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

Town of Woolsey’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Woolsey town limits, under the Town of Woolsey zoning ordinance

  • Uses are allowed only as the district classification permits; the ordinance applies inside the town's corporate limits.
  • Newly annexed land takes the comparable classification from Fayette County at annexation until the town council rezones it.

  “the following zoning classifications are established by this ordinance for the purpose of regulating the use of land, buildings and structures;”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of the Town of Woolsey (R-A, R-3, R-1, TCD)

  • The official zoning map is dated June 10, 2019 and is incorporated by reference; the map PDF was not opened and its boundaries are not stated here.

  “the following zoning classifications are established by this ordinance for the purpose of regulating the use of land, buildings and structures;”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

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

  • Lot area standard from the R-1 development standards in Chapter 7.

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre · minimum lot area: >= 43560 square feet

  “e. minimum lot area. the minimum lot area shall be one (1) acre or 43,560 square feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-A residential-agricultural district inside Woolsey town limits

    “e. minimum lot area. the minimum lot area shall be five (5) acres or 217,800 square feet.”

  • Specified — Lots in the R-3 single family residential district inside Woolsey town limits

    “e. minimum lot area. the minimum lot area shall be three (3) acres or 130,680 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

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

  • Corner lot street-side setback is 35 feet (stated in the side yard rule).

  front yard setback: >= 50 feet (measured from right-of-way) · side yard setback: >= 25 feet (corner lot street side 35 feet) · rear yard setback: >= 50 feet

  “c. minimum side yard setback. the side yard setback shall be a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet, provided that the minimum setback on the street side of a corner lot shall be thirty-five (35) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the R-A residential-agricultural district inside Woolsey town limits

    “c. minimum side yard setback. the side yard setback shall be a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet, provided that the minimum setback on the street side of a corner lot shall be equal to the front yard setback.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings and structures in the R-1 single family residential district inside Woolsey town limits

  • Exceptions for steeples, belfries, cupolas, bell towers, flagpoles, and telecommunications towers appear in the general provisions; sec. 401.1 subsection e is cross-referenced.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (sec. 401.1 general provisions, subsection e)

  “a. maximum building height. no building or structure shall exceed a height of thirty-five (35) feet, unless otherwise provided in sec. 401.1. general provisions, subsection e.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings and structures in the R-A residential-agricultural district inside Woolsey town limits

    “a. maximum building height. no building or structure shall exceed a height of thirty-five (35) feet, unless otherwise provided in sec. 401.1. general provisions, subsection e.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on residential lots inside Woolsey town limits; a recreational vehicle is not a dwelling and stored RVs may not be occupied

  • A recreational vehicle is excluded from the ordinance's dwelling definition.
  • Stored recreational vehicles may not be occupied.
  • One guest recreational vehicle may be accommodated for up to 30 calendar days per year with a zoning administrator permit.
  • Construction-period trailer rules in the same section were not fully analyzed (budget exhausted).

  guest recreational vehicle stay: <= 30 calendar days per year (one guest RV per lot; zoning administrator permit required)

  “storage of recreational vehicles shall not be occupied and any utility trailer, camping trailer, boat or recreational vehicle shall be owned by the property owner or lessee of the lot proposed for such storage.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary RV occupancy of a guest on a residential lot inside Woolsey town limits; tent camping not addressed

  • Only one guest recreational vehicle per lot, in the rear yard, for up to 30 calendar days in a year, with a zoning administrator permit.
  • Whether tent or other camping is allowed was not found in the sources opened.

  guest recreational vehicle stay: <= 30 calendar days per year (zoning administrator permit)

  “any property owner or lessee may accommodate one (1) recreational vehicle of a nonpaying guest in the rear yard of the lot for a period not exceed to exceed thirty (30) calendar days in any one (1) year upon issuance of a permit by the zoning administrator.”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile homes and manufactured housing in the R-1 single family residential district inside Woolsey town limits

  • The excerpt is the prohibited-use list for the R-1 district; the opening words of that sentence were not captured in the extracted window, so the list heading was not read verbatim.
  • The dwelling definition separately treats a building assembled in a factory to state building code standards as a single family detached dwelling.

  “sec. 701.4. prohibited uses. the following uses shall be prohibited in the r-1 single family residential district.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Mobile homes and manufactured housing in the R-3 single family residential district inside Woolsey town limits

    “sec. 601.4. prohibited uses. the following uses shall be prohibited in the r-3 single family residential district.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and subdivisions inside Woolsey town limits

  • Subdivision regulations are published by the town; the regulations PDF itself was not opened, so its standards are not stated here.
  • Preliminary and final plats carry a fee in the town fee schedule.

  “regulations subdivision regulations (pdf) download development regulations (pdf) download amendment to subdivision regulations (pdf) download”

• Permit feesPublished

  Town of Woolsey fees for land-use, sign, plan review, and related permits

  • The schedule lists fees only; it does not state an effective or adoption date.
  • Building permit fees are set by Fayette County after the town approval letter; the county fee schedule was not opened.
  • Woolsey community center rental fees are on a separate town page and are not included here.

  occupational tax: 50 USD · alcohol license (vinous liquors): 500 USD · alcohol license (malt liquors): 500 USD · sign permit: 50 USD · preliminary plat / final plat: 100 USD · plan review, residential: 75 USD · plan review, commercial: 75 USD · variance: 100 USD · rezoning: 175 USD · annexation/rezoning: 250 USD · conditional use / special exception: 175 USD · demolition acknowledgement letter: 50 USD

  “sign permit…………………………….....$50 preliminary plat/final plat ……………$100 **plan review, residential ………………$75”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit sequence for construction inside Woolsey town limits: town approval first, then Fayette County building permit

  • The town publishes forms (sign permit, conditional use permit, residential and commercial plan review) on its Forms & Permits page.
  • The county step (permit issuance, inspections) is not described in the opened town sources; county procedures were not opened.

  “**after an approval letter is provided by the town of woolsey, permits will be issued by the fayette county building permits and inspections department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a home inside Woolsey town limits
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Woolsey town limits
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Woolsey town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Woolsey town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Woolsey town limits

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.