Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Centerville, Georgia

Centerville’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Centerville city

  • Codes adopted are the latest editions as adopted and amended by the state department of community affairs
  • Adopted: IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, NEC, IECC, IPMC, IEBC

  “the latest edition of the following codes, as adopted and amended by the state department of community affairs, are hereby adopted by reference as though they were copied herein fully:”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Centerville city limits; the city administers its own zoning chapter (Chapter 66) with a planning commission, council and board of zoning appeals

  “District means a section of the city within which the zoning regulations are uniform.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a travel trailer or motor home on a residential lot inside Centerville city

  • Occupancy only in an authorized travel trailer or motor home park
  • A motor home may be parked in a driveway or behind the front yard building line for an aggregate of no more than ten days while occupied
  • Parks require three-acre minimum, 30-day maximum stay, county health department approval

  occupied motor home in driveway: <= 10 days aggregate

  “A travel trailer or motor home shall not be occupied either temporarily or permanently while it is parked or stored in any area except in a travel trailer park or motor home park authorized under this chapter.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary use of a mobile unit, travel trailer or motor home as a residence inside Centerville city

  • Temporary residence during construction of a permanent residence on the same lot or other special purposes
  • Requires written approval from the building inspector
  • Occupied motor home otherwise limited to ten aggregate days in a driveway

  temporary use duration: <= 6 months

  “A single mobile unit, travel trailer, or motor home, may be used for an office in a subdivision by the developer, temporary residence during construction of permanent residency on same lot or for other special purposes, for a period not to exceed six months upon written approval from the building inspector.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Single mobile homes on individual lots inside Centerville city

  • Variance of board of zoning appeals required, six months usage
  • Lot must meet single-family requirements of the district
  • Not within 30 feet of any permanent building
  • Permanent foundation enclosing undercarriage; connected to water and sewerage
  • Mobile home parks: five-acre minimum, county health department approval

  variance usage period: 6 months

  “Single mobile homes are permitted only by a variance of the board of zoning appeals for a period of six months usage, and they shall be subject to the following conditions:”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in areas of special flood hazard inside Centerville city

  • Floodway encroachments prohibited unless engineer-certified no-rise analysis
  • Lowest floor at least one foot above base flood elevation where data are available
  • Without BFE data, lowest floor at least three feet above highest adjacent grade

  freeboard above base flood elevation: >= 1 foot

  “Encroachments are prohibited, including earthen fill, new construction, substantial improvements or other development within the regulatory floodway.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Centerville or Houston County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Centerville city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Centerville city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Centerville city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Centerville city
• Zoning districts — Zoning district list inside Centerville city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Centerville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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