Building permits, zoning and land rules in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Yes, for covered work. Planning and Development issues building permits for all construction projects in the unincorporated areas of Gwinnett County¹. The county issues a construction permit after successful plan review, payment of applicable fees and submission of contractor information². Listed exceptions include cosmetic work, storage buildings of 120 square feet or less, certain concrete work and fences 8 feet or less². The Gwinnett County Construction Code incorporates referenced Georgia minimum standard codes, although the current amendment or edition should be confirmed before designing to a specific version¹¹. Permitted construction requires inspections, scheduled through the ZIP Portal with the permit case number². An eligible owner-builder must provide proof of ownership and a signed Property Owner as Contractor Affidavit; the project must be for the owner and family, and the owner cannot have used this route for a building on property sold or transferred within the prior 24 months measured from its certificate of occupancy⁶. A farm building that qualifies under Georgia law is exempt from the state minimum standard building codes, but that exemption does not cover zoning, septic or floodplain rules, so confirm with Building Services¹². Inside a city, that city's rules apply rather than the county's, and the county notes that Mulberry took over planning and zoning within its limits effective January 1, 2025, subject to litigation⁴.

Gwinnett County Planning and Development's Building Services division handles building permits, plan review and inspections². The office is at 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, can be reached at 770.822.8000, and lists P&D-BuildingPermits@GwinnettCounty.com for building-permit questions². Construction-permit applications and inspection requests go through the ZIP Portal; plan review, fee payment and contractor information come before permit issuance². Building permit fees for a new complete building are calculated from International Code Council Building Valuation Data at $4 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost, and the fee includes plan review and inspections¹³. The county publishes a Planning and Development Fee Schedule updated each January, so confirm the current schedule rather than assuming a flat permit price². Planning & Zoning handles zoning-district and Unified Development Ordinance questions at the same address, with phone 678.518.6000 and email P&D-PlanningZoning@GwinnettCounty.com⁸.

Yes, in unincorporated Gwinnett County. The Unified Development Ordinance divides unincorporated land into zoning districts and regulates land use and development, and it does not set zoning for incorporated cities, whose rules must be checked with the city^3,4. Gwinnett publishes its zoning districts and Official Zoning Map, so identify the parcel's mapped district before designing or choosing a use¹⁴. We could not confirm countywide rules for RV residence, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy, manufactured-home occupancy, accessory dwellings, minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage or building height; ask Planning & Zoning for the parcel-specific standards⁸. The confirmed RV and manufactured-home rules are limited to regulated floodplains: an RV there must satisfy the temporary highway-ready standard or residential-building requirements, and a new manufactured home cannot be placed in the future-conditions floodplain⁷. Subdivision and development-plan review also has separate paths for projects with no subdivision, a small subdivision or a subdivision².

Where municipal sewer is unavailable, a properly functioning septic system can provide sewage disposal in Gwinnett County, subject to Environmental Health requirements⁵. Gwinnett Environmental Health requires a Level 3 soil report before permitting a new system, repair or addition that modifies an existing system⁵. Environmental Health inspects development involving septic properties and investigates failing-system complaints⁵. Georgia requires a final inspection and written approval from the county board of health before a new, repaired or enlarged system is backfilled or used¹⁵. Septic permits come from the county board of health through Environmental Health, not from Planning and Development or a city zoning office¹⁶. Reach the Gwinnett Environmental Health Department at 455 Grayson Hwy, Suite 600, Lawrenceville, GA 30046 or 770.963.5132¹⁷. About 55.9% of county soils have no severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, but the parcel's required soil work controls feasibility^5,10. Georgia generally requires a sewer connection when an available public or community system is within 200 feet of the property line or in an abutting public right-of-way, subject to the stated failing-system exception¹⁸. We could not confirm a separate Gwinnett well-construction permit; ask Environmental Health before scheduling drilling¹⁷.

We could not confirm a general Gwinnett County rule allowing long-term RV residence or temporary camping on private land; ask Planning & Zoning about the parcel, duration and construction status before relying on an RV as housing⁸. Within regulated floodplains, an RV must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, remain licensed and highway-ready, or satisfy the residential-building requirements, including anchoring and elevation⁷. A tiny home is not automatically exempt from ordinary rules: Georgia guidance addresses code-compliant modular or site-built tiny houses, while Gwinnett zoning controls local siting and use^3,19. Countywide tiny-home and manufactured-home occupancy rules remain unconfirmed, but new manufactured homes are barred from the future-conditions floodplain⁷. For off-grid sanitation, Georgia allows approved privies, approved alternative systems and certified composting toilets, with county board of health permits and inspections still required where the system is an onsite sewage management system¹⁸. Any unit using septic remains subject to soil-report, permit and inspection requirements⁵.

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district, proposed use and dimensional standards with Planning & Zoning before design begins^3,8,14.
2. Resolve access, floodplain and subdivision review; a county driveway permit is not required, but sidewalk and drainage requirements can apply, while floodplain plans or a flood study may be required for applicable projects^2,9.
3. Confirm sewer and water availability; where sewer is unavailable, obtain the soil report and septic permit through Environmental Health⁵.
4. Choose a contractor or confirm eligibility for the owner-builder route, then complete the ownership proof and county affidavit⁶.
5. Submit the construction plans through the ZIP Portal, complete plan review, pay the applicable published fees and provide contractor information².
6. Schedule building inspections through the ZIP Portal using the permit case number².
7. Complete septic inspection when the property will use an onsite system⁵.
8. Do not connect a regulated building to permanent utilities until the county authorizes the connection through a certificate of occupancy¹¹.

Start with zoning, sewer and water availability, legal access, floodplain status and whether a lot split will require subdivision review; a floodplain management plan or flood study may be required depending on the project^2,3. Gwinnett County does not require a driveway permit, but a driveway crossing an existing sidewalk must follow the county standard, and a drainage easement in the right-of-way triggers an 18-inch-minimum pipe requirement⁹. For an unsewered parcel, budget for the required soil report; about 55.9% of county soils have no severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, but parcel evaluation controls feasibility^5,10. Gwinnett County has about 2,283 people per square mile, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 18 miles from the county center, so buyers seeking isolation should verify surrounding development plans¹⁰. Farmland averages about $16,242 an acre, a typical home value is about $411,190, and the median annual property-tax bill is $3,381¹⁰.