, and 30 days in total to review the plans.
A licensed engineer or architect can review the plans instead. The building official then has 30 days from getting the application and the reviewer's affidavit to issue the permit or list what is wrong in writing. If the official does neither, the application is treated as approved.
After the first set of corrections, the official has what is left of the 30 days plus 5 business days. After that, each round gets 5 business days.
When the clock runs out
What happens when a Georgia local government misses the deadline.
If the local government does not issue or deny a land-disturbance permit in time, it must refund all the fees it collected with the application.
The applicant can petition superior court, and the law gives that case priority on the court's calendar.
If the building official does not act within 30 days on plans reviewed by a private provider, the application is treated as approved.
Under the 2026 law, the local government has two business days to flag problems in a private provider's inspection report in writing. After that, the inspection is treated as approved, according to a Nelson Mullins summary of the law.
Faster permit approvals start with more efficient plan review.
See how your team can spend less time chasing comments, waiting on other disciplines, and tracking down the status of a review, without changing your permitting system or CDP.
Recent changes
What changed, and when.
2019
HB 493, the Private Permitting Review and Inspection ActSet the 30-day plan review limit and let applicants hire a private professional provider for plan review and inspections.
July 1, 2026
SB 447 takes effect (Act 513)Adds the land-disturbance clock, the fee refund, the court remedy, and the two-business-day rule for private inspection reports.
January 1, 2028
Public permit tracking is dueLocal governments that issued more than 250 building permits in the year before must show permit status online, free and without a login.
City by city
How Georgia cities are applying the rules.
Cities are still adjusting to the 2026 law. Here is what two of them have published.
Augusta
Augusta's planning department says all new development applications get a 5-business-day completeness review as of July 1, 2026. It now takes new site, development, and grading applications on Mondays and Wednesdays only.
Read the source →Atlanta
Atlanta works under the state rules. The city's Office of Buildings also aims for roughly 10 business days on an initial review, which is an informal target with no penalty attached.
Read the source →City details come from each city's public pages as of November 12, 2026. Cities change their targets and processes often, so check the linked source for the current version.
Common questions
Georgia building permit deadlines, answered.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Georgia?
State law gives the local government 30 days to review building plans, including 5 business days to check that the application is complete. Revised plans get the rest of that time plus 5 business days.
On new construction, add the land-disturbance permit that comes first. Since July 2026 that permit has its own 45-day limit.
What is the Georgia permit shot clock?
It is the name people use for SB 447, a 2026 law. It gives local governments 45 days to issue or deny a land-disturbance permit, then 20 days and 14 days on resubmittals, with a fee refund if they run late. It took effect on July 1, 2026.
Does SB 447 apply to building permits?
Its review deadlines and fee refund are written for land-disturbance permits. For building permits, SB 447 changed two other things. Private inspection reports now stand unless the local government objects within two business days, and larger local governments must post permit status online by January 1, 2028.
What happens if a Georgia local government misses the deadline?
On a land-disturbance permit, it must refund the application fees, and the applicant can ask a superior court to order a decision. On a building permit reviewed by a private provider, the application is treated as approved if the building official does not act within 30 days.
Can I hire a private reviewer in Georgia?
Yes. An applicant can hire a private professional provider for building plan review and inspections, whether or not the local government says it can meet its deadlines. The provider must be a licensed engineer or architect, or a qualified inspector for inspections, with no financial tie to the project. The local fees are cut by 50%.
How do Georgia building departments keep up with these deadlines?
Three habits show up in the departments that hit the clock. They check applications for missing items in the first few days. They let building, fire, planning, and engineering review the same plans at the same time. And they track the days left on every review, so a manager can step in before a deadline passes.
Read it for yourself
Sources.
State law
Keep exploring
Deadlines in other states.
If you review plans in Georgia
Working under Georgia's review clock? See how e-PlanSoft can help you hit it consistently.
Meeting a review deadline starts with a good intake process, disciplines that work together, and a clear view of every review in progress.
Book a demoSee how collaborative review works →This page summarizes public laws, rules, and city review practices in Georgia as of November 12, 2026. Deadlines vary by location and permit type. These summaries are for reference, not legal advice. Check the linked sources and local requirements for the rules that apply to your project.