Bolthole Index

Carroll County, Georgia

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Temple, Georgia

Temple, Georgia has its own zoning and residential building permit applications; contact Temple Community Development for a project inside city limits.12 Carroll County Community Development performs Temple’s building inspections, while Carroll County Environmental Health handles septic permits for the Carroll County portion of Temple.34 Temple requires a building permit to locate a manufactured home, subject to a limited dealer sales-lot exception.5

At a glance

Building applications
Start with Temple Community Development; city residential and commercial building permit packages are posted online.2
Building inspections
Carroll County Community Development performs inspections for Temple.3
Zoning
Temple has its own zoning ordinance and districts.1
Septic permits
Carroll County Environmental Health for a Carroll County parcel; state suitability and construction-permit rules apply.46
RV living
Permanent RV occupancy is prohibited in manufactured-home park developments; this does not settle private-lot camping.7
Minimum home size
Site-built and class A single-family detached dwellings have a 1,250-square-foot minimum under the residential standard.8
Owner-builder
Georgia’s own-home contractor-license exemption does not waive local approvals.9

Who to call

Building permits

Temple Community Development

City building application packages, zoning applications and development questions

770-562-3369 ext 112

240 Carrollton Street Temple, GA 30179

Building permits

Carroll County Community Development — Temple building inspections

Building inspections inside Temple under the city’s published arrangement

770-830-5867

Septic permits

Carroll County Environmental Health

Septic tank permits for parcels in Carroll County

770-836-6781

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Temple, GA?

Temple publishes residential, commercial and accessory building permit application packages through the city’s Community Development page; start with the city when planning construction inside Temple.2 Temple explicitly requires a building permit to locate a manufactured home, with an exception for a state-approved dealer’s sales lot when the home is brought in for sale; occupancy still requires the applicable approvals.5 Georgia’s mandatory construction codes apply statewide, including where a local government does not enforce them.10 Ask Temple Community Development which building application, fees and occupancy approvals your particular project needs.2

Who handles building applications and inspections in Temple?

Temple Community Development is the city contact for development documents, building application packages and zoning applications.2 Temple’s published arrangement sends city building inspections to Carroll County Community Development.3 Inspection requests must include the applicant’s name, address, inspection type, project number and building permit number.3 Call 770-830-5867 before 4:30pm the evening before to request placement on the next business day’s inspection list.3 Keep the distinction clear when arranging a project: ask the city about the application and use the county inspection line for the scheduled building inspection.23

Does Temple have zoning, minimum lot sizes and setbacks?

Temple has its own zoning ordinance: every property in the city has a base zone.1 Temple’s residential standard sets a 1,250-square-foot minimum for site-built and class A single-family detached dwellings.8 In DCD developments of 500 acres or less, lots cannot be smaller than 7,500 square feet; that is a DCD rule, not a citywide lot-size answer.11 Temple permits qualifying class A manufactured homes by right in residential districts, while class B homes require approval under the manufactured-home-park guidelines.12 Use the city’s zoning map and ask Temple Community Development for the parcel’s district, setbacks, height and lot-coverage limits before choosing a house footprint.2

How do septic permits and sewer connections work in Temple?

For a Temple parcel in Carroll County, Carroll County Environmental Health is the septic-permit contact.4 Georgia requires a construction permit for a new, repaired, replaced or expanded onsite sewage system, and the County Board of Health must find the site suitable.6 Sewer availability can change the plan: Georgia requires connection when public or community sewer is available within 200 feet of the property line or in an abutting public right-of-way.13 Temple also requires notification when a building sewer is ready for inspection and connection, with connection and testing supervised by the designated city representative.14 Ask Environmental Health about the site and Temple about sewer availability before committing to an off-grid sanitation design.42

Can you live in an RV, tiny home or guesthouse in Temple?

Temple prohibits permanent RV occupancy within manufactured-home park developments and bars permanent water or electrical connections for RVs under the same section.7 That narrow rule does not establish permission to live in an RV on a private lot; ask Temple Community Development about temporary camping and occupancy while building.72 A small detached primary home must be evaluated against Temple’s 1,250-square-foot residential minimum rather than assumed acceptable because Georgia recognizes tiny-house construction.8 A guesthouse, where otherwise permitted, must accompany an existing detached single-family home on at least 1 acre, stand behind the main house and have adequate certified water and sewage disposal; its floor area cannot exceed 50% of the main house.15

What steps should you take before building a home in Temple?

  1. Ask Temple Community Development to confirm city jurisdiction, zoning and the applicable building application package for the parcel.2
  2. Resolve sewer availability with Temple and, for a Carroll County septic site, obtain Environmental Health’s suitability review and required septic construction permit.246
  3. Confirm Temple’s project approvals before construction; Georgia’s exemption from contractor licensure for building your own home still requires compliance with local building codes and regulations.29
  4. Schedule Temple building inspections through the county inspection line and arrange the city-supervised building-sewer inspection where applicable.314

For land outside Temple city limits, use the Carroll County guide for the county’s building and zoning requirements in unincorporated areas.1617

Watch-outs

  • Temple’s RV prohibition cited here concerns manufactured-home park developments; ask Temple Community Development before treating a private lot as an approved RV residence.72
  • We could not confirm Temple’s complete certificate-of-occupancy, private-well or floodplain-development requirements; ask Temple Community Development and the applicable county Environmental Health office before buying or starting work.218
  • Georgia’s owner-builder license exemption does not remove Temple’s local building-code and approval requirements.9

Sources

  1. library.municode.com (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  2. Temple Community Development (templega.us)
  3. Carroll County Community Development — Temple building inspections (templega.us)
  4. Carroll County Environmental Health (carrollcountyga.gov)
  5. Sec. 38-270. Exceptions to issuance of building permit (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  6. Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. Sec. 38-275. Occupancy of recreational vehicles (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  8. Sec. 38-95. Standards for class A dwellings and class B manufactured homes (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  9. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Mandatory and Permissive State Codes (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. library.municode.com (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  12. Sec. 38-236. Purpose (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  13. GA DPH Onsite Sewage Manual (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Sec. 36-147. Building sewers and connections (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  15. Sec. 38-430. Guesthouse (Temple), quoted and re-checked
  16. Building Permits (2026 county census)
  17. Zoning Ordinances and Applications (2026 county census)
  18. Water Well Standards (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 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 Temple

Temple’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Locating a manufactured home inside Temple city limits.

    • A sales-lot exception applies only to a state-approved dealer's sales lot and only for a home brought in for sale.
    • A sales-lot manufactured home may not be occupied unless all permit requirements are met.
    • Installation must comply with Chapter 120-3-7, Appendix A, Rules and Regulations for Manufactured Homes.
    “A building permit shall be required to locate a manufactured home in the city”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Buildings and dwellings inside Temple city limits.

    • The applicable building code may be supplemented by federal manufactured-housing standards or state industrialized-building law, whichever applies.
    “the building code as adopted by the city”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Building-sewer installation and connection inside Temple city limits.

    • The applicant must notify the designated city representative when the building sewer is ready.
    • Connection and testing occur under the designated city representative's supervision.
    “ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Temple city limits; Temple has its own zoning ordinance and zoning districts.

    “All property in the city has one base zone”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Temple city zoning districts.

    • The principal-use table identifies R-1, R-2, R-4, R-6, O-I, CN, CBD, CSC, CG, IL, and IH; it is not the complete district-dimensional schedule.
    “Principal uses table. Uses Permitted in district by right x Uses Allowed by approval as a special use • Uses Not permitted SIC Code Principal Uses R-1 R-2 R-4 R-6 O-I CN CBD CSC CG IL IH”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Permanent recreational-vehicle occupancy within a manufactured-home park development inside Temple city limits.

    • The ban is limited to manufactured-home park developments.
    • Recreational vehicles may not be connected to permanent water or electrical power under the same section.
    • No manufactured-home location permits may be issued for recreational vehicles.
    • Ordinance date: December 4, 2000.
    “No recreational vehicle shall be permanently occupied within any manufactured home park development”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured-home occupancy on single lots or in parks inside Temple city limits.

    • Class A manufactured homes are permitted by right in residential districts when meeting Sec. 38-95.
    • Class B manufactured homes must meet and obtain approval under R-6 manufactured-home-park guidelines.
    • A building permit is required except for the limited state-approved-dealer sales-lot exception.
    • The ordinance governs permanent manufactured-home occupancy and temporary recreational-vehicle parks in the incorporated city.
    • Ordinance date: December 4, 2000.
    “A manufactured home qualifying as a class A single-family dwelling is permitted by right”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Guesthouses serving as accessory dwellings where otherwise permitted inside Temple city limits.

    • Must be accessory to an existing single-family detached dwelling.
    • Must be on a lot of at least one acre.
    • Water supply and sanitary sewage disposal must be certified adequate by the water and sewerage authority or health department, as appropriate.
    • Must be behind the main house.
    • Only one guesthouse may be located on a lot.
    • Floor area may not exceed 50 percent of the main house.

    minimum lot area: >= 1 acre · maximum guesthouse floor area: <= 50 percent of main-house floor area

    “A guesthouse shall be permitted only on a lot having at least one acre in area.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Sign permits inside Temple city limits.

    • The application fee is set by the mayor and council from time to time.
    “An application fee as set by the mayor and council from time to time.”

Rules another office applies inside Temple

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

  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Site-built and class A single-family detached dwellings in Temple residential zoning districts, including the residential districts listed in the principal-use table.

    • The cited section states a general residential standard rather than a separate district-by-district table.
    • Two-family dwellings have a separate minimum of 980 square feet per unit.

    minimum floor area: >= 1250 square feet

    “All site built and class A single-family detached (1,250 square foot minimum)”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    DCD district developments of 500 acres or less inside Temple city limits.

    • No lot may be smaller than the stated minimum.

    minimum lot area: >= 7500 square feet

    “No lots shall be less than 7,500 square feet.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Temple city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements for buildings inside Temple city limits.
  • Setbacks — Required setbacks for Temple zoning districts.
  • Lot coverage — Lot-coverage limits for Temple zoning districts.
  • Building height — Building-height limits for Temple zoning districts.
10 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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 Temple publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Carroll County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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