Paulding County community development reports 2024 permit activity and rising commercial licenses
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Summary
Community development staff reported 5,197 permits issued in 2024 (slightly fewer than 2023), with $75 million in nonresidential valuation and $132 million in residential valuation; staff also said active business licenses total 4,030 and commercial licenses rose from 105 in 2023 to 222 in 2024.
Paulding County’s community development staff presented a 2024 summary of building permits, inspections and business licensing that showed steady inspection volumes, large residential valuation and a notable uptick in commercial business licenses.
Staff said the county issued 5,197 permits in 2024, slightly fewer than the 6,001 issued in 2023. Trade permits (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) made up the largest share; staff said about 22 percent of permits were for single-family detached dwellings. Inspectors performed 10,991 inspections in 2024, roughly comparable to 2023.
Valuation figures for 2024 included about $75 million in nonresidential building value and roughly $132 million in residential value. Staff highlighted several large nonresidential projects: Wellesaw Paulding Hospital reported more than $30 million in permit value for campus work; the Town Creek Center build-out totaled more than $8 million; a major interior finish permit for a business on Bill Creek Parkway (Auto Man) is expected to lead to an opening; Cummins Enterprises invested nearly $4 million in industrial improvements; and airport hangar work occurred in Post 2.
On building location, staff noted that Paulding County administers permitting for the city of Hiram; that fact partly explains why the hospital’s permits are listed under county totals. Regarding housing distribution, Post 4 led residential permitting with 569 (or 565 — the presenter corrected while reading) permits, followed by Post 1 with 339.
On business licensing, staff reported 4,030 active business licenses as of the day before the meeting and said renewals are ongoing. New commercial licenses rose from 105 in 2023 to 222 in 2024; the top five categories of new licenses included professional, scientific and technical services, which was a new presence in the top five in 2024. Staff said 26 percent of new licenses were commercial while 74 percent remained home occupations.
Staff said the development division handled 223 plan-review case numbers in 2024 and offered to provide additional breakdowns at a future meeting. No formal action or vote on the report is recorded in the provided transcript.