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Senate committee backs bill setting permit 'shot clocks,' public tracking and remedies for unresponsive localities
Summary
The State Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to give a 'do pass' recommendation to LC47409S (49S), which would impose 45-day and 14-day review deadlines for building permits, require public online permit tracking by 2027, and allow fee refunds and limited waiver of sovereign immunity when local issuing authorities fail to act.
ATLANTA — The State Senate State and Local Government Committee voted to recommend passage of LC47409S (listed as 49S), a bill that would impose deadlines on local permit reviews, require publicly accessible online permit-tracking and create financial remedies when local issuing authorities fail to respond.
The bill, presented by the committee chair, aims "to ensure timely decisions on permits, increase transparency in the permitting process and also protect the rights of permit applicants," the chair said. The chair also said 94 of Georgia's 159 counties are reporting a housing shortage, framing the measure as a response to time-related costs developers face.
Under the substitute the committee considered, initial permit applications would be subject to a 45-day review period; resubmitted applications would face a 14-day review 'shot clock.' The chair said the draft allows exceptions: if an applicant makes a material or substantial change to plans, the original clock would not restart, and the clock would not run while…
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