I am leaning towards purchasing a shed to turn into a ~300 sqft apartment to then eventually rent out. I may adjust to a smaller living area to avoid permits, if required. I've found articles indicating that tiny houses/adu's are allowed but it sounds like if it doesn't meet a certain sqft count, then permit is not needed? Is this actually true? I would prefer to avoid the permitting process if possible. We had to go through the permit process when building our house in Fulton County and it was not fun!
If anyone has gone through a similar process or found resources available, please share! :)
Short answer: Every city is different, but most likely the answer is going to be YES, you need a permit. Go check Atlanta's planning and development website to be sure. Every city publishes guidelines for homeowners regarding what does and doesn't require a permit.
Long answer:
Generally any new construction that is going to be considered habitable space or sleeping quarters (i.e. what you are building) is going to require a permit, even if it is very small. In most cities, the only new construction that doesn't require a permit is a storage shed, and usually the city will place extremely restrictive limits on square footage, height, and utility services. I recently did a job in a PHX suburb where the city limited storage sheds to 120 SF or less, 9' max height (meaning your interior ceiling height will be more like 7'), and ZERO electrical. Yes, ZERO. If you wanted so much as an outlet you would need to permit it and classify it as an ADU. So even though you're starting with the shell of a storage shed, you'll likely need to pull a permit to hook it up to electrical, sewer, and water, at which point the City will probably call BS on the "shed" classification and make you permit it as an ADU, and at that point your prefab shed may not meet IRC standards so you're back to square zero.
Now, you may be asking "What happens if I just build it without a permit anyway?" and the answer to that question depends on how strict the city's inspectors are, if you have nosey neighbors, and what your risk tolerance is. Personally, I think your chances of getting busted with a 300 SF micro apartment are very high. I wouldn't do it. If it was half that size and tucked away in the backyard where nobody else could see it and you were only using it for friends/family (not renting it out) then MAYBE you could get away with it. But what you're describing, bite the bullet and pull the permit.
Hey @Christine Phan - I would strongly advise you give the county/township a call to see what they require. Then, I would find a licenced GC to knock that project out for you. Good GCs will know how to deal with the county and take all of the worry of your plate - that is what you are paying them to do.
This can certainly be a way to add massive value depending on the neighborhood you are in. However, you may run into headaches when trying sell or refinance in the future if your valuable additions were not permitted or run into issues when actually renting it out.