County Guide
DeKalb County, GA Building Permits: Who Issues Them
DeKalb County's permits division issues permits for unincorporated areas. Decatur, Brookhaven, and Dunwoody run their own. How to look them up.
Short answer: building permits in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia are issued by the county's Permits, Plan Review and Inspections division. The county's many incorporated cities, including Decatur, Brookhaven, and Dunwoody, run their own building departments. Here is who issues permits, what the county covers, and how to look one up.
Who Issues Building Permits in DeKalb County?
In unincorporated DeKalb County, building permits are issued by the county's Permits, Plan Review and Inspections division, part of the Planning and Sustainability department. It reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects construction, acting as the authority having jurisdiction for the unincorporated county. For background on that role, see what the authority having jurisdiction does.
The county has moved permitting and plan review online through an ePermitting and electronic plan review system, so applicants can submit and track work without coming to the counter for most steps.
What the County Covers vs the Cities Inside It
DeKalb County contains a large amount of unincorporated land plus more than a dozen incorporated cities, and the split matters. The county division permits unincorporated addresses only.
Cities such as Decatur, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Tucker, and Chamblee run their own building or community development departments and issue their own permits. Part of the City of Atlanta also sits inside DeKalb County and is permitted by Atlanta, not the county. A project inside any of these cities goes through the city.
If your project or search is inside an incorporated city, its permits will not appear in DeKalb County records. Confirm the jurisdiction before you file.
How to Look Up Permits in DeKalb County
For unincorporated addresses, use the county's online ePermitting portal to search permit records. Building permits are public record in Georgia, so these searches are open to anyone. Our guide to building permits as public record covers what is available.
For an address inside a city, use that city's permit system instead. To track permit activity across the county in one place, use our live DeKalb County permit tracker, which pulls residential permits from the official feed and refreshes weekly. To research a single property, see how to look up permit history by address.
Permit Activity in DeKalb County
Permit Ledger tracks about 757 residential permits in DeKalb County in the latest 30-day period as of mid-July 2026, roughly flat with about 764 in the prior 30 days. Because the county figure covers unincorporated land only, it runs lower than the combined total for the county's incorporated cities.
The tracker breaks the total down by project type so you can see what is driving activity in a given period.
Who Uses This Data
Contractors use county permit activity to size demand and time outreach. Investors watch renovation and addition volume as a read on where owners are reinvesting. Direct mail marketers pull recent permit addresses to reach homeowners mid-project. All of it starts with knowing which office issued the permit.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in DeKalb County, Georgia?
The county's Permits, Plan Review and Inspections division, part of Planning and Sustainability, issues building permits for unincorporated DeKalb County. Incorporated cities such as Decatur, Brookhaven, and Dunwoody run their own building departments.
Does DeKalb County issue permits for Decatur or Brookhaven?
No. Decatur, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and the county's other incorporated cities each issue their own permits. Part of the City of Atlanta inside DeKalb is permitted by Atlanta. County records cover unincorporated land only.
How do I look up a building permit in DeKalb County?
For unincorporated addresses, use the county's online ePermitting portal to search permit records. For an address inside a city, use that city's permit system. You can also track county residential permits on Permit Ledger.
Are DeKalb County building permits public record?
Yes. Building permits are public record in Georgia, so anyone can search permit and inspection records through the county's portal or the relevant city.
How many building permits does DeKalb County issue?
Permit Ledger tracked about 757 residential permits in DeKalb County in the 30 days ending mid-July 2026, roughly flat with about 764 in the prior 30 days. City permits are counted separately by each city.
See Live DeKalb County Permit Data →Related guides
- What Is the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)?
- What Is a Parcel Number? Definition and How to Find It
- Unpermitted Work: What Happens If You're Caught
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