Land Disturbance Permit Costs in Metro Atlanta: County-by-County Breakdown 2026 When a developer or builder asks “what does the Land Disturbance Permit cost in Metro Atlanta,” the honest answer is: it depends on which county, how many acres you are disturbing, whether you are a Primary or Secondary Permittee under the EPD NPDES program, and…

Sanitary Sewer vs. Septic for Rural North Georgia Subdivisions On a rural North Georgia subdivision, the single most consequential design decision is whether the lots will be served by public sanitary sewer or by individual on-site septic systems. The decision drives lot size, total lot count, infrastructure cost, permit timeline, soil testing requirements, and ultimately…

Choosing Between a Local Civil Engineer and a National Firm for Your Atlanta Development When a developer, builder, or property owner in Metro Atlanta lines up the engineering team for a site, the choice usually comes down to two profiles: a large national or regional multi-disciplinary firm with hundreds of staff and offices in every…

Pickleball Court Site Design: Setbacks, Drainage, Parking, and Permits Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, and the construction pipeline behind it has shifted from one-court conversions of tennis courts into purpose-built multi-court commercial facilities. We have designed pickleball facilities including the Pickleball Kingdom project in Athens, and the civil engineering decisions on…

Medical Office Site Development in North Georgia: A Permit-to-CO Timeline A medical office building (MOB) is not a normal office. The parking demand is higher, the ADA requirements are stricter, the inspection sequence is longer, and depending on what services the tenant provides, the building may trigger plan review by the Georgia Department of Community…

Civil Engineer vs. Land Surveyor in Georgia: Which One Do You Actually Need? Property owners and developers in Georgia routinely confuse civil engineers and land surveyors — and it costs them. Hiring the wrong professional first means redoing work, delaying permits, and sometimes losing the deal entirely. This guide explains in plain language what each…

Stormwater Fee Reduction Studies: How to Lower Your Atlanta-Area Property’s Stormwater Bill Most commercial property owners in the Atlanta region pay a monthly or annual stormwater utility fee on top of their other property taxes and utilities. The fees are calculated based on the amount of impervious surface — rooftops, parking lots, driveways — and…

How to Get a Site Feasibility Report Before You Buy Land in Metro Atlanta The single highest-leverage check you can write in real estate is the one for a civil engineering site feasibility report — before you commit earnest money on raw or under-developed land. It typically costs 1–3% of the total project budget and…

Georgia NPDES Construction Stormwater Permits: 2023 Reissuance and What’s Changed Through 2028 On August 23, 2024 — after a year-long legal challenge — the Georgia Environmental Protection Division reissued the three NPDES construction stormwater general permits (GAR100001, GAR100002, and GAR100003) that authorize stormwater discharges from construction activities to waters of the State of Georgia. The reissued permits…

ADU Permits in Georgia: The 2026 Guide for Homeowners and Builders Accessory Dwelling Units — small secondary homes built on the same lot as a primary single-family residence — have become one of the hottest topics in Georgia real estate. ADUs are used as in-law suites, rental income properties, home offices, and increasingly as a…