Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Statham, Georgia

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, the city zones all land inside city limits¹

Building permits

City publishes its own permit applications; accessory structures of 150 sq ft or more need one²⁵

Septic

Barrow County Health Department (environmental health)³

RV living

Not as a permanent residence; only inside a designated RV park⁴

Minimum lot (RR)

30,000 sq ft⁶

Minimum house size (RR)

1,100 sq ft heated floor area⁷

Owner-builder

No state contractor license needed to build your own home; local permits still apply⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Statham, GA have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Every property inside Statham city limits sits in one or more zoning districts shown on the city's official zoning map¹. The districts include RR, MH, HR, SR-1, SR-2, MFR, O-I, CB, HB, LI and PUD⁹. Find your parcel on the zoning map at¹⁰ before you buy.

Dimensions depend on the district. In the RR Rural Residential district the minimum lot is 30,000 sq ft⁶, the minimum heated floor area per dwelling is 1,100 sq ft⁷, and a principal building needs setbacks of 50 ft front, 20 ft side and 40 ft rear¹¹. In SR-1 the minimum lot is 15,000 sq ft¹² and the minimum heated floor area is 1,250 sq ft¹³.

RVs are the sticking point for off-grid plans. A recreational vehicle in Statham may not be occupied as a permanent residence, may be used only inside a designated RV park, and may not be stored on a vacant lot⁴. Living in an RV on your own lot while you build is not allowed under those rules. For tiny homes, Georgia treats site-built or modular tiny homes as ordinary dwellings under the building codes, and the local government decides whether one may be sited on a given lot¹⁴; we could not confirm Statham's specific tiny-home rule, so ask the city planning office.

Do you need a building permit in Statham, and who issues it?

The City of Statham, not Barrow County, handles building permits inside city limits. The city's building permits page lists applications for residential building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, driveway and storage building permits². Accessory structures of 150 sq ft or more need a building permit and a certificate of occupancy⁵.

We could not confirm the city's full permit rules for a new house, its fee schedule or its inspection steps, so call the city at (770) 725-5455 before you plan a budget². Georgia's mandatory state building codes apply to all construction whether or not a local government enforces them¹⁵.

Georgia does not require a contractor license to build your own home, but that does not waive local permits, inspections or zoning⁸. A floodplain location adds another approval: no development starts in a regulated flood area until the zoning administrator approves a flood area permit¹⁶.

How do septic permits work inside Statham?

Septic permits inside Statham come from Barrow County, not the city. The Barrow County Health Department (environmental health) handles on-site sewage systems for lots in Statham, and may require larger lots than the city's zoning minimums when a lot uses septic³. Check lot size with that office before you count on the city minimum.

In Barrow County, no one may begin developing a lot or installing a system that will use on-site sewage without first obtaining a county health department construction permit¹⁷. To reach that office, see¹⁸.

We could not confirm whether Statham requires hookup to its public sewer on a given street. Ask the city before you buy.

How do you build a home in Statham, step by step?

1. Pull up your parcel's zoning district on the city zoning map and confirm the lot size, setbacks and minimum house size for that district¹⁰⁹.
2. If the lot will use septic, contact Barrow County Environmental Health about site approval and lot size³¹⁸.
3. Apply for building permits through the City of Statham².
4. Plan for a certificate of occupancy where required; Georgia lets only the local governing authority issue one¹⁹.
5. Splitting a lot first? Subdivision of land inside Statham is regulated by the city's development code²⁰.

What stays with Barrow County, and what should you check before buying in Statham?

Septic and wells run through the county health department rather than the city³. Georgia requires a well contractor to notify the county health department before drilling²¹.

The county's own building rules cover unincorporated land only. If your parcel is outside city limits, see the Barrow County page for the county's permit, zoning and septic answers. Confirm which side of the city line a parcel falls on before you rely on any rule here.

County-level context: Barrow County's effective property tax rate is 0.8%²², and about 69% of its soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field²³. Lot-by-lot soil testing by Environmental Health still decides what you can install.

Watch-outs

• Living in an RV on a lot in Statham, even temporarily while building, is not allowed outside a designated RV park⁴.
• Septic approval may require a larger lot than the city zoning minimum³.
• We could not confirm Statham's building inspection steps, permit fees or tiny-home rule; call the city at (770) 725-5455².

Sources

1. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
2. City of Statham building permits (cityofstatham.com)
3. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
4. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
5. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
6. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
7. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
8. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
10. City of Statham planning and zoning (cityofstatham.com)
11. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
12. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
13. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
14. Georgia Tiny House Fact Sheet (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Mandatory and Permissive State Codes (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
17. Georgia On-Site Sewage Management Systems Rules, quoted and re-checked
18. Barrow County Environmental Health (barrowga.org)
19. dca.georgia.gov (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Unified Development Code of the City of Statham, Georgia (amended March 31, 2025) (Statham), quoted and re-checked
21. Water Well Standards (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
23. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.