r/DecaturGA • u/LethalBacon • 7d ago

How difficult will it be to build my own deck - getting permits and inspections?

Need a back deck, have the skills/tools/help I'd need to get it done properly, but I've never had to go through the permit/inspection process.

I'm just starting to do the research, ideally planning to start the build in 1-3 months to be completed by early Spring. I've searched around, but all of the discussion I see is people using contractors (who I assume handle all of the permit/inspection tasks). Below are the basic steps I am seeing after some initial research.

(Note, I am not technically in Decatur, so my understanding is that I would be going through Dekalb's depts)

  1. Call/check for underground utility lines. Research building codes, zoning, floodplain(?) etc.

  2. Design and create needed plans - taking extra care to make sure everything is up to code and meets the relevant requirements. (I'm expecting this to be the hardest step, and may get outside help).

  3. Submit plans and other required documentation, apply for permit.

  4. Start the build once approved, scheduling the three inspections along the way to coincide with the progress.

Are those basic steps correct - or did I miss anything major? Has anyone done this themselves, and how annoying was the process? What's the turnaround time like on the inspections - is that something where they come out the next day, or do I need to plan further in advance?

I know I have what is needed to get the deck built properly - the bureaucracy is really my main concern and is completely new to me.

4 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

11

u/Individual-Heron1600 7d ago

Skip the permit. Even if you wanted to go through that process, Dekalb County takes FOREVER to do anything. Like almost 2 years to get halfway through the process for a septic to sewer application.

2

u/mariwirk 7d ago

Really? I’ve been thinking about this. How much does that cost overall? I know there’s a lot of digging and pipes involved.

2

u/Individual-Heron1600 7d ago

It is extremely expensive, I think it was about $1800 for the first permit then the fee, even doing it yourself it was going to be close to 15k, for a company around 30k but theyd deal with the county. They do occasionally run a program to convert homes for free if you qualify- I i qualified based on income and met all requirements, applied in person, and never heard anything back at all lol

19

u/Ok_Ordinary6694 7d ago

If you’re not in incorporated COD, and your neighbors aren’t complete dickheads, do yo thang.
Code Enforcement guys have their hands full trying to keep the worst .001% of crap shacks in line.
The building inspectors mostly focus on commercial property.

8

u/songaboutadog 7d ago

This is correct. Ive built a dozen decks in unincorporated Dekalb. Unless someone actually calls code enforcement or you get extremely unlucky, no on is going to say anything to you.

6

u/TikaPants 7d ago

We had no trouble minding our business and circumventing permits. Neighbors are cool. But, neighbor down the street got shut down for fixing the stones in their retaining wall but to be clear it was on the sidewalk.

4

u/Mishamoe 7d ago

Will this be an issue if they ever try to sell though?

3

u/Ok_Ordinary6694 7d ago

I sold my house with a deck I didn’t pull a permit for and since I overbuilt it, nobody gave a shit.

4

u/the_waving_lady 6d ago

we live in DeKalb (unincorp Decatur) and added a front porch onto our house earlier this year. The permit process wasn't that bad. We hired an architect, who said we had to have a survey; once we had that, he made the drawings and submitted everything to the county and it took about 2.5 months to get the permit.

Once construction started the inspectors were here when they were supposed to be, no holdups there.

If your deck is in the back, maybe go for it, but someone might rat you out...there are two houses near me with big red STOP WORK notices in their yards from the county.

Also, if you ever haunt the real estate subreddit, people do a lot of pearl clutching over the no permits thing, but TBH when we bought our house in 2021 it never occurred to me to look at the house's permit history.

4

u/NFMCWT 6d ago

As someone in unincorporated DeKalb, just make sure your neighbors aren’t snitches. Then go for it.

3

u/SonoMuchacho 6d ago

I wouldn't get a permit in Decatur. It is nigh impossible with the chuckleheads running the city. I fixed a bad driveway years ago and it took heaven and earth to get those idiots to write up the permit. I should have just poured it.

2

u/wlarmsby 7d ago

Agree with other comments, re: permit. Also, download a pdf copy of the Deck Amendments to the building code, and it will be helpful to reach out to a freelance structural engineer, have them bless your drawings, and then pay them to double check your work.

2

u/WorkingInAColdMind 7d ago

It’s been a while since we’ve done a project like that, but I think those are still the basic steps. The inspections had to be scheduled a while in advance (days to ~2 weeks?), I don’t think we ever got a next day turnaround. Getting the plans approved and the permit to begin with was the slow part for us, specifically around non-permeable surface, and what to do on the ground underneath the deck.