Who Applies for the Building Permit?
This is the most frequently asked question from the community to the Department of Building Safety:
Our contractor wants us to take out the building permit for our construction in our name and says that is standard procedure. Does it matter whether the owner or contractor takes out the building permit?
In general, we recommend you have the contractor take out the permit. If you take out the permit in your (the owner’s) name, then you become an owner-builder, at least with respect to our department issuing the permit. For Commercial Permitting click “here”.
Owner-Builder
As an owner-builder, you may lose some of the legal protections provided to construction clients by the local or state government.
Fayette County Department of Building Safety will not issue a permit to a contractor who is not properly licensed: Also, the person signing the permit application is the party responsible for passing all inspections and obtaining an occupancy certificate.
A contractor who insists that you take out the permit may be trying to avoid liability and responsibility for your job – not a good sign in most cases so please be informed before pulling a permit in your name as a homeowner.
Click Here for Georgia Secretary of State Contractors Requirements for who can perform construction work under what license type.
How do I confirm my contractor is licensed? Click Here
