Building permits, zoning and land rules in Bryan County, Georgia

At a glance

Building permit

Required; structures over 200 sq ft need one even without a permanent foundation⁵⁶

Zoning

Yes, countywide zoning and subdivision regulations administered by Community Development⁷

Septic permit

Coastal Health District Environmental Health handles local permitting and inspections under Georgia's statewide rules⁴⁸

Owner-builder

A qualifying owner may use the license exemption, but must file the county affidavit before permit issuance⁹¹⁰

Tiny home

Must meet building codes and zoning; 400 sq ft minimum living area unless a guest house or accessory dwelling¹¹¹²

Manufactured home

Needs a state installation permit from a licensed installer, plus local zoning approval¹³

Private well

Must be installed by a licensed water-well contractor, who must notify the county health department before drilling¹⁴

Minimum home size

400 sq ft of living area per dwelling in unincorporated Bryan County; guest houses and accessory dwellings excepted¹⁵

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Bryan County, Georgia?

Unincorporated Bryan County requires building permits and uses its Building and Codes Division to review plans, issue permits and inspect construction⁵. A structure larger than 200 square feet needs a permit even when it is not on a permanent foundation; a structure smaller than 200 square feet may still need one when it has a permanent foundation or connects to electricity or water⁶. Richmond Hill and Pembroke run their own code enforcement, so a parcel inside either city follows city rules rather than the county's³. Ask the division about the exact scope before ordering a shed or starting site work. Georgia's mandatory building, residential, fire, plumbing, mechanical, gas, electrical, energy and swimming-pool codes apply to construction statewide whether or not each code is locally enforced¹⁶. Bryan County adopted its listed current code editions on January 1, 2026⁶. Georgia authorizes only the local governing authority to issue the certificate of occupancy¹⁷.

Who is the Bryan County building department, and how do you reach them?

The Bryan County Building and Codes Division reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects construction through the Community Development Department⁵. The listed Richmond Hill office is at 66 Captain Matthew Freeman Drive, Suite 111, Richmond Hill, GA 31324, and its phone number is 912-756-3177⁶. The county also accepts mailed Community Development paperwork at 51 N. Courthouse Street, Pembroke, GA 31321⁶. Building permit applications may be submitted online⁶. Bryan County's 2026 fee schedule charges a residential building permit of $70.00 x 0.0075 x the total heated and unheated square feet under roof, with a $75 minimum¹⁸. Plan review is an additional 5% of the building permit fee, with a $100 minimum and a $1,500 maximum, and starting work without a permit doubles the fee¹⁸. Re-inspections cost nothing the first time and $50 the second time¹⁸. Before filing, ask the division which plans, trade permits and supporting approvals apply to the proposed structure; we could not confirm a general building-permit review time.

Does Bryan County have zoning?

Yes, in unincorporated Bryan County. The Board of Commissioners adopted the Unified Development Ordinance on December 8, 2020, effective January 12, 2021, and it replaced the county's earlier zoning and subdivision ordinances². Richmond Hill and Pembroke handle their own code enforcement, so the county ordinance and zoning map do not by themselves set rules inside those cities³. Septic and well rules stay with the health department wherever the parcel sits⁴. Georgia law gives counties the authority to zone unincorporated territory, but leaves district names, boundaries, permitted uses and procedures to each county's own ordinance rather than a statewide map¹⁹. That means what a given parcel can be used for, how large a lot must be, and what setbacks apply all depend on the specific zoning district Bryan County has placed it in, which this guide could not confirm parcel by parcel; the Building and Codes Division can look up a specific parcel's zoning district⁶. A new dwelling must have at least 400 square feet of living area, with guest houses and accessory dwelling units excepted¹⁵. Creating a new subdivision or recording a plat in Bryan County is also subject to the county's own subdivision ordinance on top of state recording law²⁰.

How do septic permits work in Bryan County?

The Coastal Health District serves Bryan County, and its Environmental Health program handles local permits and inspections for on-site sewage systems under Georgia's statewide rules⁴⁸. The Bryan County Environmental Health office is at 430 Ledford Street, Pembroke, GA 31321, and its phone number is 912-653-4333²¹. Obtain the County Health Department's septic construction permit before physically developing a lot or structure that will use an on-site sewage system⁸. The County Board of Health must approve or deny a completed application within 20 days, and a construction permit remains valid for no more than 12 months⁸. Do not backfill or use the system until the County Board of Health completes its final inspection and issues written approval⁸. Only about 0.2% of Bryan County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make the site evaluation an early purchase contingency rather than assuming a standard system will fit²².

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Bryan County?

A site-built or modular tiny home in Georgia is a dwelling unit and must meet the same building codes as a traditional site-built home¹². Unincorporated Bryan County requires at least 400 square feet of living area per dwelling, which applies to tiny homes as well, unless the unit is a guest house or accessory dwelling unit with its own separate conditions¹¹. Bryan County zoning still determines where a dwelling may be placed⁷. A manufactured-home installer must obtain a state installation permit for each new or pre-owned manufactured home installed in Georgia¹³. We could not confirm whether Bryan County allows someone to live in an RV on a private parcel while building, or the parcel-specific rules for tiny and manufactured homes. Ask the Building and Codes Division to check the parcel's zoning before placing or occupying any of them⁶.

Building a home in Bryan County: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and subdivision restrictions with Community Development before buying⁷.
2. Contact Coastal Health District Environmental Health for the septic site evaluation and construction permit before physically developing a lot or structure that will use septic; only about 0.2% of county soils rate without severe limits for a conventional drain field⁴⁸²².
3. Confirm driveway access: work in a Bryan County right-of-way requires an approved encroachment permit before work begins, including driveway or culvert installation²³²⁴.
4. If claiming the owner-builder license exemption, submit Bryan County's Property Owner Exemption to Licensing Requirements Affidavit before the building permit is issued; the exemption does not waive local codes or permits⁹¹⁰.
5. Submit the building application online and coordinate inspections with Building and Codes⁶⁵.
6. Do not backfill or use the septic system until the County Board of Health completes its final inspection and issues written approval; ask Building and Codes whether the project also requires a certificate of occupancy⁸¹⁷.

What to check before you buy land in Bryan County

Get a septic site evaluation early: only about 0.2% of Bryan County soils rate without severe limitations for a conventional drain field²². A private well must be installed by a licensed water-well contractor, and the contractor must notify the county health department before drilling; the available rule does not establish a general homeowner well-permit requirement¹⁴. Verify legal access and identify who owns the adjoining right-of-way; a driveway or culvert in a Bryan County right-of-way needs an encroachment permit before work begins²³²⁴. County encroachment permits are generally reviewed within two weeks after submission, but that timing applies to right-of-way work, not building permits²⁴. The median property-tax bill is about $2,501 per year, with an effective rate near 0.8%²⁵²⁶. For a driveway on a state highway, Georgia requires a permit before construction or non-routine maintenance within the state highway right-of-way²⁷.

Watch-outs

• Georgia's mandatory construction codes apply statewide, while the codes a local government actively enforces depend on its local enforcement choices¹⁶.
• We could not confirm Bryan County's parcel-specific lot sizes, setbacks or rule for living in an RV while building; ask the Building and Codes Division before buying or moving a camper onto land⁶.
• A driveway or culvert in a Bryan County right-of-way needs an approved encroachment permit before work begins²³²⁴.
• Richmond Hill and Pembroke run their own code enforcement, so confirm whether a parcel is inside city limits before assuming county building or zoning rules apply³.

Sources

1. Building and Codes Division, quoted and re-checked
2. Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
3. Code Enforcement Division, quoted and re-checked
4. On-Site Sewage/Septic Systems - Georgia Coastal Health District, quoted and re-checked
5. Building and Codes Division (2026 county census)
6. Bryan County Building and Codes Division (Community Development Department) (bryancountyga.gov)
7. Unified Development Ordinance (2026 county census)
8. GA R&R - GAC - Subject 511-3-1 ON-SITE SEWAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, quoted and re-checked
9. Who Can Apply for a Building Permit, quoted and re-checked
10. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Sec. 114-601. Minimum living area, quoted and re-checked
12. Georgia Tiny House Fact Sheet (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Manufactured Housing (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Well Water, quoted and re-checked
15. Sec. 114-601. Minimum living area, quoted and re-checked
16. Mandatory and Permissive State Codes, quoted and re-checked
17. dca.georgia.gov (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. 2026 Permit Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
19. Georgia Zoning Statutes Compilation (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. law.georgia.gov (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Bryan County Health Department, Environmental Health (Georgia Coastal Health District) (coastalhealthdistrict.org)
22. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
23. Encroachment Permits (Culverts, Driveways, and Utilities), quoted and re-checked
24. Encroachment Permits (Culverts, Driveways, and Utilities), quoted and re-checked
25. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
26. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
27. Regulations for Driveway & Encroachment Control Manual (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 9, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.