The Impact of getting a Building permit in the City of Atlanta

[Robert Mitchell]

You have closed on your hard money loan and now it is time to get your rehab going......

I created a list to save you some time:  Please use the following building permit checklist if you are planning a rehab in City of Atlanta.

1. Pack a lot of Patience!  with a Capital.... P
2. Hire a Architect to provide drawings with a lot of details such as existing house elevations and floor plan, proposed elevations and new floor plan, roof, wood deck, addition, etc. Estimated cost for a 1500 SF house $1,500 or more depending on your details.

3. Order a boundary survey from a registered surveyor showing the existing house and if you are making changes such as adding to the existing structure you will need to provide the addition and or deck changes on the survey as well.  Estimated cost $550 or more

4. If you are rehabbing in a Historic District get ready to meet Permit Intake and Planning Intake Department and pay $10.00 for a Intake Fee/Review and wait 2-3 days for Planning review.  Provide four to five copies of drawings size 24"x 36" and 11 each Site Plan/ Boundary Survey. Please make sure the drawings are to scale. (Example 1/4"=1'-0")

5. After 2-3 days you will receive a call from Planning to pick up your drawings.  Once you pick up your drawings from Planning go back to the Permit Intake department for Zoning review and a possible approval.  (Please note: if you are changing windows, siding, porch posts, porch structure, and any other major exterior changes ...get ready to paid more money $100.00 and meet the UDC -Urban Design Commission in which they meet twice a month to review your exterior changes for an approval, non-approval or defer which means more waiting before you get to the finish line which is your building permit for your rehab

6. If you pass the Zoning department review you get to sit and wait for another Intake review only to leave your 10 copies of plans and survey for another 3-6 weeks turn around if you are lucky.... final processing/ typing and payment for your new shiny building permit.  It is not a one day process...just be ready to spend some time on this phase before you start construction/rehab on your future deals.

Please share your building permit  experience in City of ATL  ..............................................

[Stan Sugarman]

This is a good start. You need framing details for any alternations to the floor plan. If the plan is to alter the footprint of the home your site plan will need 2' elevation contours, trees and waterways marked. Permits take 3 - 12 weeks outside of the historical districts. Right now the arborist section is short handed and the biggest causes of delays.

[Kevin Polite]

closing next month on my first City of Atlanta property. The only structural changes are opening up the living room to the family room. I've met with my architect And she says  "Drawings will include beam schedules as required by The City (for opening up the walls). For interior alterations, The City's website states that I can submit a RAAC Document (attached), Residential Automatic Approval Certificate, acknowledging that no plan review will be conducted since the drawings will bear my stamp and signature. This allows The City to speed-up the permit review process, which can take up to two months currently. Unless you are altering roof lines, overhangs, driveways or other exterior elements, no site survey will be required."

[John Quiles]

Waiting on permits sucks....City of Atlanta take a long time, but Decatur takes 4EVER!!! I didn't know and took 3 big rehabs in Decatur. I'm talking one was changing a duplex plus for a SFR and adding 1000sqft on the attic. Another one a 90% new construction. And one adding a 2nd and 3er (bonus room) floor. 2 month, 4 months, and still waiting. If you don't plan for that time, and you have HML holding costs, bye bye profits, hello stress!!!

[Mark Graffagnino]

Excellent post @Robert Mitchell  The City of Atlanta permits department is a full on ****-show.  Employees shuffle around like zombies.  If you've got the money, hire an expediter.  They recently cleaned house of a lot of the corrupt people and for now the wait times are worse than before.

I had one project in a historic district- remember that the historic district department has a different intake deadline than the regular permit department.  I got there 10 minutes after the cutoff, which I think was 2 hours earlier than permits, and could not get on the agenda for the next meeting.  Then when they finally had my meeting there were not enough board members to have a quorom so they cancelled it.  There were probably 15 people there to have their cases reviewed and they just cancelled it, no apologies, no nothing, just come back in two weeks.  

There is no accountability and very little competence in that entire building.  I will never do another rehab in the City of Atlanta.  You lose intelligence the longer you sit in that building.

[Kevin Polite]

@John Quiles are your projects City of Decatur or Dekalb County unincorporated Decatur? 

[David Begley]

When seeking a permit in the City of Atlanta or DeKalb Co, spring for an experienced expediter.  It's not worth your sanity to try it yourself unless you have plenty of time and patience.  Good luck!  

P.S.  Remember the Arborist Permit if you're touching a tree! 

[Robert Mitchell]

Yes, I agree David about hiring a experienced expediter.  My Arborist approval took about 2-3 weeks for approval because I did not show the (CRZ) critical root zone on my survey plans.

[John Quiles]

@Kevin Polite all 3 properties have 30030 zipcode.  They are City of Decatur.

[Kevin Polite]

@John Quiles Yes I've heard City of Decatur can be a pain. I haven't had any problems with DeKalb County, but haven't done any new builds. I usually get my permits that day. Now it may take the inspector a day or two and then they may not show, but no serious delays. 

[Mark Stroud]

Can anyone recommend an expeditor?

[Davon Lowery]

Great post it is very good to see a contractors contributing on BP, I know and understand how busy work can be. Thank you. @Robert Mitchell 

I am an investor from Los Angeles, who has invested in California, Texas and Wisconsin. We are looking to expand in to the Atlanta and surrounding area market. We are looking to, form a JV with a seasoned investor/rehabber, someone experienced in the local market. We have extensive land-lording knowledge and marginal rehabbing/project management experience; keep an eye out for someone you know of that is looking for capital partnership on rehabs-flips, sub <-100 acquisition market.

Thanks.

[Hillman Pittman]

Hi all, Has the permitting process in Atlanta improved at all?

Thank you.