Planning & Development

Residential Building Permit

In order to process your request for a residential building permit we will need you to provide the following information:

1. New Residential Construction application.
2. Recorded Plat. Recorded plats are kept on file with the Deeds and Records Room at 116 Spring St, Gainesville, Ga. Telephone number 770-531-7058.
3. To – Scale Site Plan (sample) of your property that reflects the overall dimensions of the proposed structure and distances to all surrounding property lines at their closest points
4. Copy of water meter receipt (For new residential construction only)
5. Contractor’s State License, photo ID of State License Holder and Business License
6. Sub-Contractor Affidavits for all trades with State License and Business License
7. If work is not being done by Homeowner, Property Owner/Homeowner Affidavit and driver's license/photo ID
8. If property is on Septic, additional documents may be required by the Environmental Health Department.

Please submit the complete packet to the Building Inspection Department or to permits@hallcounty.org for review and processing. A representative from Hall County will let you know when we have received the permit request and any additional information that may be needed throughout the review process. Your submission will be internally routed between the appropriate departments.

Commercial Building Permits:

In order to process your request for a commercial building permit we will need you to provide the following information: 

1. Commercial Building Permit application
2. To – Scale Civil Site Plan (do not need the entire set of Civil Plans)
3. To-Scale Architect Plans
4. Stamped/Approved Cover Sheet of Civil Plans
5. Driver’s license of applicant AND/OR Property Owner Authorization form
6. Copy of water meter receipt (For new commercial construction only)
7. Contractor’s State License, photo ID of State License Holder and Business License
8. Sub-Contractor Affidavits for all trades with State License and Business License
9. If property is on Septic, additional documents may be required by the Environmental Protection Division.

Please submit the complete packet to the Building Inspection Department or to permits@hallcounty.org for review and processing. A representative from Hall County will let you know when we have received the permit request and any additional information that may be needed throughout the review process. Your submission will be internally routed between the appropriate departments. 

Sign Permit

In order to process your request for a commercial building permit we will need you to provide the following information: 

1. Sign permit application
2. For free standing signs, a survey or engineered site plan of the property showing the proposed sign, any existing freestanding signs, and existing buildings and other improvements.
3. For wall signs, a drawing to scale showing the proposed sign and all other wall signs, with dimensions, on the subject façade.
4. A sealed engineering drawing of the sign design for all freestanding signs and electrical wall signs, and a sealed engineering drawing of the sign footing for freestanding signs.
5. Sign Contractor’s State License, photo ID of State License Holder and Business License
6. Sub-Contractor Affidavits with State License and Business License (if adding electric)
7. Driver’s license of applicant AND/OR Property Owner Authorization form

Please submit the complete packet to the Building Inspection Department or to permits@hallcounty.org for review and processing. A representative from Hall County will let you know when we have received the permit request and any additional information that may be needed throughout the review process. Your submission will be internally routed between the appropriate departments. 

Utility Permit

Please note that all trades( electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc.) require a permit.

In order to process your request for a utility permit we will need you to provide the following information:

1. Utility permit application.
2. Contractor’s State License, photo ID of State License Holder and Business License.
3. Sub-Contractor Affidavits for all trades with State License and Business License.
4. If work is being done by Homeowner, Homeowner Affidavit and photo ID is required.

Please submit the complete packet to the Building Inspection Department or to permits@hallcounty.org for review and processing. A representative from Hall County will let you know when we have received the permit request and any additional information that may be needed throughout the review process. Your submission will be internally routed between the appropriate departments.

Building Inspections:

NOTICE: If you need to schedule a building inspection for a permit issued after Dec. 12, 2022, please use the Accela Citizen Access Portal to schedule your inspection. Need assistance? Check out our step-by-step guide to schedule your inspection.

Building Inspections is serving customers through both in-person and prescheduled appointments. While telephone and email operations are still operating as normal, in-person meetings and business may be conducted by appointment only between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm. To schedule an appointment at the Government Center, please call 770-535-8288 and press 3 to be connected with the Planning and Development departments. For general questions or for urgent matters regarding existing permits and building inspections please email John Estelle or Daisy Leyva.

Development Review:

Development Review is operating on schedule. Please contact Lauren Brandao, Development Review Coordinator, to submit your plans digitally, schedule a virtual meeting, or if you have any questions about the review process.

Plat Review:

The plat review process has been modified to allow the continued submittal and review of plats through digital copies. Please email a digital copy of the plat to plats@hallcounty.org along with the completed forms (Plat Review Packet). The PDF will be reviewed by Planning, Engineering, and Environmental Health. After the initial review, comments will be provided to the surveyor or provided contact person indicating what revisions will be necessary in order to approve the plat. Upon request of hard copies from the Planning Department, the surveyor or applicant may then drop off at least 3 full-size paper copies of the plat for final approval stamps. Please note that plats will not be stamped at the time of drop off. 

The plat review process typically takes between 3-4 weeks.

Special Use, Variance, and Rezoning Requests:

New applications for special use permits, variances, and rezoning requests are being accepted both digitally and in person. Please contact David Webb, dwebb@hallcounty.org, to schedule a pre-application meeting. Due to the nature of these requests incomplete applications will not be processed. You will find a link to learn more about this process in the navigation menu on the left of this page, under the Current and Long Range Planning heading.

Finally, please feel free to contact planning@hallcounty.org with any additional questions.