Bolthole Index

Bartow County, Georgia

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Cartersville, Georgia

Cartersville, Georgia adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, and the City's Building Department handles building permits and inspections inside city limits12. Septic permits are not a city function: the Bartow County environmental health office issues them34. Bartow County's own rules cover only land outside the city.

At a glance

Zoning
City-adopted zoning ordinance (Code Chapter 26) with district-specific standards1
Building permits
Issued by the City of Cartersville Building Department; applications go through its online portal2
Septic
Bartow County environmental health office (Northwest Georgia Public Health District)34
R-20 minimum lot
20,000 sq ft (17,000 with the density bonus)5
R-20 minimum home size
1,300 sq ft heated6
R-20 setbacks
20 ft front, 10 ft side, 20 ft rear7
Manufactured homes
Permitted in the R-10A district; not listed in R-20, R-10 or R-78
Owner-builder
Georgia does not require a general contractor license for an owner building their own home9

Who to call

Building permits

City of Cartersville Building Department

Residential and commercial plan review, building permits and inspections inside Cartersville city limits

[email protected]

Zoning

City of Cartersville Planning & Development

Planning, licensing and permitting applications; staff support for the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals

770-387-5600

Zoning

City of Cartersville zoning inquiries

General zoning questions and zoning verification letters inside Cartersville

[email protected]

Septic permits

Bartow County Environmental Health Department (Northwest Georgia Public Health District)

Septic site evaluations, construction permits and final inspections for Bartow County, including addresses inside Cartersville

(770)-387-2614

5355 Covenant Drive Cartersville, GA 30120

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

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Cartersville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Cartersville, GA have zoning, and what does it mean for lots and setbacks?

Yes. Cartersville adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, Code Chapter 26, and every district carries its own use and development standards1. Rules differ by district, so check the zoning of the exact parcel before you buy.

In the R-20 single-family district the minimum lot is 20,000 square feet (17,000 with the optional density bonus)5, the minimum heated floor area is 1,300 square feet6, and setbacks are 20 feet front, 10 feet side and 20 feet rear7. In the R-10 district the minimum lot is 10,000 square feet10 and the minimum heated floor area is 1,200 square feet11, with the same setbacks12. Building height in R-20 is capped at 35 feet or 2.5 stories, whichever is higher13.

For zoning questions or a zoning verification letter on a specific property, email the City's zoning contact14.

Can you put a manufactured home, guest house or tiny home in Cartersville?

Manufactured single-family homes are permitted in Cartersville's R-10A district and must meet HUD requirements; the other residential districts reviewed (R-20, R-10 and R-7) do not list them8.

In R-20, a guest house is allowed with conditions: one per lot, on a lot of at least 15,000 square feet, with the owner living in the main house and the guest house outside the front yard15. Relatives, employees who work on the property, or guests may occupy it. Accessory apartments there need special use approval15.

We could not confirm Cartersville's rules on tiny homes or on living in an RV on private land. Ask Planning & Development at 770-387-5600 before you plan either16.

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

Inside Cartersville city limits, the City of Cartersville Building Department handles plan review, building permits and inspections for residential and commercial construction, and permit applications can be submitted online through its OpenGov portal2. Planning & Development also handles licensing and permitting applications16.

We could not confirm the city's permit fee schedule or exactly which small projects are exempt, so ask the Building Department by email at [email protected]2.

Georgia does not require an owner to hold a general contractor license to build their own home, but the owner must still follow local building codes9.

How do septic permits work inside Cartersville?

Septic permits are not issued by the City of Cartersville. Onsite sewage systems in Bartow County, which includes Cartersville, go through the Bartow County Environmental Health Department of the Northwest Georgia Public Health District, at 5355 Covenant Drive, phone (770)-387-261434. Georgia requires a permit to construct, repair or replace an onsite sewage system and a final inspection before it is backfilled or used1718.

We could not confirm whether a given Cartersville address must connect to city sewer instead of installing a septic system. Ask the City of Cartersville utilities office and the health department before you buy a lot you plan to septic.

Building a home in Cartersville: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and its lot, setback and floor-area rules with the City14.
  2. Ask whether city sewer is available, or call the Bartow County environmental health office for a septic site evaluation4.
  3. Submit plans and your building permit application through the City's OpenGov portal2.
  4. Schedule inspections with the City Building Department as work proceeds2.
  5. Get the septic final inspection if you installed a system18.

What stays with Bartow County, and what to check before you buy

Bartow County's rules apply to unincorporated land, not to parcels inside Cartersville. If a lot is just outside city limits, use the Bartow County page instead, because the county's zoning and building rules differ from the city's.

County-wide facts still help. Bartow County's effective property tax rate is 0.7% and its median property tax bill is $1,901 a year1920. Only about 32.7% of Bartow County soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation on many lots21.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm the City of Cartersville's floodplain permit requirements, driveway permit rules or building permit fees; ask the Building Department before you buy2.
  • Do not apply Bartow County's unincorporated-area rules to a lot inside Cartersville, or the reverse; confirm which side of the city line a parcel is on first22.
  • Septic permits for every Cartersville address come from the Bartow County environmental health office, not the city4.

Sources

  1. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Cartersville Building Department (cartersvillega.gov)
  3. Land Use/Onsite-Sewage, quoted and re-checked
  4. Bartow County Environmental Health Department (Northwest Georgia Public Health District) (nwgapublichealth.org)
  5. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  6. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.4 R-10A Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (2026 county census)
  10. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.3 R-10 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  11. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.3 R-10 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  12. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.3 R-10 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  13. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  14. City of Cartersville zoning inquiries (cartersvillega.gov)
  15. Cartersville Code Sec. 6.1 R-20 Single-family dwelling district (Cartersville), quoted and re-checked
  16. City of Cartersville Planning & Development (cartersvillega.gov)
  17. Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  21. 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
  22. Planning and Zoning, quoted and re-checked

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.

Answers from the rulebook for Cartersville

Cartersville’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Cartersville city limits; the city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Code Chapter 26 - Zoning)

    • District-specific use and development standards apply
    “within the r-20 district, land and structures shall be used in accordance with standards herein.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-20 single-family district inside Cartersville city

    • R-15 also 1,300 sq ft; R-10 and R-10A 1,200; RA-12 1,000; R-7 900

    minimum heated floor area: >= 1300 sq ft

    “h. minimum heated floor area: one thousand three hundred (1,300) square feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-10 single-family district inside Cartersville city

    • Optional density bonus allows 8,000 sq ft lots if a stated criterion is met
    • Minimum lot width 80 feet

    minimum lot area: >= 10000 sq ft (8,000 sq ft with density bonus)

    “e. minimum lot area: ten thousand (10,000) square feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-20 single-family district inside Cartersville city

    • Guest houses must comply with the principal setbacks of the district

    front yard setback: >= 20 feet · side yard setback: >= 10 feet · rear yard setback: >= 20 feet

    “b. front yard setback: twenty (20) feet. c. side yard setback: ten (10) feet. d. rear yard setback: twenty (20) feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    R-20 single-family district inside Cartersville city (same 35 ft limit in R-15, R-10, R-10A, R-7, RA-12)

    • Whichever is higher: 35 feet or 2.5 stories
    • Communication towers are governed separately

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet (or 2.5 stories, whichever is higher)

    “a. height regulations. buildings shall not exceed a height of thirty-five (35) feet or two and one-half (2½) stories, whichever is higher.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes in the R-10A district inside Cartersville city

    • Manufactured single-family detached dwellings are permitted in R-10A
    • Units must conform to HUD requirements
    • Permanent masonry foundation required in a manufactured home subdivision
    • Other residential districts reviewed (R-20, R-10, R-7) do not list manufactured homes
    “the r-10a district provides minimum design standards for manufactured, modular, industrialized, and prefabricated housing developments”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Accessory apartments and guest houses in the R-20 district inside Cartersville city

    • Accessory apartments need special use approval
    • Guest house: one per lot, minimum lot 15,000 sq ft, owner-occupancy of principal building, not in front yard
    • Guest house heated area no more than 50 percent of principal building
    • Guest house occupied by relatives, employees working on the property, or guests only
    • Guest house standards are similar in R-15, R-10 and R-7

    guest house minimum lot size: >= 15000 sq ft

    “3. a guest house shall be occupied by relatives, employees that work on the property, or guests only.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Cartersville or Bartow County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Cartersville city
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Cartersville city
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Cartersville city
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Cartersville city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Cartersville city
16 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Cartersville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Bartow County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Bartow County: county rules, score and offices