Do I need a permit for a generator in DeKalb County?

Which office issues your permit

This is the part that trips people up. Your mailing address can say "Decatur" or "Stone Mountain" even when your home isn't inside that city's limits. What matters is where the property actually sits:

• Unincorporated DeKalb: the DeKalb County Department of Planning & Sustainability, 178 Sams Street in Decatur. Applications go through the county's e-Permitting portal.
• Inside a city: cities like Decatur, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Tucker, Chamblee and Stonecrest run their own permit offices. The county doesn't issue permits for homes inside those cities.

We check which office covers your address before we file anything, so you don't have to sort it out.

What gets permitted

A standby generator touches two systems in your home: electrical and gas. DeKalb County requires trade permits to be submitted by licensed professionals, so the electrical permit is filed by a licensed electrical contractor, and the gas work, including the gas pressure test, is filed by a licensed contractor too. The City of Decatur also requires separate trade permits for any gas or electrical work, no matter the size of the job.

How inspections work

After the work is done, an inspector checks it. In unincorporated DeKalb, inspections are requested online through the county's portal. Some jobs have a rough inspection before anything is covered up, then a final inspection. We schedule the inspections for you.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

DeKalb does allow homeowners to pull their own electrical permit in limited cases: you have to own and live in the single-family home and do all the work yourself, without help. A standby generator also involves gas work and a transfer switch tied into your electrical panel, so most homeowners have a licensed installer handle it.

How we handle it

Permits are part of every install we do. James is a licensed Georgia Master Electrician, and Michelle handles the permit paperwork with each office. When you get your generator quote, the permit work is already part of the plan. See how a home generator install works.

Sources: DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability, City of Decatur permits, and DeKalb's homeowner electrical affidavit.