Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Braselton, Georgia

Town of Braselton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, move, demolition or change of occupancy of a building or structure inside Braselton town

  • Permit must be obtained from the building official before work starts; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • A permit may not be issued to an owner who is neither a licensed contractor nor the occupant of the structure being built or altered.
  • Also applies to electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system work regulated by the construction codes.
  • The Development Code refers to the building official and the department of building safety, which read as Town functions; the braselton.gov building permit page was not opened to confirm.

  “must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Owner-performed construction on a lot inside Braselton town

  • A permit can issue to an owner only if the owner is a licensed contractor or the occupant of the structure being built or altered.
  • Owners who are neither licensed contractors nor occupants cannot obtain the permit.

  “a permit may not be issued to an owner, who is neither a licensed contractor nor the occupant of the structure being built or altered.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction work inside Braselton town

  • Inspections are made at intervals during construction and a final inspection is required before a certificate of occupancy or completion issues.
  • Work may not proceed past each inspection stage without a written release from the building official (sec. 13.8).
  • Flood hazard areas also require lowest-floor elevation documentation before final inspection (see floodplain claim).

  “the building official must inspect or cause to be inspected at various intervals all construction or work for which a permit is required, and a final inspection must be made of every building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system upon completion, prior to the issuance of the certificate of occupancy or completion.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy or use of a building or land inside Braselton town

  • Certificate is issued by the building inspector and certifies compliance with all applicable town codes and ordinances.
  • The Town may withhold a certificate of occupancy until violations are cured (enforcement remedies section of the Development Code).

  “certificate of occupancy: a document issued by the building inspector allowing the occupancy or use of a building or land and certifying that the structure, use, or land has been constructed or erected or will be used in compliance with all applicable town codes and ordinances.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Braselton town's corporate limits: the Town of Braselton administers its own zoning ordinance, the Development Code.

  • Adopted April 8, 2024 per the Town code page; the PDF cover states it is amended through May 2026.
  • Article 14 amendments (2026) are listed separately on the Town code page and were not reviewed in full.
  • Parcel-level zoning district must be confirmed on the Town zoning map (town limit/zoning map linked from braselton.gov); not opened.

  “adopted april 8, 2024 development code town of braselton, georgia”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of the Town of Braselton Development Code (residential, commercial, industrial, planned unit, downtown overlay)

  • Districts include R-1, R-2, R-3, R-M, PUD, commercial, office, industrial and downtown overlay districts (Article 4).
  • Parcel-level district assignment is on the Town zoning map, not opened.

  “4.2 single-family residential district r-2 a. purpose: this district is intended to provide relatively low to moderate density single-family residential development along with other ancillary uses compatible with a residential environment.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

  • Figures are minimum floor area per dwelling, measured as finished and air-conditioned gross floor area (floor area definition).

  minimum floor area, one-story dwelling: >= 2400 sq ft · minimum floor area, multi-story dwelling: >= 3000 sq ft

  “minimum floor area per dwelling: a. 2,400 square dwellings feet for one-story b. 3,000 square feet for multi-story dwellings”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwelling in the R-2 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

    “minimum floor area per dwelling: a. 2,000 square dwellings feet for one-story b. 2,400 square feet for multi-story dwellings”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

  • Lots used exclusively for common areas, open spaces, private alleys, entrance signs, or stormwater facilities are exempt from lot size requirements.
  • No lot served by a septic tank may have a lesser area than the county health department approves for safe drinking water and septic tank operation.

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 100 ft

  “b. lot standards 1. 2. lots minimum lot area minimum lot width c. building placement 20,000 sq. ft. 100 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-2 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

    “b. lot standards 1. 2. lots minimum lot area minimum lot width c. building placement 10,000 sq. ft. 75 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal and accessory structures in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

  • Additional garage setbacks apply under sec. 6.7c.4.
  • Front setback for arterial or collector street frontage is 50 feet; local street frontage is 35 feet.
  • Rear setback for accessory structure or swimming pool is 15 feet; principal structure rear is 40 feet.

  front setback, arterial or collector street: 50 ft · front setback, local street: 35 ft · side setback: 15 ft · side street setback: 35 ft · rear setback, principal structure: 40 ft · rear setback, accessory structure or pool: 15 ft

  “minimum yards front (arterial or collector street) front (local street) side side street rear (principal structure) rear (accessory structure or swimming pool) 50 feet 35 feet 15 feet 35 feet 40 feet 15 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal and accessory structures in the R-2 single-family residential district inside Braselton town

    “minimum yards front (arterial or collector street) front (local street) side side street rear (principal structure) rear (accessory structure or swimming pool) 40 feet 30 feet 10 feet 30 feet 20 feet 10 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-3 single-family residential district inside Braselton town (figure attributed by its position in the district text, immediately before the R-M section)

  • Height is measured per sec. 3.2 (average finished grade to the roof's coping or eave-ridge average).
  • Chimneys, spires and similar features may exceed the maximum by no more than 5 feet without a zoning board of appeals variance (sec. 3.2 b).

  maximum building height: <= 42 ft

  “minimum floor area per dwelling: a. 1,800 square feet for one-story dwellings b. 2,200 square feet for multi-story dwellings 2. maximum height: 42 feet”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Use of a recreational vehicle, travel trailer or similar vehicle parked or stored on a private lot inside Braselton town for living or sleeping. Licensed RV parks are a separate use category and were not reviewed.

  • Also restricts parking of RVs in the front yard of residential lots unless parked on a driveway or in a carport or garage.
  • The living/sleeping ban applies in any district.

  “no such vehicle may be used for living or sleeping purposes when parked or stored on a lot in any district.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling on a lot inside Braselton town where the district use table allows it; the district-by-district permission letters were not confirmed.

  • The property owner must occupy either the principal or the accessory dwelling, and the owner-occupied unit may not be rented; a notarized owner-occupancy affidavit is required, renewed on sale.
  • An accessory dwelling is not allowed on a lot that has a guest quarters.
  • Floor area may not exceed 50 percent of the principal dwelling's floor area.
  • May be a separate structure, attached, or above a garage; a detached unit may be no taller than the principal dwelling.

  maximum floor area as share of principal dwelling: <= 50 percent

  “the property owner must occupy either the principal dwelling or the accessory dwelling as their permanent residence, and at no time may receive rent for the owner-occupied dwelling.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New development inside Braselton town. The sewer-connection rule is written for subdivisions (Article 8); no separate rule for an individual existing lot was found.

  • A sanitary sewer service connection to the property line is required for each lot, except where septic tanks are approved.
  • Where a public sewer line and adequate treatment capacity are available within 1,500 feet of a subdivision by gravity flow, the subdivision system must connect to the public sewer system.
  • Public water is required only for projects to be served by public water; the Development Code does not impose a general water-connection mandate in the passages reviewed.
  • Town water and sewer ordinance (revision June 2018, sewer capacity fees 2023 and 2024) was not opened.

  distance to public sewer for mandatory connection (subdivisions): <= 1500 feet (gravity-flow sewer with adequate treatment capacity; septic approval exception)

  “when a public sewer line and adequate treatment capacity is available within 1,500 feet of a subdivision by gravity flow, the subdivision system must be connected to the public sewer system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and development inside Braselton town

  • Minor subdivisions are exempt from preliminary plat requirements, development plan requirements, evidence of project approval, and issuance of a development permit.
  • Private subdivisions follow the same approval procedure as subdivisions with public improvements.
  • Subdivisions must meet the sewer and water requirements in sec. 8.2.

  “minor subdivisions are exempt from preliminary plat requirements, development plan requirements, evidence of project approval, and issuance of a development permit.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  One driveway curb cut on a residential lot inside Braselton town

  • The lot must meet the minimum lot width for its district.
  • Minimum sight-distance requirements must be met.
  • With multiple frontages, the driveway cut must be on the street with the lowest traffic count.
  • The town engineer may approve a second driveway curb cut; shared driveways between adjacent residential lots are encouraged with a permanent cross-access easement.

  “a. residential curb cuts on residential lots, one curb cut for a driveway is allowed subject to the following conditions.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Buildings in a flood hazard area (special flood hazard area) inside Braselton town

  • Lowest-floor elevation certification under IBC sec. 1612.5 must be submitted before the final inspection.
  • Floodplain is defined to include the base-flood and future-conditions flood elevation areas.
  • Variances from flood elevation standards require the findings listed in sec. 13.6 and are limited.
  • The separate Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (effective 12/9/2019) is listed on the Town code page but was not opened.

  “i. flood hazard documentation. if located in a flood hazard area, documentation of the elevation of the lowest floor as required in section 1612.5 of the international building code must be submitted to the building official prior to the final inspection.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rental of a dwelling inside Braselton town where the district use table permits short-term rental

  • Guests may not exceed two adults per bedroom at any time.
  • On lots without an accessory dwelling, the unit must be owner-occupied when not used for lodging; with an accessory dwelling, one of the two dwellings must be owner-occupied.
  • A business license is required for each short-term rental, and the owner must sign an affidavit of conformance.
  • A local contact person is required under sec. 5.4 (the 24-hour response text was truncated in the extract and was not relied on).

  maximum guests: <= 2 adults per bedroom

  “3. the number of guests within the short-term rental may not exceed two adults per bedroom at any time.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process inside Braselton town

  • Application goes to the building official; the Development Code states the application process but not the forms, fees or turnaround time.
  • Permit card must be posted on the premises before work starts (sec. 13.8e).

  “must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Braselton

Town of Braselton does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Lots inside Braselton town that are not served by public sewer. The Development Code names the 'applicable county department' (the county environmental health department for the parcel's county, which may be Jackson, Barrow or Hall).

  • The specific county depends on parcel location; the parcel's county was not verified.
  • Lots served by a septic tank may not be smaller than the area the county health department approves (lot standards, Article 2 general provisions).

  “for lots not served by public sewer, certification by the applicable county department must be provided stating that the sewerage systems installed or proposed to be installed fully meets the requirements of the department’s regulations.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Each lot inside Braselton town that is not on public sewer and is served by a septic system

  • Permit is required before the start of construction; the issuing county department is not named in the Development Code.
  • Septic tanks and drain fields are not permitted within stream buffers or the setbacks in the stream buffer section.

  “the applicable department or agency certification statement must include written notice that each lot not on public sewer must have a septic tank permit prior to the start of construction.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Braselton or Barrow County directly.

• Building code adopted — Construction codes applied by Braselton town for work inside town limits
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot or building coverage for residential lots inside Braselton town
• Camping on your land — Temporary tent or RV camping on private land inside Braselton town
• Tiny homes — Tiny home used as a dwelling inside Braselton town
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured (HUD-code) home used as a dwelling inside Braselton town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.