Demolition Review and Permit

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Overview

  • A Demolition Permit may be required for an applicant’s construction project in conjunction with other required permits. Any structural changes to the inside of a building requires a Demolition Permit to be issued through the Building Inspections Department. If there is any proposed interior and or exterior demolition work to a house that was built any time before 1990 an asbestos survey is required as part of the demolition permit submission. In addition to the asbestos survey,  a copy of the 10-day notification to the GA EPD is required for submittal.   
  • Any proposed exterior demolition work requires both a Demolition Review and a Demolition Permit to be reviewed and issued. A Demolition Review is done by the Planning Department.
  • Exterior demolition work proposed for any property more than 50 years old is subject to Commissioner review. If a property is less than 50 years old, the proposed exterior demolition work will be reviewed administratively by ACC Planning staff. If a property is eligible for Commissioner review, Planning staff will send the applicant’s demolition proposal to the relevant Commissioner’s office. The Commissioner will then have 25 days to review the proposed demolition, during which they will decide if the proposed work warrants a 90-day review hold.
  • If the Commissioner releases the demo, an applicant may then move forward with applying for a demolition permit through the Building Inspections Department. If a commissioner chooses to not release a demolition proposal, they will then begin a study of the area in question to create a new Historic District designation.  
  • Any existing building being moved into, out of or around Athens will require a Relocation Review and Relocation Permit. Please refer to the Relocation Permit application for submittal requirements.
  • Any proposed exterior demolition or relocation within a Historic District does not require a Demolition/Relocation Review but is instead subject to a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). For more information on COA’s, please visit the COA portion of the Development Services website. Any exterior demolition work proposed or relocation within a property zoned Employment-Office, Employment-Industrial or Industrial does not require a Demolition Review to be issued. Demolition/Relocation Reviews are not required for any work involving a mobile home.
  • For projects currently under review through Construction Plans Review, interior only Demolition Permits may be pulled at the owner’s discretion.
  • Demolition Reviews can be submitted via email to Planningsubmittals@accgov.com along with photographs of all sides of the building to receive the demolition. Demolition Permits can be submitted via email to accbuild@accgov.com.

Demolition Resources