The Plan Review Section reviews all civil construction plans for new developments and re-developments applying for a Land Disturbance Permit (LDP) to ensure compliance with Cobb County ordinances and standards.
All land-disturbing activities in unincorporated Cobb County must be reviewed and approved via the issuance of an LDP. To apply for an LDP and start the Plan Review process, please contact Community Development Site Plan Review at (770) 528-2147 or visit the Site Plan Review page for more information.
Contacts for Site Plan Review
Christopher Duggan
(770) 419-6380
Christopher.Duggan@cobbcounty.org
Commercial Building Permit Review
If you need a building permit in Cobb County (or a certificate of occupancy), there are three different scenarios regarding building permits/CO’s and the commercial permit application in Cobb County. The Cobb County Water System (CCWS) is involved in two of the scenarios, and they are listed below.
1. Within Unincorporated Cobb County:
All projects in unincorporated Cobb County must begin the permit review process at the Building Permit office with Community Development. Email application and plans to CommBldgApplication@cobbcounty.org. Once the project has an application number, you can move forward to CCWS and Fire Marshal for approvals.
CCWS will release all unincorporated Cobb County projects via the Citizen’s Access portal. The Commercial Permit Application Form will no longer be signed by CCWS.
For further information, visit: https://www.cobbcounty.org/community-development/development-and-inspections/building-permits
2. Powder Springs, Acworth, or Kennesaw City Limits:
If the address for your project is within the city limits of Powder Springs, Acworth, or Kennesaw, you will still fall under the jurisdiction of Cobb’s Fire Marshal, but you will not be obtaining a permit via Cobb County Community Development; therefore, you will be unable to use Cobb’s Citizen’s Access portal. Instead, you will request an appointment with Cobb Fire online at the Fire Marshal's website. When it opens, scroll down and you will see the links below to request an appointment for plan review with the FM as well as the link for the commercial permit application:
All requests for [fire marshall] plan review appointments must be scheduled through our [FMO] online process.
- Plan Review Appointment Request
- Commercial Permit Application
The Fire Marshal’s office will then send you a form-letter email confirming the date/time of the meeting and details of items required for review. One item on the list will be the Commercial Permit Application Form (found on the same page as the appointment request), which they will instruct you to complete and send to the Water Department electronically. Once you complete the first page electronically online, print it as a PDF, and send it to us immediately after requesting the appointment. There is a link at the top of the 2nd page (ccwsplanreview@cobbcounty.org) that you can click on and it will open an email box to submit the application to our office. Include a copy of the plans and a scope of work summary on the project.
When we receive your application, it will initiate our review and we will let you know what we need to see and where to send it, or, if no CCWS approval is required, we will sign your form indicating same and return it to you. You will then print the application form and take it with you to your meeting with the Fire Marshal.
3. Austell, Marietta, or Smyrna City Limits:
If the address is within the city limits of Austell, Marietta, or Smyrna, you would not fall under the jurisdiction of Cobb’s Fire Marshal. Instead, you would submit your project to the City in which the business will operate. Determination of jurisdiction (city limits) can be made at Cobb’s Tax Assessor’s website. Note that although the project is within the city limits of one of these three municipalities, it may be a Cobb County Water System customer, so the city may have you contact our office. We’ll need the address to make this determination and to let you know how we can coordinate a CCWS review with a non-Cobb Fire project. If the address is not in the CCWS service area, we will have no further involvement.
Contacts in CCWS for commercial permit applications:
Christopher Duggan
(770) 419-6380
Christopher.Duggan@cobbcounty.org
Susan Garrett-Smith
(770) 419-6324
Susan.Garrett@cobbcounty.org