Development Review Division

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Development Review Process                                                                                                                     Lauren Brandao
Development Review Steps                                                                                                             Development Review Coordinator
Accela Submittal Standards                                                                                                                           Email Lauren
Accela Video Tutorials
Meeting Schedule & Submittal Deadlines  
Committee Members
Fees & Steps  
Checklists & Forms
Plan Format Requirements

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning February 1, 2023 drop off plans will no longer be accepted and all submittals will need to be made electronically through Accela.

About the Division

The Development Review Division assists with the review and permitting of large-scale development projects proposed in Hall County.  A Land Disturbance Permit (LDP) is required for all commercial and industrial activities which involve the construction of new buildings, grading, construction of infrastructure (new roads or utilities), and commercial additions.  A permit is also needed for all industrial and residential subdivision developments including the preliminary construction phase of roads, ponds, utilities, grading, clearing, etc.

It is recommend that prior to submitting plans, applicants attend a Development Review meeting. This meeting will give the applicant vital information on the review process, including the number of plans required for review, the timeline, and any associated fees. This meeting also provides applicants an opportunity to discuss their project with all departments who will be reviewing their plans. The Development Review meeting is held each Wednesday at 9:00am and appointments can be scheduled up to 4:00 pm Tuesday of the same week.
                                                                         

Development Review Process

Depending upon the extent of the project, the plans may include existing conditions, soil and erosion measures, grading plans, septic designs, hydrological plans, roadway profiles, storm drain profiles, landscape plans, fire access, traffic studies, water line profiles, etc. Before developing a property in Hall County, plans must be submitted online through our new epermitting platform, Accela (See the link below). Beginning February 1, 2023 drop off plans will no longer be accepted and all submittals will need to be made electronically through Accela. Plans submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. each Monday will be distributed the following Wednesday at the Development Review meeting. Once you submit your epermit application, the associated civil plans are reviewed by technical experts to ensure compliance with development codes and regulations. The preliminary review takes approximately two weeks. Once the review period is complete, the Development Review Coordinator (DRC) will return comments to the customer for revisions. The number of departmental comments and the time it takes for the engineer, land surveyor or other professionals to address the comments determines the time frame in which a LDP is issued. When the necessary approvals are obtained, a LDP will be issued to begin the land disturbance activities. When the project is approximately 80% constructed, then an as-built can be submitted online for review. No Certificate of Occupancy will be issued until the as-built is approved.

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Development Review Steps

1. To apply for a Land Disturbance Permit online, you must first select CREATE AN ACCOUNT to register online with the Accela website link provided. https://aca-prod.accela.com/HALLCO/Default.aspx Accounts can be for individuals or companies and can have multiple users associated with them.
2. Select the Hall County tab.
3. Select Hall County - Public Works
4. Select appropriate Option for your project: (H-Development Review or H-Subdivision - Final Plat)
5. Select Continue Application
6. Provide the necessary information. Note: Applicant Name is the County Project Name.
7. Contact section will require one (1) of each of the following:
   • 24 Hour Emergency Contact(s)
   • An Applicant
   • A Current Property Owner
   • An Engineer
8. Uploads must be in the form of a PDF and/or DWG. Please follow the guidelines provided below on upload formatting               (Accela Submittal Standards)
9. After completing the application, select Submit.
10. Follow along. Use the project overview page to follow along with the review status, view plan review comments, and be alerted of file requests. We will also send email notifications along the way.
11. After the applicant has addressed all the comments, plans may be resubmitted through epermitting for a second review. The resubmitted plans plans will be distributed at the next development review meeting. Each department then has two (2) weeks to review the plans to ensure all comments have been addressed.
12. In certain situations, a 3rd review may be required to address any outstanding comments. the 3rd review is a two (2) week review.
13. Use the project overview page to follow along with the review status, view plan review comments, and be alerted of file requests.

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About EPermitting with Accela

The electronic plan review process provides:

• Instant feedback by email throughout the review process allowing the customer to know when plans and supporting documentation are accepted for review until plans are approved.  Issues are communicated to the customer in real time.
• Interactive access to color-coded markups by discipline, issues and conditions from within Accela for reviewing disapproved comments.
• For corrections, customers are only required to submit revised sheets rather than complete plan sets.

Accela Submittal Standards

The following document standards are recommended for best uploading performance and to ensure correct processing in the Digital Plan Room.

• All plans and supporting documentation must be in PDF and/or file format.
• Maximum file size is 500 MB (per file)
• Plans should always include a table of contents when exporting/publishing to the PDF (ex. Include "Create bookmarks" setting in AutoCAD or Revit).
• Reference sheet numbers and titles in the format: {SHEET NUMBER} {SHEET TITLE}
• Plans should be set to landscape view, oriented with North at the top of the monitor.
• The title block containing the sheet number should be located in the lower right hand corner of each page. (Ensure that all pages are in order and rotated properly for viewing on-screen.)
• Plans must be "to scale" with professional seals and signatures.
• Do not use encrypted or password-protected files.
• Do not combine any supporting documentation in the same PDF file with any plans; the system will instruct you to submit supporting documentation as separate PDF files.
• When uploading files in Accela Citizen Access, every file must have the correct document type selected.

For questions related to the Land Development Review, please contact Lauren Brandao, Development Review Coordinator (DRC) at (770) 531-6800 or HDEV@hallcounty.org. For technical question regarding the use of the Accela Citizen Access Portal, email accela@hallcounty.org. 

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Video Tutorials

• uploadPlansTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722291795/e2f0699a98
• finalizeAndSubmitReviewPackageTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722291292/fccb972a65
• issuesAndConditionsTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722290986/824fc13d5c
• submitRevisedPlansTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722290822/fa835fdabf
• dowloadApprovedPlansTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722290616/d0629a436e
• revisionsAfterApprovalTutorial: https://vimeo.com/722539726/b0c75f1a4d

Development Review Committee Meeting Schedule & Submittal Deadlines

The Development Review Committee (DRC) consists of members from the Hall County Planning Department, Hall County Traffic Engineering, Hall County Fire Services, Hall County Soil and Water Conservation District, City of Gainesville Water Resources, and Hall County Environmental Health.  

The DRC holds weekly meetings virtually every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. During these meeting, customers meet with DRC staff and discuss potential development projects.  

Attendance at the DRC meeting is not mandatory; however, the meeting can be very informative and help you understand the review process as it relates to a particular development. Applicants must submit plans for distribution in advance of the meeting. Plans submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. each Monday will be distributed the following Wednesday at the DRC meeting.

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