Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Norcross, Georgia

At a glance

Zoning

Norcross adopts its own zoning districts (R100 and R60 single-family confirmed)¹⁵

Building permits

Issued by the City of Norcross Community Development office²

R60 minimum lot

7,500 sq ft⁶

R100 minimum lot

18,000 sq ft (15,000 sq ft if sewered)⁷

Septic permits

Gwinnett Environmental Health; Level 3 soil report required³

Owner-builder

No state contractor license needed for your own home; local codes and permits still apply⁸

RV living

We could not confirm; ask Community Development⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Norcross, Georgia have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The City of Norcross adopts its own zoning districts for land inside city limits, separate from Gwinnett County's zoning for unincorporated land¹¹⁰. We confirmed two single-family districts: R100, intended for larger lots, and R60, intended for small lots⁵.

In the R60 district, Norcross requires at least 7,500 square feet of lot area, 60 feet of lot width and 30 feet of frontage⁶. Principal buildings in R60 need a 25-foot front setback, 7.5 feet on each side and 25 feet at the rear¹¹. Impervious surface in R60 is capped at 45 percent of the lot¹².

In the R100 district, the minimum lot is 18,000 square feet, or 15,000 square feet if the lot is sewered, with 100 feet of width⁷. R100 setbacks are 50 feet in front, 10 feet on one side with 25 feet total, and 40 feet at the rear¹³. Impervious surface in R100 is capped at 35 percent¹⁴.

Both districts limit principal buildings to 35 feet and accessory buildings to 12 feet¹⁵. Other Norcross districts exist that we did not review, so confirm your parcel's district with Community Development before you buy.

Can you build a tiny home, manufactured home or accessory dwelling in Norcross?

Manufactured or modular homes are listed as a permitted use in the R60 district, while the R100 district lists only single-family detached dwellings¹⁶. Accessory dwelling units in R60 and R100 are allowed only under separate development standards in the city code that we did not review¹⁷.

Georgia treats a site-built or modular tiny home as an ordinary dwelling subject to the state's building codes, and the local government decides whether the home can be sited on a given lot¹⁸. We did not find a Norcross rule written specifically for tiny homes, so ask Community Development how your plan would be classified.

Can you live in an RV on your land in Norcross?

We could not confirm a Norcross rule that allows living in an RV on a residential lot, so get a written answer from Community Development before you plan to live in one. The one related provision we found is the city's urban camping ordinance, which bars anyone other than the owner, a leaseholder or another rightful occupant from camping or residing outside on private property without the owner's permission⁹. That rule covers trespass, not whether you may live in an RV on your own lot.

Gwinnett County's RV rule applies to floodplain sites in the county's own jurisdiction and does not answer the question inside Norcross¹⁹.

Do you need a building permit in Norcross, and who issues it?

Building permits inside Norcross come from the City of Norcross Community Development office, whose staff reviews plans, issues building permits and performs inspections². Gwinnett County's Planning and Development department issues building permits only for unincorporated areas, so a Norcross address does not go to the county counter⁴.

All building permits and land disturbance permits are submitted through the city's online plan submittal portal²⁰. The city publishes residential permit forms, including a homeowner waiver and an owner or homeowner's affidavit for owners who act as their own contractor²⁰. Georgia does not require a contractor license to build your own home, but the exemption does not waive local codes, permits or inspections⁸.

The city's building official enforces the International Building Codes as mandated and amended by the State of Georgia². To request an inspection, call the inspection line at 678-421-2027². We did not review Norcross's permit fees, exemptions for small structures or certificate-of-occupancy rules, so ask Community Development for the fee schedule and thresholds before you start.

How do septic permits work in Norcross?

Septic permits are not a city function. In Gwinnett County, Environmental Health under the GNR Health district issues onsite sewage permits and inspects completed systems, following Georgia Department of Public Health rules²¹. GNR requires a Level 3 soil report before it permits new systems, repairs and additions that modify an existing system³. A septic construction permit is valid for no more than 12 months²².

Georgia requires connection to a public or community sewer when one is available within 200 feet of the property line or in the abutting right-of-way²³. We could not confirm whether any particular Norcross address is on sewer, so ask the Gwinnett Environmental Health office and the city before you count on a septic system²⁴.

Building a home in Norcross: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district with Norcross Community Development, then check lot size, setbacks and impervious cover against the district rules⁵.
2. Ask the Gwinnett Environmental Health office whether sewer serves the lot or whether a septic permit and Level 3 soil report are needed³²⁴.
3. Submit building plans through the city's online plan submittal portal²⁰.
4. Pass the city's inspections by calling the inspection line².
5. Ask Community Development about a certificate of occupancy; Georgia allows only the local governing authority to issue one²⁵.

What stays with Gwinnett County, and what to check before you buy in Norcross?

Septic permits and inspections stay with Gwinnett Environmental Health for every address in the county, city or not²¹. Gwinnett County's Unified Development Ordinance applies only to unincorporated areas, so its zoning districts do not govern lots inside Norcross¹⁰. For land outside city limits, see the Gwinnett County page.

Floodplain rules are set by each community under its own ordinance, so ask Norcross Community Development whether a lot falls in a flood-prone area²⁶. Gwinnett County's effective property tax rate is about 1 percent²⁷, with a median bill of about $3,381 a year²⁸.

Watch-outs

• Only the R100 and R60 single-family districts were reviewed; other Norcross zoning districts have different rules, so confirm your parcel's district with Community Development⁵.
• Search results for Norcross building permits often show Gwinnett County's planning pages, which cover unincorporated land only⁴.
• We could not confirm Norcross permit fees, small-structure exemptions or whether a lot is on sewer; call Community Development at 678-421-2027 and the Gwinnett Environmental Health office².

Sources

1. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
2. City of Norcross Community Development: Building Inspections (norcrossga.net)
3. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
4. Building Permits Issued, quoted and re-checked
5. Norcross Code Sec. 201-6 R100 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
6. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
7. Norcross Code Sec. 201-6 R100 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
8. Residential and Commercial General Contractors Frequently Asked Questions (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Norcross Code Sec. 28-3 Urban camping and improper use of public places (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
10. Unified Development Ordinance, Title 1, quoted and re-checked
11. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
12. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
13. Norcross Code Sec. 201-6 R100 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
14. Norcross Code Sec. 201-6 R100 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
15. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
16. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
17. Norcross Code Sec. 201-8 R60 single-family residence (Norcross), quoted and re-checked
18. Georgia Tiny House Fact Sheet (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Title 3: Development and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
20. City of Norcross Community Development: Applications & Permit Forms (norcrossga.net)
21. Background and Use of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Georgia, quoted and re-checked
22. Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. GA DPH Onsite Sewage Manual (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Gwinnett Environmental Health Department (GNR Health) (gnrhealth.com)
25. dca.georgia.gov (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
26. Floodplain Management (Georgia statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
27. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
28. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 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.