Georgia’s New Permitting Requirements Are Moving Local Governments Beyond Paper and Spreadsheets.
Key Takeaways:
- Who: Georgia local governments, especially those issuing more than 250 building or land-disturbance permits a year
- What: Georgia SB 447 adds permit review deadlines with penalties for missing them. By January 1, 2028, it also requires a public, real-time application status website
- Benefit: Citywide Permitting puts every permit, review, and deadline in one place. The Citywide Customer Portal gives the public the status access the law requires
Georgia’s permitting landscape is changing.
In 2026, Georgia enacted Senate Bill 447 (Georgia SB 447), the Permit Transparency and Development Review Act. The bill introduces new requirements for building permits, land-disturbance applications, private-provider inspections, review timelines, and public access to permit information.
The legislation took effect July 1, 2026, although some of the requirements won’t take effect until later on.
What Should Georgia Communities Know About Georgia SB 447?
Beginning January 1, 2028, local governments that issued more than 250 building permits in the previous calendar year will be required to provide real-time permit-status information through a publicly accessible website or application. The definition of “building permit” also includes land-disturbance permits, meaning these projects are also included when determining whether the 250-permit threshold is met.
The public will need access to information such as:
- Current permit status
- Permit type and application number
- Most recent status update
- Reviewing department or office
- Missed approval or denial deadlines
- Statutory basis for a denial
The information must be searchable by permit number, property address, or parcel ID and available without requiring users to login or register.
What Review Deadlines Does SB 447 Set?
SB 447 also puts timelines in place for land-disturbance permit reviews, including a five-day completeness determination, 45-day decision on complete applications, 20-day first resubmission review, and 14-day subsequent resubmission review.
So what does this mean?
It means there will be more deadlines and moving pieces for permitting staff to keep track of.
For communities still relying heavily on paper files, spreadsheets, email, and manual updates, keeping up with comments, resubmissions, reviews, and decisions could become more challenging.
So, the question becomes:
Can your team quickly see where a permit stands, who has reviewed it, what still needs to happen, and whether the required deadline was met?
What Happens if a Community Misses a Deadline?
These timelines aren’t simply internal goals. Under the legislation, failing to meet certain deadlines can have consequences, including application fee refunds, applications being deemed complete and approved, or an applicant seeking mandamus relief through the courts.
There are also specific requirements around private-provider inspections. In some cases, failing to provide timely written notice of deficiencies can result in an inspection report being deemed approved as a matter of law.
How Can Georgia Communities Prepare?
Citywide Permitting gives local governments a centralized platform to manage the permitting lifecycle, from application and review through approval, inspections, and reporting.
Instead of information being spread across multiple systems, spreadsheets, and email inboxes, staff can have a centralized record of:
- Applications
- Reviews
- Comments
- Resubmissions
- Approvals
- Inspections
- Permit Status
For the real-time permit status website requirement, the Citywide Customer Portal lets applicants and residents check where their permit stands online
PSD Citywide can help departments improve visibility, maintain a more complete record of the permitting process, and provide better access to information for staff, applicants, leadership, and the public.
For Georgia communities preparing for the changes ahead, now is a good time to evaluate whether your current permitting process is built for what comes next.
Sources
- Georgia Senate Bill 447 (Act 513) – Official Signed Legislation
- Georgia Code § 36-60-34 – Public Permit Status Requirements
This article is intended for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Local governments should review the enacted legislation and consult appropriate legal counsel regarding applicability and compliance.
