Which Georgia Cities Let You Skip the Site Plan Requirement?

Most site plan guides assume you always need one. In several Georgia cities, you actually don't — at least not for certain projects. Here's the real, city-by-city list of where you can skip the site plan (or just the permit) in Georgia, and the one distinction that catches almost everyone off guard. **

# Which Georgia Cities Let You Skip the Site Plan Requirement Entirely?

Most site plan guides assume you always need one. In several Georgia cities, you actually don't — at least not for certain projects.

Marietta exempts fences entirely. Stonecrest waives site plans for interior-only work. Pickens County exempts minor structures like sheds. And while Acworth waives the permit for small sheds, you still need the site plan — a distinction that catches more people off guard than anything else on this list.

Here's the real breakdown of where you can skip the site plan, where you can skip just the permit, and where neither applies.

Check My Address Create My Site Plan

Can You Actually Skip It?

No Georgia city fully exempts every project from site plan requirements — that part's worth saying plainly, since it's easy to see one exemption and assume it applies more broadly than it does. What plenty of cities do is exempt specific project types, and those exemptions fall into two genuinely different categories:

Full site plan exemption — no site plan required at all
Permit exemption only — no building permit required, but a site plan may still be needed for zoning compliance

Mixing these two up is the single most common mistake on this entire topic. This guide covers both, city by city.

Cities Where You Can Skip the Site Plan Entirely

Marietta — Fences (No Permit, No Site Plan)

Marietta's own building department FAQ states it directly: fence construction is exempt from building permits entirely. That means no permit and no site plan for a standard residential fence.

Zoning rules still apply, even without the paperwork:

Front yard fences: maximum 4 feet in height
All other fences: maximum 8 feet in height
Fences must sit at least 2 feet from the public right-of-way

Who this applies to: properties inside Marietta city limits specifically. Check your tax district first — "(4) MARIETTA" means you're in the city; "(9) UNINCORPORATED" means Cobb County's rules apply instead, which are different. See our Marietta guide for the full picture.

Stonecrest — Interior Finish Only (No Site Plan)

Stonecrest's requirements state plainly: for interior finish only, no site plan is required. If your project involves zero exterior changes, zero additions, and zero land disturbance, the site plan step disappears entirely.

Who this applies to: any interior-only renovation or finish work within Stonecrest city limits. Applicants still need to clearly indicate the scope of work stays inside the structure.

Pickens County — Minor Structures (No Site Plan)

Pickens County's code carries a specific exemption for the "construction of minor structures such as sheds, or additions to single-family residences." In unincorporated Pickens County, a small shed or home addition may not require a site plan at all.

One caveat worth flagging: county-level rules can differ from any city rules layered on top within the same county — confirm which jurisdiction actually governs your specific address before assuming the county exemption applies.

Cities Where You Can Skip the Permit — But Not the Site Plan

Acworth — Sheds Under 120 Sq Ft (No Permit, Site Plan Still Required)

This is the exemption that trips people up most, and it's worth reading carefully. Acworth's rule: no permit is required for an unconditioned, residential accessory structure — a storage shed or playhouse — with outside dimensions of 120 square feet or less, when it's not used or intended for habitable space.

Here's the part that matters: no permit does not mean no site plan. Acworth's own application language is direct about this — you must still submit site and elevation plans depicting compliance with the relevant requirements. The permit is waived. The site plan is not.

Additional conditions attached to the exemption:

The structure can't exceed 50% of the principal building's square footage
It can't be taller than the principal building
It must sit at least 5 feet from any property line
It has to be in the side or rear yard, never the front
Any electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work — regardless of the structure's size — still requires a permit on its own

Our full Acworth guide covers this exemption and the rest of the city's requirements in more depth.

Decatur — Lots Under 4,058 Sq Ft (Simplified, Not Waived)

Decatur takes a slightly different approach: for lots under 4,058 square feet, you submit an Exempt Site Development Application instead of a full one. Lots over that threshold submit a Non-exempt Site Development Application instead.

The site plan itself isn't waived here — the submission path is simplified for smaller lots. Worth knowing the distinction before assuming "exempt" means "skip it entirely."

Cities Where Site Plan Review Is Waived, But Plans Are Still Required

Dunwoody — Detached Houses (Site Plan Review Exemption)

Dunwoody's ordinance states plainly that site plan review requirements do not apply to detached houses. That sounds like a full exemption, but it's narrower than it first appears — it exempts you from the formal site plan review process specifically, not from building plans altogether. Single-family residential projects in Dunwoody's R-150 district still go through plan review; it's just a different track than the standard site plan review division.

Suwanee — Minor Structures (Detailed Site Plan Exemption)

Suwanee exempts a specific list of activities from detailed site plan requirements: single-family detached homes built within a subdivision of fewer than five parcels, repairs to a facility already part of a previously approved development, and construction of minor structures — sheds, additions — to single-family residences.

"Exempt from detailed site plans" here means simpler, not absent. Zoning and setback requirements still apply, and a basic plan showing compliance is still expected.

The Reality Check, All in One Table

City	What's Exempt	Site Plan Still Required?
Marietta	Fences	No — no permit, no site plan
Acworth	Sheds under 120 sq ft	Yes — site plan still required for zoning
Dunwoody	Detached houses (site plan review)	Partial — building plans still required
Suwanee	Minor structures, sheds, additions	Simplified — detailed plan not required
Stonecrest	Interior finish only	No — no site plan
Pickens County	Minor structures, sheds, additions	No — exempt from site plan requirement
Decatur	Lots under 4,058 sq ft	Simplified — exempt application path

Statewide Rules Worth Knowing

No stamped plans for most residential work. Georgia doesn't require a licensed architect or engineer's seal on a standard residential site plan in most cases — that requirement typically kicks in for commercial work or projects over 5,000 square feet.

The 120-200 sq ft threshold, roughly. Detached structures under 200 square feet often get approved over-the-counter with a simple form and site plan in many jurisdictions; some cities, Acworth among them, use a tighter 120 sq ft threshold instead. This varies enough by city that it's worth confirming locally rather than assuming one number applies everywhere.

Owner-builder allowance. Georgia Code § 43-41 lets homeowners pull permits on their own property without a contractor's license — a real, practical option across the state, not limited to any single city on this list.

Before You Assume You're Exempt

Check your city's specific checklist first. Most building department websites have a "Do I need a permit?" page, or list requirements directly in the permit application itself.

Call if the website isn't clear. Building departments generally answer a quick question upfront far more readily than they process a rejection later.

Don't assume exemption means no rules apply. This is the pattern running through every single example above — even where documentation is waived, the underlying zoning rules never disappear. Your exempt fence still has a maximum height. Your exempt shed still needs a 5-foot setback. The paperwork requirement being gone doesn't mean the rule is.

Building a Plan for the Projects That Still Need One

For everything on this list that isn't fully exempt — which is most of it — start from your actual address and let the property lines and setbacks generate from real parcel data rather than guessing. Follow the complete site plan walkthrough start to finish, or jump to generating setbacks directly if you already know your project scope.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

This helps you build an accurate, preliminary site plan for the projects that still require one — it's not a substitute for confirming your specific city's current exemption rules, which can change, and it's not a certified survey or sealed engineering drawing. Even where a city waives a site plan or permit, zoning setback and height rules still apply and are worth verifying directly with your building department before you build anything.

FAQ

Does Marietta really not require a site plan for fences?

Correct — Marietta exempts fence construction from building permits entirely, which means no site plan either. Zoning rules on height and placement still apply regardless.

Can I build a shed in Acworth without any paperwork at all?

No. Acworth waives the building permit for sheds under 120 square feet, but a site plan is still required to show zoning compliance — the permit and the site plan are two separate requirements, and only one is waived here.

What's the actual difference between a permit exemption and a site plan exemption?

A permit exemption means you don't need a building permit. A site plan exemption means you don't need to submit a site plan. Cities can waive one without waiving the other — Acworth is the clearest example of this on the list.

Does Stonecrest ever require a site plan for interior work?

Only if the project extends beyond interior finish — any exterior change, addition, or land disturbance pulls it back into standard site plan requirements.

What if I'm in unincorporated Pickens County versus a city inside it?

County-level exemptions don't automatically apply if a city within the county has its own separate rules layered on top. Confirm which jurisdiction actually governs your specific address.

Is Decatur's small-lot exemption a real waiver?

Not exactly — lots under 4,058 square feet use a simplified Exempt Site Development Application rather than skipping the site plan step entirely. It's a shorter path, not an absent one.

Does Dunwoody's exemption mean I skip plan review completely for a new house?

No — it exempts detached houses from the formal site plan review process specifically, not from plan review altogether. Single-family projects still go through review, just via a different track.

Do these exemptions apply to electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work too?

Generally no. Acworth's shed exemption, for example, explicitly still requires a permit for any electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work regardless of the structure's size.

How do I find out if my specific city has an exemption like these?

Check your city's building department website for a "Do I need a permit?" page, or call directly — most departments would rather answer the question upfront than process a rejection.

Does Georgia require a licensed professional's seal on residential site plans generally?

Not for most residential projects. That requirement typically applies to commercial work or projects over 5,000 square feet, though always confirm with your specific city.

If my project is exempt, do zoning setbacks still apply?

Yes, always. Every exemption on this list waives documentation, not the underlying zoning rule — your fence height limit, your shed's setback distance, all of it still applies even when the paperwork doesn't.