An administrative official designated as the Zoning Administrator by the City Council of Valdosta, Georgia shall administer and enforce the provisions of this ordinance.

A building permit, or a sign permit in case of a sign, issued by the Zoning Administrator, is required in advance of the initiation of construction, erection, moving, or alteration of any building or structure or sign. No building permit or sign permit shall be issued except in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance; however, a building permit issued before the adoption of this ordinance shall remain valid with the same qualifications as issued under this ordinance.

All applications for building permits, except single-family residential, shall be accompanied by five site plans drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the size and location of the lot, the number of dwelling units the building is designed to accommodate, the setback lines of the building on the "permit lot," the various easements on the lot and such other information as may be essential for determining whether the provisions of this ordinance are being observed. The following is required on the site plan before the site plan is considered accepted by the director of inspections and any permits are approved:

a.

City Engineer Approval:

1.

Topography (MSL) existing and proposed.

2.

Drainage plans.

3.

Location and size of ingress/egress.

4.

Water and sewer mains and services, both existing and proposed.

5.

All other utility services or distribution lines (Georgia Power Company, Southern Bell Telephone, Georgia Natural Gas, Cable TV).

b.

Fire Chief Approval:

1.

Water (Class A fire hydrant).

c.

Director of Utilities Approval:

1.

Water and sewer services in the lot and the specific meter size and location.

The other required drawings to include structural, plumbing, electrical, heat and air, shall be submitted in two sets. All of the drawings shall be resubmitted, if during the city's review there are major changes made to them (major changes refers to omitted items that are required or where the number of changes to a drawing are over three items or when the handwritten changes would cause confusion or make the drawings unusable). The city shall have at the time the permit is issued two complete accurate plans. One set of plans, including the site plan, shall be kept on the job site where all of the various inspection departments shall have access during the construction and final inspection phase.

Any building permit shall become void if the work involved has not begun within six months after the date of issuance of the permit or if the work or development authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of six months after the work of development is commenced; provided that extensions of time for periods not exceeding six months each may be allowed in writing by the Zoning Administrator. Any unapproved deviation from the site plan shall cause the Building Official to not issue a certificate of occupancy.

Single-family residential site plans need not be drawn to scale, but must be accurate as to dimensions of lot and proposed building.

The applicant for a building permit shall submit a certificate with his/her application which certifies that the lot which he proposes to develop is a lot of record. When the lot in question does not met the lot width and lot area requirements of this ordinance, then the applicant shall certify that such lot was a lot of record prior to the adoption of this ordinance or is a lot which has been created through governmental taking of property.

The Zoning Administrator shall receive applications for the construction of signs, as required by this ordinance. Such applications shall follow the same forms as required for building permits, and shall contain information required by this ordinance in Section 8. The Zoning Administrator shall process such sign applications and shall issue sign permits and sign permit numbers for proposed signs which comply with the requirements of this ordinance.

In case any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, demolished, altered, repaired, moved, converted, or maintained in violation of this ordinance, the offender shall be guilty upon conviction and shall be punished as provided in Section 1-5 [1-11] of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Valdosta for each separate offense.

In case any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted, or maintained, or any building, structure, or land is used in violation of this ordinance, the Zoning Administrator or any other appropriate authority, or any adjacent or neighboring property owner who would be damaged by such violation, in addition to other remedies, may institute injunction, mandamus, or other appropriate action or proceedings to prevent the violation in the case of such building, structure, or land.

Certificate of occupancy shall be issued by the Zoning Administrator in accordance with the following provisions:

10-7.1. Certificate of Occupancy Required. A certificate of occupancy issued by the Zoning Administrator is required in advance of occupancy or use of:

a.

A building hereafter erected.

b.

A building hereafter altered so as to affect height, the side, front or rear yard.

c.

Any building or premises where a change in the type of occupancy or use will occur.

10-7.2. Application for Certificate of Occupancy. The owner, tenant or his/her agent shall, after the plans have been accepted for permit, sign the Application for Certificate of Occupancy; subsequently, all inspecting parties to include Electrical Inspector, Plumbing Inspector, Structural Inspector, Building Official, City Engineer, Fire Marshal, Director of Utilities having signed the application and having accepted the work, only then is the owner eligible for the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy. It shall be allowed, however, that after completion of all minimum requirements involving the buildings and the adjacent parking lot, a temporary Certificate of Occupancy can be granted for a period not to exceed 60 days so that the owner, tenant, or his/her agent can have occupancy of the building while he is completing the site plan requirements as initially approved on his/her permit such as retention ponds, grassing, etc. A 60-day extension to the original 60-day grace period can be granted if, in the opinion of the department whose items haven't been completed, the items do not harm any property owner or the city nor cause any costs to the city. At the end of the 60 days (or extension), he shall obtain a Certificate of Occupancy. Failure to do so will be in violation of this ordinance. In the case of single-family units, acceptable driveway, water meter, grading and erosion plus the accepted electrical, plumbing, and building inspections shall constitute an application for the Certificate of Occupancy.

10-7.3. Issuance of Certificate of Occupancy. Upon payment of any required fees, and completion of the application for Certificate of Occupancy (refer to Section 10-7.2), the Zoning Administrator shall sign and issue a Certificate of Occupancy if the proposed use of land or building as stated on the Certificate of Occupancy is signed thereto by the owner or his/her appointed agent and is found to conform to the applicable provisions of this ordinance and if the building and site plan, as finally constructed complies with the plans submitted and approved for the building permit. One copy of the Certificate of Occupancies issued which contains a statement for the intended use of the applicable property, floor loads, and other pertinent information, signed by the occupant or his/her agent shall be kept on file in the office of the Zoning Administrator; a second copy shall be posted in a conspicuous public place on the premises.

10-7.4. Denial of Certificate of Occupancy. A Certificate of Occupancy shall not be issued unless the proposed use of a building or land conforms to the applicable provisions of this ordinance, and the structure conforms with the applicable provisions of the building code and complies with the sketches or plans submitted for obtaining the building permit.

It shall be duty of the Director of Inspections to assign a proper street number (an internal number system if applicable) at the time of the building permit issuance and/or to each house or building within the city and said number shall be posted prior to a residential acceptance or issuance of Certificate of Occupancy. A temporary building number for construction purposes shall be installed in a conspicuous place; where apartments or multi-units are involved, those number shall also be posted. It shall be unlawful and a violation of this code for any property owner, after being notified of such number assigned to his/her property by the Director of Inspections pursuant to this chapter, to have posted or displayed upon his/her property a number different from the number so assigned said property.

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs, pursuant to the Georgia Planning Act, has established criteria for the identification of certain large-scale developments, which have the potential to cause land use impacts beyond the boundaries of the respective local government where a project might be proposed. These developments known as Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) shall be submitted, based on established DCA standards, procedures, and format, to the South Georgia Regional Development Center (SGRDC) for review and recommendation prior to issuance of any local building or development permit, utility tap, or rezoning, whichever occurs first. As such, these requirements establish an official delay in the local permitting and/or review process to allow for compliance with these requirements. (Adopted by Valdosta Mayor/Council on 11-6-03 - P. C. File # VA-2003-72)