Do I need a permit for shed or accessory structure in Carrollton?

Yes. In Georgia, shed or accessory structure generally requires a permit, and Carrollton is no exception.

The 200 square foot figure quoted for Georgia is a model figure, not an enforceable statewide threshold. It appears at Section R105.2 of the International Residential Code with Georgia Amendments, but the Georgia amendments delete Chapter 1, Scope and Administration, without substitution and keep it in the code only as a reference and guide for local governments to use in the development of their own administrative procedures. Georgia jurisdictions that follow that guidance exempt one-story detached accessory structures other than storm shelters up to 200 square feet, but the threshold that binds at your address is the local one. Several Georgia cities draw the line lower, so do not assume 200 applies where you live. Sandy Springs requires a permit for detached structures of 120 square feet or larger, and Savannah requires one for a new closed-roof accessory structure over 120 square feet. Ask your building department for the figure that applies at your address. A local size exemption is an exemption from the permit, not from the rules. Zoning setbacks, height limits and lot coverage still apply, and so does the construction standard in the body of the Georgia residential code. Running electrical or plumbing to the shed triggers a separate trade permit regardless of the structure size. Carroll County's own permitting office is the Carroll County Community Development Department, reachable on 770-830-5861 at https://www.carrollcountyga.gov/158/Community-Development-Department. Its online permit portal is https://carrollcountyga.eps.cloud/eps/index.html. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, and many smaller Georgia municipalities do not, this is the office that will handle the job. Ask specifically about the size that triggers a permit and about setbacks, since those are set locally and are the two things people most often get wrong on a shed. Carrollton's permit requirements packet covers single-family homes and accessory structures together, and storage buildings are listed as accessory structures in UDO 5.02.01. The city publishes no size exemption. Under UDO 5.02.02, a residential lot may have no more than three accessory structures other than a pool, no single one may exceed 40 percent of the square footage of the house, and total coverage must stay within the district's lot coverage limit. An accessory structure is not allowed in the front yard unless it is more than 100 feet from the front right-of-way. Side or rear setbacks may drop to 5 feet for a detached structure more than 50 feet from any street and 10 feet or more from other buildings. Accessory structures over 400 square feet must use siding and roofing compatible with the house, stay below the house's roof apex, and have at least 20 percent windows and doors on any street-facing wall.