Mack Engineering

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…

Milton GA Subdivision Rules: A 2026 Guide to Splitting Land Under the Unified Development Code Milton, Georgia is one of the most desirable — and most regulated — residential markets in Metro Atlanta. If you are thinking about splitting a parcel, developing a small subdivision, or buying land in Milton with the intent to subdivide…

Mack Engineering is a full-service civil engineering and land development firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia. We deliver fast turnarounds, single-PE accountability on every project, and deep working knowledge of the permitting offices across Metro Atlanta — Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton, Cobb, and surrounding counties. Whether you are a developer, builder, property owner, or buyer, we will…

Cherokee County Land Disturbance Permit: The Complete 2026 Process Guide If you are planning to clear, grade, or build on land in Cherokee County, Georgia, you almost certainly need a Land Disturbance Permit (LDP) or an Erosion Control Permit (ECP) before a single shovel hits dirt. Get this step wrong and the Development Service Center…

The Short Version: Georgia Senate Bill 447 passed both chambers in the 2026 session and is on the Governor’s desk. Once signed, every Georgia local issuing authority must issue or deny a land disturbance permit within 45 days of a completed application, with shorter clocks of 20 days for the first resubmittal and 14 days…

When most people think about engineering, they picture calculations, blueprints, and construction plans. In reality, civil engineering is the discipline that helps turn a piece of land into a functional, buildable, and compliant project by connecting the building design to the real-world conditions of the site. For commercial sites, residential developments, and specialty-use properties, civil…

Homeowners, developers, and contractors often ask the same question: how much does a civil engineer cost? In metro Atlanta, the honest answer is that civil engineering fees depend on the permit scope, site constraints, stormwater requirements, and the level of municipal review involved. For many residential and light commercial projects, the most simple site plans…