Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Putnam County, Georgia

Yes. Putnam County requires building permits for agricultural, residential and commercial construction, including additions, remodels, new construction, accessory structures, manufactured homes, modular homes and relocated homes¹. Contractors must submit a state contractor's license and an occupational tax certificate with each permit¹. The county's published residential schedule charges $0.40 per square foot of enclosed space, $0.35 for garage, storage-building or barn space, and $0.25 for porches, decks or open sheds; separate trade fees may apply¹¹. Georgia's mandatory construction codes apply statewide whether or not each code is locally enforced¹². Georgia's owner-builder license exemption does not waive Putnam County permits, inspections, codes or zoning⁵.

For building, sign, site plan and land-disturbance permits, plus zoning compliance, contact Putnam County Planning and Development at 117 Putnam Drive, Suite B, Eatonton, GA 31024, phone 706-485-2776². Most Planning and Development applications can be filed through the GeoPermits online portal, although some still require email or hand delivery¹³. The department also handles final plats, minor subdivisions, occupational licenses and home-occupation licenses². Zoning cases such as map amendments, conditional-use permits and building setback variances go before the Putnam County Planning & Zoning Commission at the Putnam County Administration Building, Room 203, 117 Putnam Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024¹⁴. For septic and well questions, contact Putnam County Health Department's Environmental Health section at 117 Putnam Drive, Suite C, Eatonton, GA 31024, phone (706) 485-8591¹⁵.

Yes. Putnam County administers planning and zoning for the county and the City of Eatonton². For residential-zoned property, the published diagram shows a 30-foot front setback, 50 feet on a main arterial or state highway, 20-foot side setbacks, 15-foot side setbacks for accessory structures, a 15-foot rear setback off-lake, and 65 feet from the nearest point of a lake⁶. In the R-1, R-1R and R-2 single-family districts, a lot on an individual well and septic needs at least 1.1 acres off-lake and 1.5 acres on-lake, and smaller lots are allowed with public water or sewer^16,17,18. Confirm the parcel's district and applicability with Planning and Development before designing; an administrative setback variance cannot exceed 25% of the applicable minimum¹⁹. Putnam County reviews final plats and minor subdivisions². Short-term vacation rentals are allowed after issuance of a rental certificate and occupation tax certificate and payment of applicable state and county taxes⁷.

Putnam County septic permits run through the County Health Department under Georgia Department of Public Health rules, with the County Board of Health handling site and final inspections³. A construction permit is required before physical development or installation on a site that will use septic, and issuance requires a favorable site inspection³. The permit remains valid for no more than 12 months³. New systems and repairs to malfunctioning systems are subject to inspection⁴. Public or community sewer generally must be used when available within 200 feet of the property line or in an abutting public right-of-way, subject to limited exceptions²⁰. Only 38.8% of Putnam County soils avoid a severe USDA limitation rating for a conventional septic drain field, so make county site approval a purchase contingency²¹.

We could not confirm a Putnam County rule on long-term RV occupancy or temporary camping on ordinary residential or agricultural land, so ask Planning and Development whether the parcel's district permits either use². The zoning code does address two cases. In the MHP Manufactured Home Park District, tiny homes are an allowed use as a matter of right and recreational vehicles are allowed for less than 30 days⁹. In areas of special flood hazard, a recreational vehicle must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days and be road-ready, or else meet the elevation and anchoring rules for new construction²². Outside the MHP district, a site-built or modular tiny home is a dwelling subject to applicable Georgia building codes, while local zoning controls its site and dimensions¹⁰. We could not confirm a countywide minimum dwelling size; one R-1 rezoning approval imposed parcel-specific minimums of 1,200 square feet for a site-built or modular home and 1,000 square feet for a manufactured home, but those conditions do not establish a rule for other parcels²³. Manufactured homes require a Putnam County building permit and state-compliant installation, and the county documents an inspection for pre-owned units^1,8,24.

1. Ask Putnam County Planning and Development to identify the parcel's zoning, allowed use and applicable setbacks².
2. Ask Putnam County Environmental Health whether sewer is available or the site may use septic; sewer is generally required when service is within 200 feet of the property line or in an abutting public right-of-way²⁰.
3. If the site may use septic, obtain the County Health Department's construction permit before physical development or installation³.
4. Submit the county building-permit application, using GeoPermits if available; contractors must provide license and occupational-tax documents^1,13.
5. For a private well, have the well contractor contact the county health department in advance and ask whether a well-construction permit is required²⁵.
6. Arrange building and trade inspections with Planning and Development; we could not confirm the inspection sequence for every building type^2,26.
7. Complete the required septic inspection before using the system⁴.
8. For access onto a state highway, obtain the applicable GDOT right-of-way permit before construction²⁷.

Terrain and clearing matter: about 67.7% of Putnam County is at a slope of 15% or less, while 78.5% is wooded²¹. Putnam County averages 46.7 inches of precipitation annually and has experienced severe drought in about 15.8% of years²¹. The nearest city with at least 100,000 people is about 41 miles from the county center²¹. The typical effective property-tax rate is 0.7%, and the median annual property-tax bill is $1,604²¹. Farmland averages about $4,713 per acre, the typical home value is about $419,703, and a typical annual homeowner's insurance premium is about $1,718²¹. Only 38.8% of county soils avoid a severe USDA limitation rating for conventional septic drain fields, so make site approval a purchase contingency²¹. Check flood status and the locally administered floodplain ordinance for the parcel, and confirm whether access is from a county road or a state highway^27,28.