Which office handles your foundation permit
The answer depends on the address, and in downtown Savannah there may be a historic review before the permit.
Rules change and every job is different, so use this as a map to the right phone call, not as legal advice. Phone numbers are from each office's own pages, read 2 November 2026.
| Where the house is | Office | Phone | What the office says |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Savannah | Development Services, 2 East Bay Street | 912-651-6530 | Permit to dig or excavate beneath an existing building, retaining walls and house moving (permit chart revised 10 December 2021). Homeowner permits need a notarized affidavit. |
| Savannah historic districts | MPC Historic Preservation | 912-651-1440 | Exterior work visible from the street needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before the building permit. Brick repointing and stucco repair can go through staff review (MPC instructions). |
| Unincorporated Chatham County (Wilmington Island, Isle of Hope) | Building Safety and Regulatory Services, 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite D | 912-201-4300 | The county forms page lists a foundation permit application, and its alterations packet names foundation repair. |
| Pooler | Building Department, 100 US Highway 80 SW | 912-748-7261 | Storm and flood repairs may need a permit depending on damage. |
| Richmond Hill (city) | Planning and Zoning, 85 Richard R. Davis Drive | 912-756-3641 | Unincorporated Bryan County uses the county building and codes office instead. |
| Tybee Island | Planning and Zoning, City Hall | 912-472-5031 | Permits are required for repairs. The flood page describes the substantial damage and improvement review. |
Historic review comes first downtown
In Savannah's local historic districts, exterior work visible from the public right of way needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before the city issues a building permit: the planning commission reviews the work first and then Development Services issues the permit (MPC stop work order sheet, November 2022). The commission prefers routine maintenance and in kind repair, patching with matching material, over replacement. None of the documents we read names foundations specifically. If your repair changes what shows from the street, ask the commission before anyone starts. Work hidden under the house may not need that review but may still need a building permit.
Flood zones add a step
On Tybee, a project that could reach the 50 percent substantial damage or improvement threshold needs the city's affidavit, and new or substantially improved buildings in the 100 year floodplain need an extra foot above base flood elevation (City of Tybee Island flood information page). In Savannah, a substantial damage question goes to the floodplain administrator, (912) 651-6510.
Check the contractor too
Georgia requires a residential contractor licence for structural residential work over $2,500 under O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 41. Board recognized specialty contractors working inside their specialty are covered separately. Ask any company for its licence number and look it up on the Georgia Secretary of State licence search before signing. The State Licensing Board's phone number is on that site.
Where these facts come from
Read on 2 November 2026.
- City of Savannah permit chart (revised 10 December 2021) and how to apply page.
- Metropolitan Planning Commission historic review instructions and stop work order sheet.
- Chatham County Building Safety and Regulatory Services forms page.
- City of Pooler public notice on storm damage repairs.
- City of Richmond Hill and Bryan County building pages.
- City of Tybee Island flood information page.
- O.C.G.A. 43-41-2 and 43-41-17 (Justia copy).